With St. Patrick's Day just around the corner, Guinness is everywhere. It's impossible not to walk down a beer aisle without stumbling upon a giant display of it. I really enjoy Guinness, I think it is a perfect beer to transition from winter to spring. Body-wise it is a little on the lighter side but the flavor is not. Unfortunately, like many others, I kind of drift away from it once the season passes. Not because I am tired of drinking it, but because it gets lost in the shuffle with all the amazing craft beer out there. I still enjoy a Guinness Draught on occasion throughout the year because my Dad(Pat Ryan) always has it in stock. For him, there never seems to be a bad time to enjoy a Guinness. If it's a cold winter night, he's enjoying a Guinness. If it is a 90 degree day with 100% humidity, he's still enjoying a Guinness. For this week's blog, I decided to visit him with some of the latest offerings from Guinness to see what his thoughts were. I also wanted to see if the same brewery that makes one of his favorite beers could make another beer he enjoyed just as much.
Guinness Golden Ale kicked off our tasting session to underwhelming results. Very light on flavor and what was there was not anything special. Caramel, cracker with a mild hop bitterness and a very metallic finish disappointed both myself and my father. We searched for positive things to say about the beer but kept circling back to the strong taste of metal we were left with after each sip. However if the finish was not an issue, with a low ABV of 4.5% this could have worked as a light beer in warmer weather. When it comes down to it though, Guinness Golden Ale is just nothing special.
Pat's take: “It's not terrible. It's definitely drinkable. I just don't like the aftertaste”
My rating: 2/5
Guinness Rye Pale Ale was up next. It was a significant step up from the Golden Ale but that's not to say it was anything special either. The rye spice was there but I wanted more of it. One would think that if it is promised in the title of the beer, it would be a featured part of it but sadly it was not. There were some nice candied orange, grapefruit and tropical notes here which we both enjoyed but they were also understated. Bready malt dominated most of the flavor. The metallic finish that ruined the Golden Ale was also present but not nearly as prevalent. My dad pondered this one a bit longer. I could tell he did not mind it but this is not something he would seek out again either. He agreed it was better than the Golden Ale but that was about it.
Pat's take: “It's a notch better than the golden ale. Clean finish, none of that bullshit in your mouth. It tastes more like a craft beer.”
My rating: 2.75/5
My Dad are I were divided on the final beer we sampled which was Guinness Milk Stout. Since it was more true to the style of Guinness Draught than anything else we tried, he thought this one would be a winner. After his first sip, he was completely disappointed. However, I enjoyed Guinness Milk Stout. It was a little chalky on the mouthfeel but the nice flavors of roasted malt, coffee and milk chocolate worked for me. I did not think the beer was by any means a masterpiece. Like the other beers, this one was a bit thin and the flavors could have been developed better. Overall though, I thought it was a serviceable milk stout.
Pat's take: “I thought I would like it. I'm not happy with it. I liked the Rye better”
My rating: 3.25/5
Once we finished each of the beers, my Dad and I both arrived at the same conclusion. The latest offerings from Guinness were nothing special. From his standpoint, none of the beers were good enough to take the place of Guinness Draught in his fridge and I completely agreed with him.
Rating Scale:
1 - Repugnant and undrinkable
2 - Acceptable but forgettable
3 - Good, worth a purchase
4 - Excellent, a step above the norm
5 - Truly Exceptional. Drop everything, BUY IT NOW!
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Thanks for reading. Sláinte!
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