Guinness Extra Stout

beardybrewer

How many of you have tried a bottle/can of Extra Stout recently? I just bottled a homebrew stout so was reading about Guinness and the list of various styles got me thinking. So when I was at the shop I was surprised to see they had Foreign Export Stout (7.5%) and Extra Stout available in bottles and cans. So, of course, I bought them and went home for a back-to-back taste test. I've gotta say, draught seems pretty flavorless compared to the Extra Stout recipe which is mad because Extra Stout is more like the Guinness brewed over a hundred years ago. Don't get me wrong, when I go out I get a pint of draught. But for home, I think I'll be buying Extra Stout from now on. Try an Extra Stout back to back with a Draught can and tell me I'm wrong. Anyone else agree?

http://www.guinness.com/ie_en/beer/extrastout/default.aspx

Blisterman

The foreign export Guinness is lovely. Best variety of guinness in my opinion.

noby

You're right in saying there's no comparison. Extra Stout is a lovely drink, as is the foreign extra, although not an everyday drink.
I'm curious, now that you know that the bottled Guinness extra is tastier than draught, why would you still drink the pints when you're out? I occasionally would have a pint of Guinness, but would normally drink the bottles (if I'm drinking stout). In fact I would take Murphy's draught ahead of Guinness.
Also, make sure you drink your bottle room temperature; makes it a better drink again, big frothy head, and the roasted barley really hits you.

Hendrixcat

My mother has been drinking bottled extra stout at room temp for decades. She swears by it. I love the stuff too, though rarely buy it in the pub.

rubadub

newkie wrote:

Extra Stout is more like the Guinness brewed over a hundred years ago.

Yep, the draught was only introduced in the 1960's. I do like the odd "christmas pudding" extra stout, but I couldnt lash it down (maybe a good thing!)

bigears

Try an Extra Stout back to back with a Draught can and tell me I'm wrong.

You're not wrong, Extra Stout is very nice and Foreign Extra is lovely but not a session beer. Funnily enough, even though I prefer the Extra I still order a pint of draught when I'm out. We're quite attached to our draught I think. I prefer Beamish if I'm in the right pub though. The real question is why don't Guinness produce a full flavoured stout as part of the BrewHouse series - why tinker around the edges when you can produce something a little bolder - how about a roasty bitter stout like Extra - or even a Chocolate Stout? The expertise is obviously there but I would guess it's being constrained by the marketing bods who are trying to appeal to 'new' Guinness drinkers. Maybe they should appeal to wavering Guinness drinkers instead?

oblivious

I think it stems for the attitude that to the beer drinking world and public Guinness is stout and the Guinness is a style itself rather than been a family of porters and stouts.

jester77

So true!

I've a small local beside me here in Hamburg that serves a really nice pint from draught. It's not like the draught at home, it's more creamier, has more flavour and is serverd at a warmer temperature than what you would get from draught in Ireland.

noby

There also seems to be a perception that stout has to be poured with a mixed gas, to give a creamy head. The power of Guinness marketing at work.

I like the fact that the Extra stout holds it's own with little or no marketing push, in comparison to the draught and widget versions.

[edit: in reply to oblivious]

bigears

Then why bother with the Brewhouse series at all? Surely there is room for "standard" Guinness and "brewhouse" Guinness on an ongoing basis but if Brewhouse tastes much the same then what is the point? Grrrr.....

Is this just a marketing reaction to the growing popularity of microbrews?

oblivious

The brew house series are more of a hook to attracted the / irregular Guinness drinkers

noby

jester77, thankfully the German's seem to have a better appreciation of beers. Seems everything here is served at almost freezing temp.'s, whether it's lager stout or ale. The 'more flavour' comes from the warmer temperature. Simple notion that us Irish fail to grasp.

ball ox

bigears wrote:

Then why bother with the Brewhouse series at all? Surely there is room for "standard" Guinness and "brewhouse" Guinness on an ongoing basis but if Brewhouse tastes much the same then what is the point? Grrrr.....

Is this just a marketing reaction to the growing popularity of microbrews?

I'd say it's that or some sort of market research. Guinness seem to know what they are doing when it comes to marketing, the only drink in the world (that I know of) that have convinced their market that there is a craft to pulling a pint and that "care" has gone into each pint. pretty clever. I've been drinking Guinness for years and cant tell the difference between a 2 part pint and a straight pour tbh.

noby

AS for the Brewhouse series, I wish they would either (a) make a bold attempt at making a good, different beer, not just slightly different, or slightly colder, or slightly weaker, or whatever; or (b) stop fannying about with Brewhouse, and concentrate on improving their flagship draught version.

oblivious

All they are really doing is changing that time of the hops addition and also doing full wort hopping. They claim that the brew house series are based on recipes of the time, then surely they should include brown malt/ black patent that where being used at the time.

noby

TBH, when I was in Dublin the time of the first one, I found no urge to try it as I felt I would only be participating in some marketing survey.

beardybrewer

noby wrote:

AS for the Brewhouse series, I wish they would either (a) make a bold attempt at making a good, different beer, not just slightly different, or slightly colder, or slightly weaker, or whatever; or (b) stop fannying about with Brewhouse, and concentrate on improving their flagship draught version.

Couldn't agree more. The Tucan brew tasted didn't taste like a Guinness... its tasted like Murphys! An even milder version of draught, I'm sure trying to tempt people away from the bigger lager market. I hope before the series is up they attempt one for us, the stout lovers who want more flavor... not less.

I might just have to start looking for extra in pubs. I also couldn't agree more regarding the temperature of Guinness which I why I'm so opposed to this extra cold gimmick to disguise what little taste there is. I might not go quite as far as room temperature, but a guinnes out of the fridge which sits for 15 minutes is just right for me.

ciaran76

I tasted the new North Star Guinness on Sunday and have to admit that there was hardly any taste difference. Must also mention I did drink a normal Guinness before I noticed they were serving North Star.

Will try it again at the weeknd before the normal stuff to see what its like.

Sorry for kinda going off topic.

thehungrysloth

I'm not sure it is off-topic. As Guinness continue to reduce the temperature that draught is served at, the taste moves further away from the 'stoutiness' that some of us liked it for in the first place. I haven't seen an 'Extra Cold' tap in a while so I'm inclined to believe that everything has gone that way.

I stopped drinking draught Guinness altogether as it's just too cold, tastes of nothing and I end up spending half my night strolling back & forth to the loo.

I've changed over to Beamish instead which doesn't seem to have the same effect.

HS

noby

I wasn't aware there was a third 'Brew series' beer out. What is supposed to be the difference in this one?

ciaran76

Yeah I didn't know either till I went to the pub on Sunday.

I could not find any beermats or little promotion leaflets to say what the difference was but from what I can tell it was very light/frothy and creamy compared to the normal stuff.

The bargirl said I was the first to try it and that no one from 12pm till 7pm asked for it !!!