Guinness Draught
Guinness Ltd.

Lampro from Virginia

3.71/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

This has great mouthfeel- smooth, very fine bubbles and foam. This compliments the lighter flavor profile of this stout compared to some of the more intense ones out there.

Oct 03, 2021

clknowlton001 from Colorado

4.9/5  rDev +36.1%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

As anyone reading, I drink a lot of beer. However, I never review beers, mainly because good beers tend to receive their credit, plus why would anyone really care what I have to say about beer, I'm not an expert? But I was curious, so I Googled Guinness and found its BA score; it is wrong. How have "beer experts" determined that what was once the gold standard is now deserving of a 77 score (or a 70, Bros)? Because it's not brewed by a couple hipsters in a trendy neighborhood? Because it is mass produced? It's delicious. It's beautiful. It's meant to taste unique. I've had better beers, but it is completely worthy of a 5/5 rating. It's a DRY Stout, emphasis on the dry. It makes you yearn for that next sip, just like a good cocktail. It is smooth and has a burnt toffee aftertaste, pours a deep black with a rich, thick, creamy head that laces the glass perfectly. It's incredibly made and gets better with more pours, A TRUE SESSION BREW before it had a name. It offers a very slight body with a sharply toasted malt smell, that of day old bread that does not overwhelm but rather compliments the taste. Very well made, it's clear why brewers and beer drinkers alike have enjoyed and respected this beer for decades. This should not be kept out of your rotation just because your grandparents have drank it, in fact, that's partially why you should drink it.

Oct 18, 2015

StopHatingOnClassics

4.71/5  rDev +30.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

The beer people love to hate for no legitimate reason, other than the fact it is the most famous stout of all time. Don't judge a beer based on its' notoriety. This is the textbook beer that "beer snobs" loathe, because it reassures the deluded perception they have that smaller always equals better. Anyways:

Appearance- Poured on tap into a guinness glass it presents a dark coffee like color, accompanied with a thick foamy head.

Smell- Subtle tones of roasted malt.

Taste- Divine. Notes of dark chocolate and malt, with faint hints of sweet cream.

Mouthfeel- Lightly carbonated and creamy. The head of a guinness on tap in unparalleled by any beer.

"StopHatingOnClassics"

Apr 09, 2012

tomghiley from Canada (ON)

5/5  rDev +38.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

do people romanticize a pint of guinness? yes they do. but why shouldn't they? there's a beautiful history behind this beer, and i challenge anyone to find me a more beautiful looking beer. perfect head, an inredible blackish ruby color, it is flawless. smells like stale rye bread, tastes like stale rye bread, and...FUCK YOU, i love stale rye bread! wonderful texture, guinness is still king among stouts.

Oct 14, 2015

Irishman_Scott from Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +38.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Call me a bit biased because of my heritage, but I love Guinness. This is my go to beer. It is the first one that made me understand the flavors to a beer. Prior to Guinness, like many people, I mostly drank american Pilsner (Hey... we were all early 20 somethings at one time, LOL!!! I've since changed, gotten into crafts, and won't touch light Pilsner anymore). I didn't understand why it tasted like flat coffee until I read about how it was made and why. My next try at it and I was hooked. I grew to love this beer!!! It has one of the prettiest pours there is, in my opinion. Best off a nitro tap or from a can with the widget. It does create a creaminess. It is a dry stout, with virtually no fizz, and lots of coffee, along with chocolate and roasted malt. At least that is what I taste anyway. It is light compared to a number of the Stouts I've gotten into since acquiring my Stout love. Many call it legendary. Some say it stinks. To me, it is legendary, and oh so good!

Jun 08, 2016

RickyS from Germany

2.54/5  rDev -29.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 2.25

The budweiser of stouts. Black water.

Feb 07, 2015

Clutumbo from Arizona

5/5  rDev +38.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

All other ratings are lies. This is the world's most perfect beer. Judging a Guinness is impossible unless you have it within the borders of Ireland. When you see the dark black foam of a nitro poured drink, you salivate. It is so decadent, you can smell the creamy goodness of this beverage. When you finally taste this beer, you understand what Nirvana is. The feel of this drink in your mouth, when perfectly poured and sipped, is unmatched by any other beverage! -Never settle.

