Guinness Foreign Extra Stout - Guinness Ltd.

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.38/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours an effervescent ebony with 4 fingers of mocha head. Very good head retention & above average lacing.

S: Roasty malt by the ton, faint dark fruit notes & carob

T: Roasty, slight hints of coffee, charred grain, dryness & woody hops up front. Slight Baker's chocolate notes mix with roastyness as this warms. Finishes dry, roasty & with woody hops

MF: Smooth, medium bodied & nice balance

Crazy drinkability, this seems sessionable, not sure I would have the guts to try. Pretty much as good as I remember if being back in the day...

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2010 03:51:50 | More by russpowell

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This one poured out as a very dark brown color. The head was creamy and thick looking. The lacing on the glass was quite impressive, leaves plenty of suds down the glass. The smell of the beer seems to have a bit more of a hop presence that isn't usually common from Guinness. The other aromas consist of some chocolate and some really burnt toast. The taste is very dry and bitter, there is a light amount of creaminess but it's got more bite than most other products from St. James. The mouthfeel isn't overly heavy, I felt that it wasn't nearly as heavy as some stouts out there. The body was a bit thicker than the normal extra stout they make. Overall I found this stout to be pretty enjoyable from start to finish. I would enjoy having this one again.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2011 20:43:57 | More by Knapp85

Halcyondays

California

3.98/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

11.2 oz. bottle, I've been wanting to try this since I first heard about it 5 years ago, the classic tropical stout among all others even Coopers,

A: Pours black with a frothy medium tan head. Solid retention, and good lace.

S: Sweet molasses, dark malt. Very sugary in the nose, fruity.

T: Sweet dark malt, roasted malt is there, adding a bitterness. Nice complexity from the yeast, firm hoppiness.

M: Medium-bodied, firm carbonation, direct flavour, bitter aftertaste.

D: Maybe I expected this to be a mindblowing crazy experience, but it isn't. It's simply a good beer. Tasty, I'd love to have this in the Caribbean on a boat fishing, it'd work great there. Lion Stout is better, but this is a wonderful brew.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2010 04:36:54 | More by Halcyondays

emerge077

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours black, opaque in the glass. Cascading tan foam billows up to the rim, leaving some intricate lacework in it's wake. Retention is ok, there's a floating marshmallow island in the center after the foam subsides.

Mildly sweet aroma of roast malt, somewhat light but pleasant.

Straightforward flavors of coffee, black malt, and bitter unsweetened chocolate. Slight bitterness that suggests the increased hop content mentioned on the label. Slightly woody with moderate roastiness. Easygoing feel, a little bit of slickness there, drying in the aftertaste. Surprising to see this was 7.5% abv. Head & shoulders above the regular Guinness offerings.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2011 01:37:16 | More by emerge077

jwc215

New Jersey

4.47/5  rDev +9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Tasted almost a year ago - from notes that were lost, but recently found.

Pours black with a rich, thick, lasting light-brown head that leaves plenty of lacing. Looks almost like a nitro-pour, but natural. Very beautiful to look at!

The smell is of roasted coffee - a rich dark malt with an earthy tone is robust.

The taste is also robust... Roasted dark malt gives a rich coffee impression, with a touch of chocolate. An earthy undertone and the roast balance the sweetness nicely! Finishes dry.

It has a smooth, full body with a lasting aftertaste.

This is a delicious, full-flavored stout. My favourite Guinness brew so far!

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2012 00:58:24 | More by jwc215

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I am drinking a 12 oz. Foreign Extra Stout bottle in honor of the Americanized St. Patrick's Day.

Appearance: The ale pours a deep black color, almost like oil. The ale's head is a mocha color that leaves a surprising amount of lace around the glass.

Smell: The ale has a light chocolate aroma and an underlying hoppiness that is foreign to Guinness Draught. The hop presence is a pleasing sweetness that mixes with the chocolate.

Taste: The ale has a lightly roasted flavor, almost like a Guinness light. Behind that light flavor is a cornucopia of unusual flavors: hops, pepper and spice and even some sourness.

Mouthfeel: This version of Guinness is night-and-day different from Guinness Draught and its widget. The mouthfeel resembles Lion Stout, with the spices and hops that are not found in most other stouts.

