Guinness Foreign Extra Stout

It's not an Irish Dry Stout, it's a Foreign Export Stout. I haven't had many, but the ones I've had have tended more towards the sweet and malty side of things. For comparison, easy to come by beers in this style include Lion Stout (AKA Sinha) from Sri Lanka, Dragon Stout (extremely sweet) from Jamaica, and Royal Extra Stout from Trinidad. These are traditional drinks in the places they come from.

 

The yeast signature is fantastic, all dates and figs, as is the balance between the roasted grains and residual sugars- the hops are definitely incidental, but they are just there to make sure the rest of it works. I really like its personality- it's got some horsepower to it, but isn't all in your face about it. And the more you have, the more those fruits come to the fore.

Just have a few more over the next few days if you have them, and maybe it'll grow on you.

 

I like it just the way it is.............. but I'll drink anything...........

 

I like it.

It doesn't pair well at all with Sheppard's Pie though. I tried.

 

Foreign extra is fantastic. Its dark, but drinkable and crisp. I feel like I could drink 12 of them in a sitting.

 

I love foreign stouts. I think they are fantastic and wish more breweries would experiment with them. Left Hand made one a while ago as part of their "Fade to Black" series that I thought was wonderful.

 

I like it alright. Still prefer Extra Stout. You can keep Draught.

 

That's cool- I definitely got where you were going with the first post. I was just pointing out that sometimes over time beers (or anything else, really) can go from being something that you like and appreciate to something that you totally crave- and that's what I was getting at by saying 'grow on you'. It happens quite a bit with me.

 

Guinness FES is a traditional stout. Far more traditional than any American Double. FES was actually brewed long before Guinness Extra or Guinness Draught.

 

I prefer cider with Shepherd's Pie, myself, though I like stouts with beef stew.

 

Maybe it would pair better if you used it as the liquid base for your gravy? Substitute it in for a portion of the beef stock in your recipe. I've done this with dry stout, and also with a smoked impy. Should work fine.

 

Good beer for sure, but I think it's a little overpriced.

 

I can only drink this beer after I have a buzz, otherwise I find it very offensive.

 

I usually do this with my stews, but I made shepherd's pie for the first time last week. I used to get it at a British pub in Miami, but since I moved, I'm learning to make my own. I'll give that a try next time and see how it works. Probably as well as the stew, I'm guessing.

 

The beer is fantastic, and pairs well with a bourbon - before or after

 

You have a good point there- this beer should most properly be evaluated against others of its type. IMO- none of those, although good in their own right, can hold a candle to Guinness Foreign Extra. There is a cloying element in all of those that will definitely show in direct comparisson over many glasses, while Guinness just gets better with each successive one. For a domestic version I do like Schlafly's take on the style better than Lion, Dragon or Royal: but even that one doesn't compare to Guinness where the rubber meets the road.