Beer Review: Guinness Foreign Extra Stout

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The beer is poured from an 11.2oz Euro style bottle; a departure from the normal stuff we get here in the US from Guinness. A little over an inch of mocha-colored head caps this jet black beer. Totally impenetrable by light.

Lots of roasted malts and some espresso bean smell fill the nose. Simple, strong scent is quite different from regular Guinness extra stout offerings.

As soon as this delicious black liquid hits your taste buds, you are hit with big roasted malts which give way to a surprisingly potent hop presence. The hop bitterness transitions into a dark chocolate taste on the back end of the sip which leaves you with a bittersweet taste in your mouth. There's a slight warming sensation, probably due to the alcohol but without any alcoholic bite. Rich and creamy throughout, this beer definitely hits the spot. I'm very impressed with the flavor.

This beer is so smooth! There's not a whole lot of carbonation (but certainly not flat) but rather, the creamy smoothness mentioned above is present.

I definitely wanted more of the beer; the 7.5% abv is not noticeable other than a warming touch at the end and the heavy flavors seem refreshing rather than imposing. Enjoy this one slow; you'll notice all the flavors and the body makes you drink it slow anyway.

This is a beer that I would have had no problem hating; I don't particularly care for Guinness' other offerings, but I must say that they definitely got this one right. This bottle was a gift, but you can buy a 4-pack of Guinness FES for $9.99 +tax most anywhere. That's expensive for me but worth it; this beer had surprisingly bold flavor that justifies the severe price hike from their normal extra stout.

Score: A-  4.0/5