Drinkability: The ABV is a little high, but not terrible. The ale is smooth and flavorful, aiding its drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2006 03:49:13 | More by akorsak

WVbeergeek

Ohio

4.28/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours beautiful jet black color with a khaki tan head forming thick, dimpled biscuit rising texture floating above the rim of my imperial pint glass. Fine speckled lacing coats the glass evenly as the head slowly fades away. Dark roast malts give of bright coffee/dark chocolate with a slight sour mash note. Air of cherry/fruit note in the background with herbal hops going on. Interesting blend of flavors finishes heaviliy roasted malts/burnt charred malt character in the finish, with sour mash bring hints of cherry/tart fruit. Strong earthy/herbal hoppiness meshed within the dark malt profile. I like the way this beer is going down medium bodied sturdy carbonation level, the bitter dark roasts brings some astringency on the palate finishes heavy with dry dark roasts/bittering hops. Drinability overall is very nice, alcohol is well hidden the booze is not overpowering. Well crafted and thought out beefier version of the beloved Guinness. I've heard people talk about Foregin/Export version of Guinness, I'm glad they decided to release this stateside. Excellent rich, robust/hoppy form of Guinness that I truly enjoy and will advocate to others so they don't miss out.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2011 15:52:01 | More by WVbeergeek

smcolw

Massachusetts

4.3/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Very impressive non-nitrogen created head. Leaves plenty of spotty lace. The liquid is near black where no light shines through.

Dark chocolate aroma with a touch of caramel. Mildly sweet and a dab of chalkiness.

Burnt malt flavor with a creamy swallow. Very much like an iced coffee without sugar. I think I detect some alcohol warmth. Not harsh, but still very bitter from the deeply toasted malts.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2011 22:27:10 | More by smcolw

jdhilt

New Hampshire

3.9/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a five finger light tan head that fades very slowly, leaving a good lace. Black color, no high lights. Light carbonation and medium-heavy bodied. Light malty nose. Flavor is sweet bakers chocolate, with a more bitter chocolate finish. Best by May 25, 2010. 330ml bottle - gift brought back from Ireland.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2009 23:02:27 | More by jdhilt

rhoadsrage

Illinois

4.63/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

(Served in a snifter) Best before L0232GF002 05:37
A- This beer pours a jet black body with a big chocolate tan head that separates a bit like the nitro poured Guinness. The body is to dark for any signs of carbonation and the head makes thick sand dunes with each sip until finally resting in the bottom of the glass after the beer is gone.
S- There are some rich black roasted malt with a slightly sweet almost tootsie roll quality behind it. There is an aroma that is not really sweaty and not really smoky or tart but has a lot of those qualities in there. The finish has a graham aroma and a chocolate malt richness.
T- The black roasted malt flavor is rich but mellow with a hop bitterness in the finish that blends with the black malt support. There is a faint smoky bacon quality to it as the beer warms. The roasted malt flavor has a slight green hop quality to it and a soft chocolate flavor and the roasted black malt finish is slightly dry.
M- This beer has a full creamy texture and no alcohol heat. D- There is not a great deal of depth but there are great flavors with a great about of hop support. The flavors and aromas are well blended and each sip makes me want to take another sip. When I think of classic stouts that are rich full and I could drink all day this is one of them.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2010 19:04:19 | More by rhoadsrage

Billolick

New York

4.13/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

11.2 ounce bottle, best before dating of 01:11 on the rear label...part of a four pack from DeCicco's.

Pours black, lang lasting mocha head, that puffy, frothy and going to an interesting merainge. Leaves tons of sheeting and thicker lacing.

Dark malts, dark chocolate, cocoa and malt balls in the nose.

Full flavor stout, more chocolate, more dark sweet malts, mocha, pleasant waves of bitering hops mid way through add to the intrigue and interest.

Thick and smooth, alcohol well hidden. Dense and delicious. A clearly high quality product from an old time and true heavy weight of the good beer world. Go get some.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2011 03:45:42 | More by Billolick

mdfb79

New York

4.15/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into my Duvel snifter. Brought this bottle back from the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin in June.

a - Pours a very dark brown color with two fingers of tan head and light carbonation evident.

s - Smells of roasted malts, caramel malts, chocolate, and sticky sweet dark fruits.

t - Tastes of dark fruits, sweet fruit, roasted malts, chocolate, and coffee.

m - Medium body and low carbonation. Very easy to drink.

d - Overall a very solid stout that is very drinkable. Not as thick as the Guinness in the US and a bit sweeter, but could definitely have a few of these. Would definitely have again.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2010 03:13:46 | More by mdfb79

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.93/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A nice aggressive pour yields a thick rich 2 finger darker colored head over just about pitch black color, with slight hints of light in the corners. The head leaves a nice lacing as it fades very slowly.

Nose is just about what I expected, light fluffy creamy dark malts, some light roast, that typical Guinness like patented aroma but with extra darkness and bitterness.

