Hi guys.  For today’s craft beer review I’m going to be sipping on a Guinness Extra Stout produced by Guinness Ltd. located in Dublin, Ireland.

Guinness really needs no introduction, so let’s just get to the website, guinness.com, to see what it has to say about this beer. 

This is it, the one that started it all. Crafted to perfection for over 200 years, GUINNESS® EXTRA STOUT is descended from the definitive West India Porter known as Extra Superior Porter. Crack it open, and the first sip tastes as fresh as ever. The unmistakeable deep-dark color, the crisp hint of roasted barley, the fresh breeze of hops, and the refreshing bite all make for the bittersweet reward.
Pure beauty. Pure GUINNESS®.

Let’s give it a go.

This beer comes in a 12 oz. bottle and it has an ABV of around 6.0%.

The Extra Stout poured a deep brown to black color with some easily noticeable ruby highlights around the edges.  The crown was light tan in color.  It was decently sized, smooth, soft and creamy.  The retention time was only so-so, but the lacing seemed alright though.

Within the aroma I found some prevalent roasted grains with a slight touch of chocolate.  I also detected some type of toasted nuttiness.  Almost burnt even.  Some very light earthy/herbal hops were accounted for also.  Not too bad, however not quite as good as I remember it being in the past.

The taste brought forth a very pungent roasted grain.  Some toasted breads along with a light burnt coffee bean savor.  The chocolate was very subdued.  Again, quite earthy and herbal with a touch of bitterness.  Hints of dried walnuts as well.  After a few minutes the roasted grain became the dominating characteristic and it began to get a tad distracting to be honest.

The mouthfeel was medium bodied, smooth, dry and slick.  The carbonation seemed good enough and a decent amount of flavoring was left behind on the palate after each sip.

Well.  It’s been sometime since I last had this beer and, honestly, I don’t find it to be as pleasing as I once did.  It’s still a decent brew however.  The drinkability was fairly good I must say even with the unfavorable and strong burnt grain taste.  It wasn’t too filling or anything.  It sort of reminded me of a heavily roasted Brown Ale.  I don’t know.  It could have just been me.  With the plethora of Stouts that are on the market today, I feel that the Guinness Extra Stout falls a bit short in terms of aroma and flavor.  That’s not saying that it’s bad or that I wouldn’t drink it if it were offered, however if I wanted a great Stout for an evening of sipping, I doubt that I would reach for this one.  Don’t take my word for it though.  Pick up a bottle and see what you think.  I would really like to hear another opinion.

Thanks for reading and commenting everyone.  I really appreciate it.

Until next time.  Cheers.

Score:  3.3 out of 5
Grade:  B-