Guinness Extra Stout (North America)

Brewed by Labatt Breweries (InBev)
Style: Dry Stout
London, Canada

Pours mahogany with reds coming through the corners when held to the light. 3-4 finger chunky tan head with good retention nice thick persitent lacing.. Aroma is roast, raisins, molasses, dates, and spiced ginger cookies. Flavor has a nice char roast malt, flame toasted french bread, on top of a sweet slice of carmely date nut bread. After a little bit the bitter hop notes come in with a earthy hebal slide to them, finish is slightly bitter hops, with the various roast flavors dissipating from a sort of tannic charred wood taste. Honestly I really like this beer but it really tastes kind of watered down, I would love to sample some of the versions the rest of the world gets.

The Extra Stout gives a thick, creamy head that is only the slightest bit spongy. The head is straw-colored and the beer itself a caramel-tinted deep black. The nose is delicate, with major malt character. A strong biscuit and toast brown malt aroma hearkens back to the porter roots of the style. Light caramel and roast add complexity. The flavor has a similar detached bitter astringency as in the tap version, but there is also a significant contribution of flavor from brown and roast malt. While the roast still seems underbalanced for the bitterness, it is certainly much closer to ideal. In addition, there is a meaty yeast character that was entirely lacking on tap. The palate is thick and creamy without being cloying or undrinkable.

I do believe that this needs to be tasted blind, independent of name-recognition, to be most objectively and best appreciated. It doesn’t have the richness or complexity of an Imperial, but it is bold in its roasty character. There’s even a bit of sweet chocolate character in the aroma. This isn’t really what you’d expect from the name "Guinness" given the bland nitrogenized stuff that comes on draft.

Blah. Not even as good as regular overrated guinness, but at least with more of a dry stout feel to it and less watery. Stil not tasty though.

Pours dark black into a creamy head which never really dissipates, but fades into lingering heavy lacings on the side of the glass. Aroma of creamy yeasty hops and roasted malts and barley. This is the very beer I first had on tap that lead me to check into microbrews. After trying it, I KNEW that my ’style’ was porters and stouts. If it is on tap when I belly up to the bar, you can bet I’m having a Guinness!

Bottle. Pours a near black with ample brown head. Light aromas of roast, near sweet caramel, and a twinge of lactic acidity. Flavor has a tartness to it. Velvety medium full chewy body. Lingering chocolate bitterness in a long aftertaste.

i am admittedly trying a bottle that has been in a garage without temperature control for several years... but it smells like a stout, but not like guinness draught usually does. the taste is sour at first, then turns sweeter than most guinness i am used to, it tastes a lot less burnt and more rich and sugary. i think it has gone off a tiny bit however, it is almost completely uncarbonated and had a microscopic head that disappeared completely. never was the biggest fan of guinness, but was hoping the great age of it would help it do something more interesting.

12oz bottle from the LCBO I have some more of these at home will do a full rating SOON