Dec 29, 2016

NilocRellim from Minnesota

5/5  rDev +38.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I spent quite a bit of time in Ireland and have since became a Guinness-snob.... I will say this: The Guinness that you get in (most of) the rest of the world is not anywhere as good as it is in Ireland. Even in Ireland you can get a bad Guinness... I found that this was caused by a few things, but more often than not it was because of a bad/dirty tap or line from the keg to the tap; I have even sent a few back when I was in Ireland because of the taste.

My rating/review is for the Guinness that you get on-tap (nitro) in Ireland.:

The bartender holds the Guinness tulip glass at a 45 degree angle until the Guinness reaches 3/4 full. The Guinness then has to settle or "cook" until the nitrogen bubbles stop flowing down the glass. Once settled the bartender holds the glass under the tap at no angle and tips the tap back, allowing the Guinness to flow more slowly, creating a nice domed head. The Guinness then settles (cooks) a second time before it should be consumed. The whole process should take 119 seconds.

The proper Guinness should be incredible black, hardly letting any light through it at all. The head should be off-white, thick (as if able to hold a coin), creamy, with no large bubbles (called frog eyes). It should not have that strong of a smell to it, but the smell should be something creamy (yes, creamy), slightly spicy, and slightly roasted barley. The taste should be very smooth... VERY smooth. It should NOT be overly bitter, but there is some there. A lot of people just say that it taste like coffee and chocolate. While a Guinness should taste of these things, none should be dominant over the rest.

Guinness from the bottle or from the can are not nearly as good because they tend not to drink as smooth. Maybe it's the aging that is done or the characteristics of the can or bottle that it picks up, but you CANNOT get anything better than Guinness on tap in Ireland.

Nov 30, 2012

Freddie_Ray from Virginia

4/5  rDev +11.1%

Smooth and toasty. Icon of mass produced dark beers. A dark beer available on most corners, and for good reason.

Aug 19, 2014

wtpbod from New York

3.94/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Jan 04, 2020

fegiannini from Brazil

4.31/5  rDev +19.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

I've set Guinness as my default beer a few years ago and I still can't go wrong with it.

Apr 21, 2015

Jugs_McGhee from Oklahoma

2.97/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

11.2 oz bottle (as in the new bottle without the nitrogen widget) of brown glass and with a standard pressure cap served into a conical Guinness pint glass in me gaff in low altitude Los Angeles, California. Acquired at a local Ralph's market. Reviewed live. I expect this to be worse than the nitro-bottle and nowhere near the level of Guinness nitro-draught.

Served slightly warmer than refrigerator cold. Side-poured at a proper 45 degree angle.

A: Pours a half finger head of white colour, decent thickness, and nowhere near the cream of the nitro-bottle. Very disappointing. Colour is the standard extreme dark ruby (but apparent black). Pales in comparison to the other variants of Guinness Draught.

Sm: Roasted barley (but light and weak compared to nitro-variants), light smoke suggesting rauchbier qualities, and hints of chocolate and coffee. A mild strength aroma.

T: A bit creamy, hardly any roast, some coffee, and vague hints of chocolate. A weak-ass version of proper Guinness Draught. A damned disgrace. Where's my beloved cream? Imbalanced and merely decently built. Bland, boring, and dull compared to proper Guinness. Infuriatingly poor in comparison to proper Guinness.

Mf: Smooth, wet, a bit thin, and a bit watery. Not at all creamy compared to the luxurious cream of the proper Guinness variants. Incredibly disappointing.

Dr: Drinkable but an obnoxiously poor decision. The nitro-bottle was far better. As a periodic Irish resident and a huge fan of Guinness, I'm offended at this awful decision. This variant ruins the best macro-brewed beer in the world, and I won't stand for it. Feels like a poorly executed porter in this bottled form. Please don't judge the beer based on this bottled variant; it's a poor representation of the beer.

No doubt this was an upper level directive from those bastards over at Diageo. I don't blame the brewery.

I emailed Diageo customer service about this beer and the removal of the nitro widget - which I think is a disgraceful ploy to reduce manufacturing costs. I received the following response:

---We are sorry that you were disappointed by your recent Guinness experience. While we have removed the widget from the Guinness Draught In A Bottle, the liquid has remained exactly the same and continues to come from St. James’s Gate Brewery in Dublin.
Guinness Draught In A Bottle has always been meant to be enjoyed directly from the bottle. We’ve adjusted the gas mixture so that the nitrogen gas is activated every time you tilt the bottle to drink, providing the signature creamy head each time you take a sip. Guinness Draught In A Bottle is still nitrogenated.