Taste comes creamy, somewhat rich, again the typical Guinness flavor but extra stoutness and bitterness. Fairly bitter, with even a bit of earthy hops I think. A bit of a minerality and briny taste, and hint of booze. Some chocolate and very light coffee roast. Finishes still somewhat sticky sweet but a bit of dryness, with some lingering bitterness, light minerality, and dark sweet malt resins.

Mouth is fairly heavy and pretty creamy, with decent carbonation.

Drinkability is pretty smooth, some light lingering sweetness and stickyness, a bit of booze, and fair amount of bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2010 02:46:54 | More by jlindros

ppoitras

Massachusetts

4.18/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

330ml bottle from santoslhalper way back as part of BIF 17. Thanks for the opportunity.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a 1 1/2" dark brown head above the opaque dark brown/black brew. Dense, frothy head lasts more or less forever, with heavy lasting lacing. Aroma is dark malts with a fruity tinge to it, and maybe some vanilla notes. Taste is alomst like Guinness syrup, what you expect from normal Guinness, but more of it in the same volume. More intense flavor than we're used to from them, very nice. Mouthfeel and drinkability are very nice, although tending towards syrupy sweet a tad. Wish this was more of an option than it is in the US.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2006 23:39:23 | More by ppoitras

weeare138

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to hopdog for this...
Jamaican version...
Appears a light black with brown edges and a small tan head.
Smell is of buttery, caramel, light, mildly sour toffee.
Taste is of the same aromas with a caramel sweetness standing out.
Mouthfeel is chewy, and medium bodied.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2006 03:18:32 | More by weeare138

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a black brown, with small tan head. Smells fruity, bit of roastiness too. The taste is bitter and roasty, with the taste of dark fruits, figs dates that sort of thing. Mouthfeel is pretty smooth although a bit on the thin side, however this is a beer that everyone should try, especially in the caribbean.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2005 00:50:07 | More by Viggo

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.95/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours darker than any other Guinness beer, and with more viscosity, impressive carbonation. Aroma, smells like Guinness.

Taste, more of it, chewier, but alcohol doesn't come over the top. Couldn't detect any additional hops up in here. Dry enough, yet smoov at the same time, definitely more chocolate malt.

$9 a 4 pack, seems like something pretty drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2010 21:53:19 | More by Beerandraiderfan

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

3.76/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Grabbed a bottle at the Apothecary alehouse the other evening.

The beer pours the expected blackish brown color with good head retention and decent lacing. The is attractive as well, as I pick up light licorice, malt, vanilla, some light cherry and a hint of coffee and dark chocolate. The nose is fairly complex, and there's something of an "old ale" aroma to this beer that is nice. The flavor profile replicates the nose in this fairly dry stout. There's something of a light bitter, burnt toast finish to this beer, which keeps things interesting. Mouthfeel is medium bodied at most and is a bit thin. I thought this beer had more of porter quality to it than I was expecting, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Alcohol is well integrated into the flavor profile, and if I had to guess, I would not have thought the abv. was this high.

An interesting beer, though I guess I was expecting a bit more from it. Frankly, given a choice, I think I prefer the lower alcohol draft version of this beer. Nevertheless, I'm glad I had a chance to try it.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2013 12:55:28 | More by johnmichaelsen

BlackHaddock

United Kingdom (England)

3.05/5  rDev -25.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Carib it would appear turn their hand to anything and everything. This product is one of their best.

275ml bottle (like all their other beers), best before May 2009, drank June 2008.

Poured into a half-pint tumbler on the hotel balcony. Looked just like a normal Guinness, dark and with a good deep tan head.

The aroma, taste and mouthfeel all seemed overly burnt. Dry and bitter with some caramel trying to be heard in the mix.

Rich, but not creamy, burnt malts ruled the brew and for some could have ruined it too.

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2008 19:27:19 | More by BlackHaddock

DoubleJ

California

3.9/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Back when I was getting into beer about four years ago, Guinness FES was near the top of my list of beers that I wanted to try. But there was one problem; you had to travel to the Caribbean to purchase it. Fast forward to the present, now Guinness FES is imported to the USA now. The opening ceremony of the 330 ml bottle couldn't be better; I have my Guinness pint glass and my Guinness bottle opener ready to go. Better late than never? On to the beer:

The light doesn't break through the ink black colored body. Its head is big and rocky, leaving some creamy lace on the sides of the glass. There's something admirable about the aroma; bitter chocolate, blackstrap molasses, some lactose, hint of coffee. This is making me excited.

