Guinness Extra Stout (North America)

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

12 oz bottle. I can’t believe this stuff is brewed by Moosehead. I *hate* Moosehead. This is unbelievable. I figured when I bought this that it was authentic, meaning brewed in Ireland. WTF? Okay, I haven’t even ranked it yet. I will give it a chance. Aroma is excellent. It reminds me of Samuel Smiths’ dark beers. Smells like dough. Pours nearly completely black with a medium head which dissipates into a thin layer of foam. Nice lacing. Taste is somewhat sweet at first but it leaves a bitter aftertaste, then some sourness even. Full-bodied, fully carbonated. Obviously a very well-made stout. Good job Moosehead! Now if you can only apply this level of quality to your flagship skunky lager.

Slightly roasted malty, toffee syrup and nutmeg nose. Deep black/brown with a subtle amber hue, massive frothy dark tan head. Roasted coffee candy sweetness, tart bitter bite for balance. Lively carbonation, medium body, finish is roasted malt with a lingering mouth of neutral smoke. Tart bitterness holds up nice with the big roasted flavors, beer never feels overwhelming

Bottle from Whole Foods Market, Charlottesville, VA. Pours an opaque black color with a large tan head that sneaks up on you. Good head retention and lacing. Aroma of dry grainy notes and slight nuttiness with a tart dark fruit note in the finish. Taste is roasted malts and dark fruits with just a hint of smoke. Fairly hoppy. Medium bodied.

Black appearance, Frothy head. Taste is smokey and choclatey. Short bitter finish.

12oz bottle. Clear, very dark walnut body topped with a smallish creamy tan head, rings of lace coat the glass. Musty, malty aroma with grains, yeast, and an old, damp concrete cellar. Mouth is medium with foamy carbonation throughout the mouth and a bit watery on the finish. Flavor is lightly malty--apple skin, nuts, sugar--with a definite roasted malt presence and moderately bitter finish with hops in the pine direction. A little more exciting than the regular stout, if not so creamy and less traditional.

Poured from a large bottle into a pint glass for its first official rating. The beer has a black color with a slight dark brown hue and a big creamy-foamy tan head that had long retention and a lot of cling and lacing. The beer had a light aroma of grainy hops with some roasty caramel and chocolate malts too. It tasted sweet with a slight caramel presence but was also largely bitter and grainy. The beer had a watery characteristic and was somewhat thin with a light mouthfeel and average carbonation; modest dryness and a bubbly finish.

Very Sour, slightly ashy, very roasty, dry, some hoppiness, bitter. Smells much paler than it is. Interesting at first, then gross, then I started liking it more. Ultimately ok, but not something I’d want to drink again.