If you prefer to pour a Guinness into a glass, we recommend Guinness Draught in a Can, which still has a widget since Guinness Draught in a Can is meant to be poured from the can and enjoyed from a glass. It is our recommendation for consumers who enjoy drinking from the glass at home, as it delivers an outstanding “from the glass” experience.

If you prefer to continue to pour from the bottles, pouring faster and from a vertical angle will give you a much better head than pouring slowly.

We’re very passionate about our beer and do everything we can to deliver a Great Guinness Experience whether it’s straight from the bottle or poured into a glass. We hope this information answers your question and ensures your next experience with Guinness will meet your – and our – high standards.

Please do not hesitate to reach out with any further questions. We would be happy to offer a refund for this purchase and look forward to speaking with you directly if you would provide us with your phone number. Thank you very much.
---

^You can draw your own conclusions, but the whole "nitrogenating according to the tipping of the bottle" bit seems like a load of steaming bollocks. As a longtime Guinness drinker in mother Ireland and abroad, I'm disappointed in this decision. We want our nitro-induced creamy mouthfeel, ye Diageo bastards!

C

**
05/27/19 nitro-can courtesy of Zed:

Has probably the most iconic appearance of any beer ever served. Those cascading dark brown waves feeding into the black body - what a gorgeous beer.

Aroma: Brewers' chocolate, creamy aromatics, lovely roasted barley, scintillae of chicory and coffee grounds.

T & Mf: Creamy and soft, with hints of semisweet chocolate and dark malt bitterness feeding into the roasted barley-driven primary taste. Oddly refreshing for a stout if only due to its silky soft mouthfeel. On the light side of medium-bodied.

O: A classic Irish Stout, no doubt about it, but I'm more keen on the Extra Stout and Foreign Extra variants, which bring much more roast to the fore as well as much more boldness and complexity. Rather well balanced, in any case.

Mar 18, 2012

BeerPour from Illinois

1.67/5  rDev -53.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.25 | feel: 1.25 | overall: 1.25

Not a very full bodied beer, nor does it have a good enough ABV, you can skip and wont be sorry. The taste is too light, just pale on the palate, very light watered down stout feel.

Jun 19, 2015

MrVincent48 from Nevada

5/5  rDev +38.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

It truly is a lovely day for a Guinness. I agree with those who love it and why. Guinness has character and I have found that most people who enjoy it have character also. There are other Stouts...now. But the progenitor comes from Dublin.

Aug 05, 2016

DrinkGuinness from Ohio

4.78/5  rDev +32.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Guinness is my go to beer. Tried hundreds of others but this is my favorite. For me it's a perfect beer. I'm tired of crap IPAs and craft beers. Stick with a winner. Drink Guinness.

Jul 31, 2016

ADM_Crunch from Washington

5/5  rDev +38.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

The best beer on the planet. The only stout you will ever need. All others will try to be like it and will fail. The perfect head and body that goes perfect with its own special glass. Smooth like water with a perfect coffee flavor in the back. If I was only allowed to drink one beer for the rest of my life, I wouldn't even have to think about it. Guinness for life.

Aug 03, 2016

RjLange from Louisiana

4.31/5  rDev +19.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 14.9oz widget can into a pint glass. Pours a lovely ruby brown color and produces a whopping 2-3 finger head. It also has that nitro can fizziness that settles into an almost jet black color. The smell is very faint. Hardly any scent. The taste....wahohoho....wow. Such an awesome flavor for a massively brewed stout. Loads of smokey charred coffee with hints of bitter chocolate. Such an initial taste. Once it settles there definitely a strong hoppy bitterness, but in a good way. I'm so blown away by how good this is. Mouthfeel is a hair thin, but very smooth and light velvety. Like a thin eggnog... I was expecting a loser, but golly this is wondeful. I recommend this to anyone looking for a beer with a nice resonate flavors. For price, taste, availability this is a winner. It's goddamn electric.

Oct 27, 2016

DTAHoek from New York

5/5  rDev +38.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Guinness Draught is without a doubt my favorite beer of all time. I have tried other draughts and none have been able to achieve the high level of Guinness for me. The color, smell, taste, smoothness, head, everything is perfect. This is the kind of beer I like to enjoy while relaxing at home. A+ all around.

Nov 16, 2016

largadeer from California

2.92/5  rDev -18.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 4

Appearance: Dark brown with reddish highlights, slightly translucent; ultra-thick nitro head.

