Guinness Extra Stout

ThirdMan

I'm just wondering if there's any love out there for Extra Stout. I had a few bottles at the weekend. I quite like it. Four pint bottles for €9. I prefer O'Hara's, but they're a bit pricey down my way. I think this is gonna be my go to cheap(ish) stout from now on, unless there's something better for that price?

slayerking

A pint bottle is nice every now and again.
Aldi do an Irish stout, actually brewed by OHaras, I think it's 1.79 per 500ml bottle and pretty nice too.

ThirdMan

Yeah I've tried that one. Very nice. My local Aldi doesn't have it all the time for some reason. Or maybe they do and it's flying off the shelves. Their Pale Ale is nice as well.

Ronan|Raven

If I am out on a pub and I see a large bottle I will gladly drink it any day ahead of regular draught Guinness.

Ipso

Is the Extra Stout the closest of the modern products to theeir original recipe?

Ravelleman

Ipso wrote: »

Is the Extra Stout the closest of the modern products to theeir original recipe?

I believe this is more or less what their website blurb claims somewhere.

It's an entirely reasonable beer, in my view. I had a bottle recently which, if I remember correctly was a mere 4.2% ABV - I am open to correction on this though. I'm not sure where the 'Extra' part came from.

I also had a couple of cans of it from the North over Christmas and quite enjoyed the lack of a nitro widget. I don't known if the cans we get down here are the same.

Guinness FES is an altogether more attractive proposition to me.

oblivious

Ipso wrote: »

Is the Extra Stout the closest of the modern products to theeir original recipe?

original recipe =historical recipe?

BeerNut

Ipso wrote: »

Is the Extra Stout the closest of the modern products to theeir original recipe?

I don't think their records go back far enough for an "original" recipe, and their first beers weren't stouts. At 4.2% ABV and made using pale malt and roasted barley, Extra Stout's earliest ancestor is probably from the late 1920s. It didn't get as weak as it is now until WWII. Before 1917, Extra Stout was around 7% ABV, the same as Foreign Extra Stout. You could say Foreign Extra is the closest thing to a 19th century Guinness recipe still knocking around as it's been the same gravity fairly constantly since the 1820s, but I'm sure the recipe would have changed between then and now.

irish_goat

BeerNut wrote: »

At 4.2% ABV and made using pale malt and roasted barley extract.

Fixed that.

oblivious

BeerNut wrote: »

You could say Foreign Extra is the closest thing to a 19th century Guinness recipe still knocking around as it's been the same gravity fairly constantly since the 1820s, but I'm sure the recipe would have changed between then and now.

Amber malt was dropped in the 1940's

oblivious

In 1983 Park Royle brewery in London gave us the recipe that is used to day. It is made up of 6 parts malts, 3 parts unmalted barley and 1 part roasted barley (note there was no longer any roasted malt been used by this time)

The increased used of unmalted barley was cited for coast saving without change to flavor. They also started using a natural enzyme to help degrade the starch from the unmalted barley and aid in producing a fermentable wort

Geuze

ThirdMan wrote: »

I'm just wondering if there's any love out there for Extra Stout. I had a few bottles at the weekend. I quite like it. Four pint bottles for €9. I prefer O'Hara's, but they're a bit pricey down my way. I think this is gonna be my go to cheap(ish) stout from now on, unless there's something better for that price?

AFAIK, pint bottles are only available in pubs, not in retail.

So I'd say you bought four 500ml bottles.

They were 8.49 in Aldi around 17-March.

Is O'Hara's not 1.89 approx in Tesco???

noby

Nah, pint bottles available in my local offy. And you still get a discount for returning empties. At least you did the last time I did so.

BeerNut

noby wrote: »

Nah, pint bottles available in my local offy. And you still get a discount for returning empties. At least you did the last time I did so.

Offies pay the same deposit on them as pubs, so that makes sense. I've seen regulars in Deveney's Dundrum bring empties back for the deposit.

Ipso

oblivious wrote: »

original recipe =historical recipe?

Yeah, I meant the historical recipe. I think some on here said, that of all the Guinness available today the Extra Stout is the closest.
I find it interesting as going with the whole modern romantic idea of Guinness, you'd think Arthur (peace be upon him) himself drunk creamy nitro pints.

blueshed

pint btls in Wine Well Dunboyne, €3 a btl.

oblivious

Ipso wrote: »

Yeah, I meant the historical recipe. I think some on here said, that of all the Guinness available today the Extra Stout is the closest.
I find it interesting as going with the whole modern romantic idea of Guinness, you'd think Arthur (peace be upon him) himself drunk creamy nitro pints.

It is a bit more of a romantic ideas, breweries love throwing around terms "traditional brewed" even if that tradition was a lot more resent than you think. As for the historical stout, up untill 1880 only malt was allowed in beer for Ireland and England. Even after that they stuck with an all malt beer.

By 1920 they started to e experiment with roasted barley for colour and by 1983 all roasted malt has been replace with roasted barley. By this stage they had also replaced a lager percent of malt with unmalted flaked barley (like porridge oats).

As for the strength of Extra Stout, in 1883 would have beer around the strength of the modern Forigen extra stout.

irish_goat

oblivious wrote: »

It is a bit more of a romantic ideas, breweries love throwing around terms "traditional brewed" even if that tradition was a lot more resent than you think.

http://www.guinness-storehouse.com/en/FAQs.aspx#faq28 wrote:

Are we drinking the same GUINNESS® today, as in Arthur's day?
Basically yes. Arthur's legacy and his brewing process are still continued by GUINNESS® brewers today.

Lolz.

noby

Politician's answer.

BeerNut

I blame the intern.

oblivious

wrote:

Originally Posted by http://www.guinness-storehouse.com/en/FAQs.aspx#faq28
Are we drinking the same GUINNESS® today, as in Arthur's day?
Basically yes. Arthur's legacy and his brewing process are still continued by GUINNESS® brewers today. .

From A bottle of Guniness please by David Hughes (ex Guniness head brewer)

donaghs

I'm much prefer craft stouts myself to Guinness, but do like Guinness Extra in a bottle now and then. Seems to have that bit more flavour than regular widget or pub Guinness. Not so keen on it in cans though, seems a bit more bitter and less flavoursome somehow. something to do with the carbonation maybe?