Try?
Walking into a beer store and seeing a new brew is nothing new to me. Why,
breweries everywhere roll out new and exciting products all the time to
pique the interest of their various and sundry clientele. It's gotten to be
almost a modus operandi in the brewing world, after all.
That said, the other day the new beer I spied when I waltzed into Sherlock's in Marietta, Georgia took me a bit by surprise. This was a new beer by...Guinness? I was amazed. Ireland's Guinness, after all, has done quite nicely with its staple line of beers, and just why would they need another?
To celebrate their 250th anniversary, of course. It was in 1759, you see, that Arthur Guinness signed a 9000 year lease on the St. James Gate Brewery, where this commemorative stout is brewed. Kudos for that; somehow a contract brewed version would have seemed totally un-apropos. Even to celebrate the signing of a contract of such epic proportions.
Guinness 250 Anniversary Stout pours to a dark brownish to light
black color with a very thick and creamy tan colored head formation and a
lightly roasty, delightfully chocolaty nose. Taking a sip, I'm surprised
with the body here: definitely lighter in mouthfeel than any Guinness I've
tasted before, and very highly carbonated, too. Not as creamy and smooth as
I like my stouts to be, mind you.
Fortunately, there's still a lot of delicious roasty character here, rich and coffeeish with lots of dark cocoa and pudding-like chocolate notes, too. The roastiness is very apparent in the finish, too, balancing off the beer with a slightly astringent character. Just a hint of grassy hops poke through, too.
Guinness freely admits that this is a "fizzier" stout, and it's pretty clear to this particular guru of brew they're after the growing lager market with this one. Of course, this is a limited edition brew, but beers like this one have a habit of becoming permanent should they become popular enough. A great beery experiment, if you will.
Guinness is hyping the alcohol content, too. At 5% by volume, Guinness 250 is a bit stronger than its flagship stout, but only a bit. And it's about the same strength as most standard beers. Again, this seems to be another attempt to lure in the lager crowd. I do like the drinkability of this one, and the fact that the wonderful roastiness hasn't been compromised. Still, I'm not sure how extra carbonation improves drinkability: a creamy pint of classic Guinness seems mighty drinkable to me.
Guinness says its 250th Anniversary Stout is only for sale in the U.S., Singapore, and Australia, and again even there only for a limited time. You'll pay a premium for it: I shelled out $9 for a six-pack at Sherlock's, and for 11.2 ounce bottles at that. But it's worth parting with your cash for. After all, a beer like this may not come your way again for another 250 years.
That said, the other day the new beer I spied when I waltzed into Sherlock's in Marietta, Georgia took me a bit by surprise. This was a new beer by...Guinness? I was amazed. Ireland's Guinness, after all, has done quite nicely with its staple line of beers, and just why would they need another?
To celebrate their 250th anniversary, of course. It was in 1759, you see, that Arthur Guinness signed a 9000 year lease on the St. James Gate Brewery, where this commemorative stout is brewed. Kudos for that; somehow a contract brewed version would have seemed totally un-apropos. Even to celebrate the signing of a contract of such epic proportions.
Guinness 250 Anniversary Stout pours to a dark brownish to light
black color with a very thick and creamy tan colored head formation and a
lightly roasty, delightfully chocolaty nose. Taking a sip, I'm surprised
with the body here: definitely lighter in mouthfeel than any Guinness I've
tasted before, and very highly carbonated, too. Not as creamy and smooth as
I like my stouts to be, mind you. Fortunately, there's still a lot of delicious roasty character here, rich and coffeeish with lots of dark cocoa and pudding-like chocolate notes, too. The roastiness is very apparent in the finish, too, balancing off the beer with a slightly astringent character. Just a hint of grassy hops poke through, too.
Guinness freely admits that this is a "fizzier" stout, and it's pretty clear to this particular guru of brew they're after the growing lager market with this one. Of course, this is a limited edition brew, but beers like this one have a habit of becoming permanent should they become popular enough. A great beery experiment, if you will.
Guinness is hyping the alcohol content, too. At 5% by volume, Guinness 250 is a bit stronger than its flagship stout, but only a bit. And it's about the same strength as most standard beers. Again, this seems to be another attempt to lure in the lager crowd. I do like the drinkability of this one, and the fact that the wonderful roastiness hasn't been compromised. Still, I'm not sure how extra carbonation improves drinkability: a creamy pint of classic Guinness seems mighty drinkable to me.
Guinness says its 250th Anniversary Stout is only for sale in the U.S., Singapore, and Australia, and again even there only for a limited time. You'll pay a premium for it: I shelled out $9 for a six-pack at Sherlock's, and for 11.2 ounce bottles at that. But it's worth parting with your cash for. After all, a beer like this may not come your way again for another 250 years.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
(G)=Growler
