The Real Guinness

I'm back. I know you missed me. We recently moved to a new house and we're still getting things organized. But from the pressure of a good friend, I decided to review another beer.

I recently acquired a 250 ml bottle of Guinness (BRILLIANT!). From Ireland. The real deal. This is and Extra Stout, with 4.2% ABV. Not quite as much as we get here in the States.

Please forgive me for the glass. Most of my glassware is still packed and I've come to really like the Smokestack glass.

There wasn't much head, and the color looks like what I'm used to with the Extra Stout. The smell is strong of the roasted malts, like the US version. The taste is significantly different than the US version though. The first impression is that it's very carbonated, and there is a sharpness. Maybe due to hops, but it's not bitter like I would expect from hops. Maybe it's the roasted barley. I probably should have had a US version to compare it to but that wasn't possible tonight.

Overall, I like the Irish version, but not as much as the US version. It seems to be a weak, dare I say, watered down copy of the one we get here. It's still enjoyable and the bottle wasn't quite big enough for me to REALLY get a good taste.

Dave Matthews Band - Grey Street (Lillywhite version) is currently blasting from the speakers. It's one of my favorite songs from DMB.