Guinness Extra Stout

INFO:

Guinness Extra Stout is (surprise) a stout that comes from Dublin City in the Republic of Ireland. I have actually visited the brewery/museum, Saint James Gate, (alas I was but a few months too young to sample the draft) nevertheless I highly recommend it as it is a very interesting place.

Guinness itself, though is an interesting beer though; as in it is more than a beer. Apparently it's sales were declining and so it was marketed as a "cult" beer which has definitely worked in the United States where it (for better or for worse) is synonymous with all things Hibernia and WASP-ey by extension.

In addition, you can get it around the world, but it is alway slightly different, depending on where you are (so don't think if you like it in the USofA you will necessarily like it in France). For example, this is the British version of the American site linked above. For a full list of the crazy, check this out.

Finally, I just one last thing before writing up some tasting notes. I really love the way guinness foams. Basically what happens is a small head appears on the top and then you see the bubbles cascade down in the glass rather than up; it is all very odd. The reason for this is that there are a few salient differences between guinness and your average lager. If you don't know what that is, it is actually quite interesting (hint: it involves nitrogen) click here to find out.

Year: 2010

ABV: 5.0%

From: 12oz bottle (chilled), and poured

DRINKING NOTES:

COLOUR: opaque black

FOAM: thick creamy, light tan

SMELL: bitter smell of roasted grains with a hint strong coffee

TASTE:

(initial) initial bitter taste of hops (hard to tell the nuances because I drank it very cold as it is really hot out and thats not the best way to drink guinness

(body) the beer has a nice body though that really expands the flavour of the roasted grains giving it both less bitter and even some sweet notes, very much a full palate taste

(aftertaste) slightly bitter but not unpleasantly so

Smithwick's Irish Ale (2010)

Recently (due to a certain marathon of Guy Ritchie films I was hosting) I found myself with an overwhelming desire for a beer from the British Isles, and so I picked up a six-pack of Smithwick's Irish Ale (an import that claimed to be Ireland's favourite beer). Now, not to be only to put too much stock into what labels say about their product, I did some quick research, and apparently, Smithwick's is Ireland's local favourite draft, at according to the Internet. It also is listed as one of the top beers in Ireland according to the McHale beer rating club of Ireland and has won a number of awards.

With all this knowledge going in, I had some pretty high expectations for the beer, but they unfortunately didn't pan out. It poured a very clear dark amber-brown colour with a very tall head of off white foam that was fairly thick and long-lasting (it nicely coated the entire inside of the glass as I polished it off). The aroma was also faintly hoppy and not unpleasantly beer-y. As for the taste, it was incredibly smooth, even within the categories of red ales, with only had a trace of bitterness to it. The alcohol precentage was nominal (4.5%) but there was no real wateriness to the beer, it drank like a beer with a solid body.

Unfortunately, that is pretty much all there is about this beer. Everything is not bad, it is an average beer in all respects and as such I found it underwhelming. Sure nothing is necessarily bad (though I did feel the taste was a bit thin) but there was also nothing special about it either, nothing really stood out.

If I was to hazard a guess as to why this beer is so popular, I would probably place the blame it on nostalgia. This is the beer that is served in the pubs of Ireland so for many, it is what the first started drinking, which for better or for worse, holds some weight. For me that first beer Heineken and even though I don't really drink it anymore, it will always have a special place in my heart for this reason.

Verdict: If you're Irish, you care about it regardless of what I say, but for everyone else, a decent, drinkable beer.

Seasonal Ale: Snow Cap Winter Warmer (2010)

The Snow Cap Winter Warmer is another seasonal brew, this time from Pyramid Breweries of Portland, OR. As the name suggests, it is a winter beer and therefore only available from October to December, the bottle that I had was from 2010.

When poured the beer had a hoppy nose and was very dark amber in colour with a light brown, almost yellow foam. Unfortunately, though the foam didn’t rise very high and dissipated quickly. As for the taste it initially was very bitter and had the roasted feel of a stout. The actual drink maintained that roasted flavour but added notes of a high cocoa percentage chocolate and dropped in bitterness to level much smoother and more in keeping with an ale. Each sip ends with sweeter feel, but unfortunately leaves a slightly unpleasant bitter aftertaste in you mouth that lingers.

All in all, at 7% it is a decent beer and tastes as full bodied as its bottle claims, but regrettably the bitter initial and aftertastes come on so strong that they make the ale feel week by comparison. Still at 1.99 a bottle, it is hard to fault a decent non-massive-corporate beer that still manages to be drinkable.

Verdict: Don’t pass it up if people are giving it out, but try it before you invest

URL: http://www.pyramidbrew.com/our-brews/snowcap

Black Chocolate Stout (2010)

I picked up this beer at the suggestion of an acquaintance Sam, who highly recommended it. Since I am much more a fan of darker, heartier beers and this was a at least called itself a stout, I decided to give it a try.

The Black Chocolate Stout is a winter beer from the Brooklyn Brewery available from October to March, the particular limited run that I drank was the '10-'11 edition.

The beer poured an opaque black, with a dark tan foam, of less than average height. It had a very bitter, complex taste with notes of a very dark chocolate (hence the name) and coffee and at around 10% alcohol per volume, this is not a drink to trifle with. Yet even with all that said, everything was subdued enough that it was surprisingly drinkable while maintaining the flavour. The one downside though is a bit on the expensive side (expect to pay around 6 or 7 dollars a bottle online) but I would definitely say it is well worth it. Just be careful because you will definitely be wanting more but the higher alcohol percentage means that like many hearty Belgian beers, you just want to watch your drinks and make sure you don't drink too much.

Verdict: Stock Up

Birth of a Blog

So this is it. I'm starting a beer blog.

Basically the reason is that I have spent so much time trying to defend the right of the beer connoisseur to be as snobby as a wine drinker, in theory, but I feel the next logical step is for me to then actually do it.

So here it begins. With some experience "drinking" wine as an "enthusiast" (thank you, living in Europe) but none at all drinking beer than way, I will attempt to review one beer a week (that is 52 beers total) over the next 365 days and post their reviews here.

Well, wish me luck, and here goes nothing...