Smell: Lightly roasted barley, a bit grainy - not much of an aroma.

Taste: Mild roasted barley, but without much actual bitterness. A subtle grainy sweetness comes through in the middle. It finishes clean and dry with no aftertaste. I'm not too sure what else to say - it really doesn't have much depth or character.

Mouthfeel: The nitro head gives the illusion if a thick, creamy beer; but the body is very thin and watery. I know Irish dry stouts aren't supposed to be the thickest stouts around, but this is thin even for the style.

Notes: Now here's a beer that's all about image. It looks impressive, but when you get down to it, it's completely lacking in aroma, flavor and body. It's not terrible by any means, but it's also not very good.

Nov 27, 2007

CanadianBacon from Canada (QC)

3.46/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Appearance - Poured from a 440 ml can with "widget" into a 16 oz bar glass. This beer pourd almost completely black and let no light in, a creamy 2 finger head appeared quickly and is still here 20 mins later.

Aroma - I smell roasted malts, some light coffee and light hops.

Taste - sweet roasted malts, coffee, nuts, slight toffee

Feel - light but velvety creamy body, silky smooth. very easy drinking beer.

Overall - I'm used to big feel and big flavor which this definitely doesnt have, that said I usually dont drink more than one or 2 beers in a day but if I was looking for something to down a 6 pack off this would be my kind of beer. for the price it beats any aaj's. not too bad.

Nov 08, 2015

feloniousmonk from Minnesota

2.88/5  rDev -20%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Pouring the contents of this unique, innovative bottle creates the mythical creamy head and the magical flowing cascade, so favored in the pubs. Or is it just a cheap imitation?
Aroma nicely hints at coffee and cream, and a touch of chocolate, rich and luscious. Small amounts of bitterness,but exceptionally smooth on the tongue. Light body, thin texture, and far too soft for my taste.
It took me a while to understand the supreme appeal of Draught Guinness, for the Extra Stout was my bottle of choice in early days. I did a taste test between the two, and ultimately found that the draught version resembles a chocolate milkshake, or a mocha latte. It's for people who want to go beyond fizzy lagers and such, but don't really want to approach the bold flavors and bitterness in a true stout or porter.

Mar 31, 2003

StonedTrippin from Colorado

3.94/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

the orignal and most famous for a reason. this is the original dry irish stout. pours nearly black, thick, frothy mocha head, permanent from the nitro tap, and so creamy and clingy on the edges of the glass as it drinks, its insane really how much cream this leaves in its wake. smells roasty and smooth, not bitter at all, ever so slight milk chocolate characteristics, lots of balance, earthy and dry. tastes great, creamy and a little roasted depth at the finish makes it finish fast. full bodied but so smooth and low alcohol that you can easily drink it all day, almost nutritious or something. not the best stout in the world, not even close, but its an institution, and when you are at a pub and the choices are bud, bud light, heineken, and guinness, its the only choice. also nice on a hangover, and it has nursed me back to health on many occasions. i will always respect and revere this beer, really truly genre defining, and still affordably priced around the world. nothing quite equals a pint of guinness...

Dec 24, 2011

larryarms847 from Illinois

3.83/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

Poured well, this beer is extremely enticing. Black as night and a creamy finger of sturdy white foam that lasts the duration.

Milk chocolate, roasted malt, and some sweet cream/vanilla notes. All rather subtle.

Dark roast coffee, some subtle chocolate malt notes, and overall nice and roasty in character.

Medium-heavy bodied, medium carbonation, creamy smooth, subtle sweetness, dry finish.

Overall, when poured correctly this looks as good as any high quality brew and has a silky smooth mouthfeel, but overall it lacks a rich aroma and flavor. An easy drinking stout for sure.

Apr 10, 2016

Wasted_Youth from Indiana

4.2/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Apr 09, 2015

Thorpe429 from Illinois

2.94/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Thanks to gr8134 for this can. Served in a wine glass.

Pours dark brown with a white head. Fairly dark, but much lighter than the Foreign Export Stout, which we tried this side-by-side with. The head on this one is quite creamy. From there, it goes a bit downhill and this isn't a particularly-memorable beer. There is a bit of mild roast and very, very faint dark chocolate in the nose, but that's about it. The taste is really mild and creamy--roast, light chocolate, and the tiniest touch of malt sweetness. Feel is light and creamy. Just an okay beer. This really seems to be all about texture and not big on flavor.

Dec 29, 2010