Guinness Brew 39
Guinness Ltd.

I am a huge fan of Guinness on tap. Everything about the beer is just right. The beer is just so silky smooth even if the flavor isn't as full bodied as many prefer. After having many pints of the regular stuff in Dublin I gave this "special" brew a try. At first you are wondering if you just got a regular Guiness even though the glass says "special brew 39" on it. Then the slight kick of hops hits you with a faint floral note at the end. This really just added the right amount of extra kick that Guiness needed. I continued to drink this over the regular stuff durring my stay.

I found this beer at the end of a long weekend in Dublin. Outside of the brewpubs, you can't find anything besides the 4 or 5 Irish standards, so I jumped at the change to get something different in a rather generic bar. It was still a fantastically corporate guiness, but it had some flavor. I love the texture and the concept of guiness, but not the actual beer. Of course it is better in Ireland, but I'm sorry to say that there are many American-made stouts that shame the modern guinness (I understand that in the past this was a much more viable beer, but that years of marketing have warn it down to its present state. Alas, I am just 21 at the moment, so I can't comment on guiness' reputed former glory).
There are definitly more hops in this version, and that gives the beer something of flavor and aftertaste. In terms of appearance, mouthfeel and head it's exactly the same as a guinness draft. The added flavor is appreciated, and if you have the choice, I recommend trying the 39 over the usual draft. It does have a little kick that makes it a more enjoyable drink.

I had this on-tap quite a few times while in Dublin last week. At first appearance it seems identical to regular Guinness. Looks the same and the taste is not too different. But the differences do become more noticeable the further I went and especially when doing a taste comparison. This is a bit more hoppy and has a floral note at the finish which the regular Guinness does not. The roastyness is balanced a bit more and doesn't linger quite so much in the finish. I liked the added hop bitterness and hop flavor in this but I do like hops and they're quite hard to come by in Ireland. Still, not greatly different from the regular version. Good, but if you're expecting something totally different, don't get your hopes up.