Booze Review

From the stools, booths and chairs of Santa Monica, Bobby Bodell and Michael Roach review the best catalysts for inebriation that this town has to offer. This week their selection was...

Guinness 250th Anniversary Stout

Guinness is s staple in the world of fermented beverages. Put simply it is the classic stout, best known for its thick creamy texture, sweet taste and two minute pour time.

Recently in honor of its 250-year anniversary, Guinness has created a different version of this classic stout that seems to be aimed for a market that can appreciate great taste in large quantities. In other words, unlike its predecessor this is not the beer to replace a meal.

Poured from a standard CO2 tap as opposed to the nitrous tap that traditionally pumps this dark beer from the tap tree to your glass, the first characteristics that can be noticed are the darker head color and more crisp taste. The head color comes from the fact that Guinness 250th anniversary stout is poured in a matter of seconds rather than minutes.

The taste is similar to the original however it lacks a certain sweet creaminess that one would expect when they sit down and order a pint of the black stuff.

Guinness 250th anniversary stout is more like a Guinness version of a porter than a Guinness stout since it does have a hint of hops flavor, giving it more of a "hot sunny day beer" feel than the company is known for.

You won't see too many old Irish men brooding at the bar over this pint, unless they are brooding over the fact that it is not what they thought it would be.

But this is not to say that this beer should not be appreciated. In fact it is nothing short of amazing that the brew masters at St. James' Gate were able to somehow pack all the flavor of their most well-known masterpiece into such a light and drinkable beer.

But when sitting and drinking Guinness 250th anniversary, we found something lacking; truthfully, we just wanted a Guinness.

Perhaps this is our own biases, perhaps we would have appreciated it more if it had come from a different brewery with a different name, but we are not questioning the quality nor the idea behind the beer.

From their lager Harp to their non-alcoholic Kaliber, Guinness has never failed in making a quality brew. Guinness 250th anniversary stout is no exception.

In effect, the drink is something for Guinness lovers to try but not return to often, which is fitting because it will not be available for long.

So drink as much as you can, but don't expect it to fill you up, and don't think about dropping an egg in it like our grandpas did for breakfast.

In conclusion, we give Guinness 250th anniversary stout four out of five bottles, leaving the fifth bottle only to be awarded to its older brother Guinness draught. Slainte!