If you like your stouts to be very bitter and roasted, than this is for you. Personally, I like it. In truth, it tastes like the very first time I had Guinness Draught...I remember it being very strong and bitter tasting, but liking it. I guess you could say this is a grown-up version of that to appeal to my different palate. Bitter chocolate hits, burnt malts, light touch of sweet alcohol, long lingering burnt aftertaste, like after drinking a strong cup of coffee. It's easy in the mouth at 7.5% ABV, and it has a decent drinkability for its size.

Good foreign stout. The novelty and long wait alone were worth paying the $9.99 for the 4-pack, but a second purchase at that price? I won't know until the next time I enter a store.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2010 04:53:25 | More by DoubleJ

Gusler

Arizona

4.15/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Oh what a surprise, a friend just in from a two week vacation in Europe stopped buy with a gift pack for the “Old Gusler”, some fine brews, from Germany, and a bottle I specifically ask for a bottle of GFE, some thing I’ve not had for some 4 years if my records are correct.

The beer pour the traditional atramentous Guinness color, the head monsterous and a creamy chocolate brown, with the lace sticky and thick Nose is coffee, bittersweet chocolate, nice malt aroma, what a treat for the old schnozzles. Start is lightly sweet, nice malt with the top middling to full n feel, modest in its acidity, the hops pleasing in their spiciness, quite dry, and a treat that’s not too be missed for you stout lovers.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2004 22:54:33 | More by Gusler

wl0307

United Kingdom (England)

4.08/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

BB 03/03/06

A: pours a very dark brown to nearly black hue in a goblet, with a foamy brownish head which retreats a bit too fast...
S: the initial aroma is a mixture of fruit-cake or X’mas-pudding like black-fruitiness, burned brown sugar or light caramel, very dark chocolate, sweet plum wine, etc....complex but refreshing.
T: most noticeable initially are the dryish taste of roasted barley and that of crystal malts, with intensive bitterness of both Indonesian coffee and dark unsweetened chocolate (without the sour edge) in the background, while lightly tangy-sweet fruity and medium-intensive nutty savours play the second and third fiddles. The dryish aftertaste lingers well and the residual bitterness is weighty but never over the top.
M&D: overall, the mouthfeel runs from smooth beginning to dryish ending, against the fullsome flavour and full body. It's a very nice stout for beer-tasting or even as a digestif, but not something I would drink for more than one bottle.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2005 03:42:42 | More by wl0307

DrJay

Massachusetts

3.85/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Completely black with faint ruby highlights. The fluffy, light brown head produced some nice lacing and remained with the beer throughout. Malty aroma with plenty of sugary fruit and roasted character. Roasted malt and dark fruit kicked off the flavours, with light hop bitterness following closely. Slightly acidic. It finished with a dry, roasted bitterness. Smooth and slightly creamy texture with a bit of stickiness. Definitely worth trying, this is much more interesting and flavourful than the draft Guinness you find in everywhere. Thanks Viggo.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2005 21:39:03 | More by DrJay

plaid75

New York

4.08/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured a deep black hue with a two finger pillowy tan head. There was good retention and good sticky lacing.

The smell featured candy sugar, caramel malt, mild coffee and and burnt grain aromas.

The taste featured an upfront burnt grian and coffee bitterness with hints of cocoa and charcoal. Some dark fruitiness as well. Mild alcohol burn as well.

The mouthfeel was chewy and full.

Overall a very drinkable stout considering the ABV.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2007 13:54:44 | More by plaid75

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Imagine my surprise at finding this as a single in my neighbor's cooler (I live across the lot from a bottle shop)! I snagged it right up and have been looking forward to this one for several days.

From the bottle: "Foreign Extra Stout is brewed with generous hops and roasted barley for a bittersweet balance and full-flavored, natural bite. Developed for global exportfrom Ireland, the addition of extra hops ensured this Stout would arrive in perfect condition. Today, it is enjoyed by millions around the world."

My heavy-handed pour caused me a moment of consternation as I thought that it was going to overflow the rim of the glass as it seemed to cascade. The dense, deep-tan head looked like the top of an ice cream float. Color was a deep, dark-brown with cola highlights at the edges. The nose was very chocolaty with an underlying roastiness. Mouthfeel was medium with a definite hop/roasted barley bite on the tongue. This taste, along with its relatively high ABV, was a real revelation for this self-avowed hophead. This was not a Black IPA, but instead a hoppy dry stout. Wow! Finish was very dry, almost gaspingly so and I could not wait until my next sip. Definitely worth giving a try!

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2012 21:12:27 | More by woodychandler