Guinness Foreign Extra Stout (Jamaica/Kenya)

Brewed by Desnoes and Geddes (Diageo PLC)
Style: Foreign Stout
Kingston, Jamaica

Name: Guinness - Jamaica
Date: March 15, 2006
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting
Appearance: black with ruby edges, whispy tan head
Aroma: sweet carmel aroma with light roasted
Flavor: tart flavor, light roasted, is this a stout?

Aroma: 5/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 5/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 8/20
Rating: 2.5/5.0
Drinkability: 5/10
Score: *4

Name: Guinness - Kenya
Date: September 29, 2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, Cellar Party
Appearance: black, frothy beige head, specks of lace
Aroma: sweet roasted and dark chocolate aroma
Body: creamy body
Flavor: rich malt flavor, good chocolate character is brought out by some vanilla and dark caramel sweetness, light stylistic sour mash character, light bitterness from the roasted balances the sweet

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.3/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **+/4

275ml bottle acquired in trade with goldtwins (thanks!). Bottle labeled BB March ’07. Poured a dark black color (almost brown) with a smaller sized tan head. Aromas of roast, chocolate, caramel, some dark fruits and a little buttery. Tastes of tart cherries, green apples, light chocolate, and caramel. A little on the tart and sour side with the butteriness not as apparent in the tastes. Light lacing left on the glass. A bit of a let down with the Belgian Version still on my mind of how good a Guinness can be.

Kenyan version sampled on 9/29/07: Pours a mostly opaque with a small, but frothy dark tan head. Aroma of slightly sweet dark caramel and chocolate malts with a hint of roast. Body starts fairly full and lightly caramel malty sweet with some chocolate and a drier, roasty finish. I like this a little more than the Jamaican version, but not as much as the other FES versions.

Jamaican version sampled on 4/24/06: Pours a nearly opaque dark brown with a thin off-white head. Lightly sweet milk chocolate toasted caramel and mild acidity with lots of licorice in the aroma. Starts with an earthy palate, some semi-sweet malt and a tart, lightly fruity character. Not very true to style and the acidity is unwanted, but otherwise a decent beer.

Thanks to my parents for taking two bottles ofthis home for me from a recent island hopping vacation. Pours dark brown with a light brown head. Smells of coffee, chocolate, toffee, caramel, hints of pepper. Tastes very roasty with some dark fruity hints and a spicy burnt finish. Very different from the 7.5% FES.

Kenyan version, 300 ml bottle. Dark black beer with a thick dark brown head. Aroma of dark chocolate, roast, and a very tart fresh green herbal character. Very roasty aroma with some vegetal off-notes, especially as it starts to warm up. The sour aroma is also there serving as a counterpoint to the chocolate and roast. However, the vegetal aspect of this just doesn’t work. The off-notes remind me of the North American brewed version of Guinness Extra Stout. Not terribly malty or complex. Moderate bitterness and light acidity on the finish. A bit of a disappointment, really.

The brown body is dark enough to seem black under most lighting. Despite an aggressive pour, the head was half a finger at best, then diminished into a halo circling a tiny bubbled film. The aroma’s roasted malt & barley, some bitter-sweet chocolate, molasses, a couple of raisins, and a touch of sourness. It has a big (almost too) roasted malt flavor with burnt nuts, chocolate, and that nagging lactic sourness. It finishes on a bitter roasty nost. More interesting than enjoyable.

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Thick, rich, malty, molasses, dates and pastry dough in the aroma with a light floral component and a pleasant dark roasty undercurrent. Jet black body with some mahogany highlights at the edges crowned by a fluffy pillow of fine bubbled tan head that lasts throughout and laces beautifully. Thick rich chocolate, doughy malts, some raisins, and dark pit fruit lead through to a very assertive roastiness with a slight sourness in the after taste. Medium full body is quite luscious, creamy and smooth without being thick or syrupy. Moderate carbonation and a dry lasting finish. Pint glass. Cellar temperature. Bottle (Sep-05).

Poured a dark brown color with a light tan head. The aroma is sweet and failry tart with a good amount of roasted malt and chocolate. The flavor is very acidic and tart. Tasted like those chocolate sodas. Roasty with bitterness of the finish. It was pretty tart and I didn’t expect it to be to this degree. I was disappointed after having the Belgian version.