Guinness Draught | Guinness Ltd.
Brewed by:
Guinness Ltd.
Ireland
guinness.com
Style: Irish Dry Stout
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 4.20%
Availability: Year-round
Notes / Commercial Description:
No notes at this time.
Added by BeerAdvocate on 02-02-2001
HISTOGRAM
View: Beers
Ratings: 7,936 | Reviews: 2,308
3.88/5 rDev +8.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
The most famous and widely available, it seems that the bottled variety has been significantly smoothed out over the last few years. What was once a very heavy, moderately bitter stout is now a light, neutral snack redesigned for warm summer days instead of dark winter rains. The nitro cans have a bit more body, but still don't approach what I once craved nightly.
In color it's nearly as dark as ever, almost pitch black with hints of red around the edges, and the head is certainly as robust, still taking a minute to settle down and never quite disappearing.
Tastewise there's not a lot of flavor. It's more creamy than stout, with faint hints of malts and coffee, but nothing strong. I like a smooth beer, but in this case it feels too smooth, like a completely flat beer, with no bite from hops or alcohol to add any zing to it.
Overall, a light, easy-drinking beer that bears little in common with most other stouts. Even the black lager might be closer.
965 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
The most famous and widely available, it seems that the bottled variety has been significantly smoothed out over the last few years. What was once a very heavy, moderately bitter stout is now a light, neutral snack redesigned for warm summer days instead of dark winter rains. The nitro cans have a bit more body, but still don't approach what I once craved nightly.
In color it's nearly as dark as ever, almost pitch black with hints of red around the edges, and the head is certainly as robust, still taking a minute to settle down and never quite disappearing.
Tastewise there's not a lot of flavor. It's more creamy than stout, with faint hints of malts and coffee, but nothing strong. I like a smooth beer, but in this case it feels too smooth, like a completely flat beer, with no bite from hops or alcohol to add any zing to it.
Overall, a light, easy-drinking beer that bears little in common with most other stouts. Even the black lager might be closer.
965 characters
5/5 rDev +40.1%
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.
1,910 characters
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.
1,910 characters
Guinness Draught from Guinness Ltd.
Beer rating:
3.57 out of
5 with
7,936 ratings
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