Guinness 200th Anniversary Export Stout
Guinness Ltd.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Delicious

 

 

 

Is "black patent malt" something like brewer's licorice? I mentioned this beer in a recent review of Kalamazoo Stout (its closest comparison, in terms of taste) as I assumed each had brewer's licorice, and assumed that was what made me love each so.
At any rate, the only Guinness I absolutely love, and one that competes against any beer out there in terms of taste. It is more carbonated than normal Guinness, which I would normally consider a negative, but in this case, just adds to the unique character of this beer. Everytime I am in a liquor store, I pray they have some of this stocked.

Well worth the try.
Maybe it was my pour, but out of the bottle it seemed to have a thin head.
Much more intense flavors as compared with the usual Guinness.

Look...ink black with a thin brown head
Smell...sour , bitter, choc, malt,
Taste...def don't like as much as the previous two export stouts from Guinness 200th 12 pack...bitter, roast, sour.
Feel....Thin but the usual Guinness thin. Small amount of lacing
Overall... good but nothing spectacular. Not outstanding in my book

Pours jet black with a thin, mocha head.
Sweet chocolate malt, toffee, vanilla, roasted almond, marshmallows in the nose, I hope it tastes as good as it smells!
Wonderful taste! English malts abound. Bakers chocolate, slight coffee, bitter hop, Carmel and toffee.
Smooth, thin mouthfeel.

 

11.2oz bottle - poured into a nonic pint at 45°F.

Pours a thin black hue, with the faintest highlight of cola brown if you really make an effort to see it. A fairly vigorous pour yields two fingets of creamy dark tan head that recedes fairly quickly, leaving a few long wisps of lacing. Some slow, visible effervescence.

Nose: Right off the bat, this is clearly much fuller and more potent than Guinness Draught or Extra. A ton of signature Black Patent malt semi-sweet chocolate notes and a little bit of roast, but even more prominent is the rich, sweet caramel note. There's a noticeable English yeast dark fruit note that reminds me a bit of barleywine. A kiss of brown sugar, treacle, and a whisper of earthy English hops, and you have a simple, straightforward, pleasant dry Irish stout aroma. Much more character than your everyday Guinness.

Palate: Immediately milk chocolate and caramel lend a percieved sweetness which is then completely obliterated by the gentle roast of the malt, which lends a massively nutty, malty...maltiness. This is chocolate malted milk balls. There's a hint of that classic tinny dry Irish stout thing, and a perceptible hop presence that lends some earthiness, some spiciness, but hardly any bitterness. The finish is clean, minimally roasty with just a slight bitter kiss, malty, nutty, and lingers with chocolate, melted milk, and a hint of English hops.

Mouthfeel/Body: At 6% ABV, the beer isn't heavy, but it has a surprising malty fullness to it when compared to other Guinness offerings. Medium-light in body, moderately effervescence, incredibly crisp, clean, and very minimal sticky sweetness. Fairly dry finish.

Overall: This is really an incredible dry Irish stout, and it's a shame that the everyday Guinness offerings aren't thos fantastic. I find Guinness Draught to be malt flavoured water, and Extra to be malt flavoured water with some more malt. This is entirely different, and even manages to blow the true craft iterations of dry stouts out of the water. This is everything you would expect out of the style, with a fullness of flavour and incredible drinkability. I could keep this stocked full time. Really great.

 

Poured from an 11.2oz bottle: Pours an Extra Dark Chocolate color, not quite black, but dark. A creamy tan colored 2 finger head that faded away, and left a decent amount of lacing. A first smell and taste detect a hint of coffee, malt a smoky/roasted/ sweet chocolate profile followed by a hint of fruit. The taste is well balanced; Not too alcohol forward; Malty, chocolaty and roasted to create the perfect amount of bitterness. Given it's medium to light mouth feel, Full body flavor, easy drinkability, low abv (compared to other similar offerings) and balanced flavor, it's not a surprise that this brew from Guinness has lasted 200 years. Some things are just timeless and best enjoyed in original form, and this beer is one of them. If you aren't a big fan of Guinness, and Stouts or if you just haven't had the opportunity to give this one a try, I highly recommend you do, you won't regret it.

Solid aroma of dark fruits, molasses, a bit of sweet caramel. The roastedness of the malts is subdued.

Gorgeous Guinness look: deep black body below a tall, thick and creamy head that lasts, leaving behind ample strings of lacing and a rocky, bubbly surface.

Good flavor, and as with the aroma, the dark fruits and sweet molasses is first in line, but the roasted malts are not too far behind. The initial taste is smooth, giving way to mild bitterness in the middle, finish, and aftertaste. Despite starting out a bit sweet, it has dried out a bit by the finish, but even so, the finish is on the sweet side. The fruit, molasses, and moderate sweetness is a good change from the traditional Guinness dryness.

Mouth feel is smooth with a moderate-to-thin body.

Overall, a very good variation on the classic Guinness stouts.

Drinking this at home out of a bottle poured into a pint glass.
Appears dark brown, with a tan head that lasted throughout the beer.
Smells malty, chocolatey, caramel.
Taste follows the nose.
Mouth feel is medium for the style.
Overall, thank you Guinness for 200 years of great beer.