So, having a can of Guinness Draught tonight and it got me thinking. Is it just my imagination, or is Guinness Draught just not as great as everyone seems to say it is? Please weigh in and tell me what you guys think.
I remember really liking it on tap in the UK and Ireland, but not in the US. But it has been a long time since I was a regular Guinness drinker. I used to drink it exclusively because it was the only non-lager beer you could find on tap easily, but I suspect nowadays that it does not necessarily stand up to some of the new stouts that are being produced, especially the Imperial Stouts. Then again, there is no accounting for taste. Nobody can tell you what you like after all.
I"m going to compare the Guinness I just had to a Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout. The boys and girls from Samuel Smith Brewing haven't let me down yet.
Guinness in Ireland and the UK is amazing. For a low ABV beer, it's hard to beat. Comparing it to an IRS isn't even fair since they are in entirely different categories. In the US, Guinness has a weird metallic taste that it doesn't have in Ireland and the UK, both in cans and on draft. I prefer the Guinness foreign extra stout here in the US, it seems to capture the true Guinness flavor better without the metallic taste (but with a higher ABV).
Yeah, that's why I put the question marks after it. To signify that I was sort of going "What the What?"
One time they had a can that you poured into a glass on a special machine that made it all bubbly and stuff! Wew, did that one go over well!
I actually like Guinness for what it is. I use to drink that stuff like it was water when I first started drinking beer. It has an amazing mouthfeel and easy to drink. I don't care for it as much as I use to, but I still find it to be a nice enjoyable session stout that doesn't sit too heavy.
Guinness has its time and place, I still get it on tap when I'm having Irish Stew at my local Irish Pub. However, it doesn't compare to almost any RIS that I've had.
Depends on who you're referring to when you say "everyone". If you mean the general BA public, we've collectively scored it as "average". So, not great by any means. If you mean the general masses, well, that's a bigger can of worms that often debated on here. Coincidentally, i just recently had the foreign export stout again for the first time in a while, and thought I remembered it being better as I thought I had it in Europe some years ago and liked it. But when I just had it again it had me thinking "this is not as good everyone says it is" because that does rate high.
I enjoy Guinness solely on draft, it seems to be the only way to enjoy it, for me at least. I just had a SS Oatmeal Stout Christmas Eve, delicious in every way.
I have no problem ordering a Guiness. There is nothing "bad" about it. There is nothing great about it either. When I was in Ireland I enjoyed it immensely. I chalk that up to freshness and the fact that everything tastes better on vacation. Having a Guiness in the 360 bar is pretty great.
Nostalgia is probably to blame, but Guinness will always hold a special place in my heart. I was drinking it 15 years ago when I didn't know any better and thought it was the greatest beer in the world! I'll still have a pint from time to time. Cheers!
It is what it is, I have no problems with it, it's pretty ubiquitous... However, if choice be made... and rarely am I ever going to find the two in the same place.. I would grab a Cadillac Mountain, a Black Cat from Portsmouth, Old #38, even Murphy's without fail... heck I even like Blue Fin from Shipyard probably equally... that said I have no problem with drinking a Guinness, and it never steers me wrong for what it is. Establishments often though aren't all equal who serve it. Now I just wish I could get the Export Stout on a regular basis for a good price and not being a crap shoot at the store (much of it sits for too long). Even so.. if I had the choice... i'd grab a Zonker without fail too...
I've had it a few times before and after getting into craft beer. I always found Guinness to be kind of bleh. It's not horrible but it's nothing amazing either. I think a lot of people have good memories of Guinness since it was the first non macro pale lager they got into.
Okay I just tried the Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout and it's official. This stuff blows Guinness away and leaves it lying in the dust. Proof that you can have a stout miles better than Guinness without having to go imperial.
I see a lot of comparisons to Imperials and RIS's, which isn't exactly fair or accurate. To match it up with others of its kind would not be to pit it against huge stouts, but against other Irish dry stouts. I'm not a Guinness advocate, and I think it's about average at best and tailored for the American macro drinker. It's only right to compare a beer against others of its kind, and I'm sure you'll find plenty of superior Irish dries out there.
Guinness Draught. I've had it on tap and nitro cans. (It seems to only come in nitro cans around here.)
I probably shouldn't have said 'compare,' I was implying that when I'm in the mood for a stout, I typically go with a RIS because I prefer the bolder flavors.
Here come the bastards saying Guinness is a bland crappy stout and tastes the same in the U.S. as it does in Ireland. Ask them: have they lived in Ireland? As in, a month or more of residency in Ireland? I bet not. It tastes better in the auld country, and I'm tired of these yanks saying it doesn't. Some of us know, and just because you had a week long holiday in Dublin doesn't mean you know what the hell you're talking about. Yes, Guinness is excellent in the auld country and shite in America. Deal with it. Your knowledge of Diageo's business dealings doesn't make you an expert on quality.
You make an excellent point, one that I was thinking of making myself. You can't compare an irish stout to an imperial any more than you can compare Budweiser to an Anchor porter. I recently found a stout from Mill Street brewing that is at least comparable to Guinness, if not marginally better.
Guinness is all about what you are looking for in a beer... if you are looking for an easy drinking stout something that makes you feel more refined in your local bar, but you still want to be able to drink a few without a problem it is a great beer... If you are looking for a new experience and the strongest, most flavorful stout around then obviously you are not getting a RIS... I think we have to look at it as how is the beer for the exact style and how is the beer for what you want to do with it.
Draft Guinness only for this guy. It isn't stellar, but every once in a while I'll throw one into a session. It *is* pretty amazing at the 360 bar though. They recently (not sure how recently, just between this year and 5 years ago) put in a pouring bar where you can pour your own. Picture embedded for some substance to my post!
I wasn't talking about myself. I know many folks who love their Guinness but their only point of comparison is lagers like Molson Canadian and Labatt Blue. For those beer drinkers Guinness is something very exotic. For myself, it's just a bland stout.
From Best to Worst imo: Ireland/UK Guinness on tap>North American Guinness on tap>Guinness in can> Guinness in bottle. Guinness is often a "gateway beer" to a slightly higher level of what the beer world offers. And sometimes its the best offering on a bad beer list.
Guinness, it's good but IMO not all that great. I like the style, but I've found a replacement for it that is available where I am. That being said though, when in bars that don't seem to think that beer comes in flavours other than pale and fizzy or guinness it's generally one of the nicer options.
its okay for what it is...its almost at every bar in town, so if i want some kind of stout it will do the trick...i typically drink guiness in an Irish carbomb....then i tend to not remember the rest of the night lol.
Guinness was my favorite beer for many years and I'll still enjoy it on occasion, though it needs to warm up before it becomes remotely tasty. But that nitro head is great and the cascading bubbles on the side of the glass are pretty cool.
