Guinness is known world wide as “the dark beer”, since it’s pretty much the only beer not a lager that’s available in pubs. I felt like having a stout today, so I gave this brew a try.

It’s almost an almost black ruby brown. It has a bubbly tan head that recedes very quickly into a similarly bubbly film that leaves behind medium lacing.

The nose is the stout standard roasted caramel, although somewhat sweeter, with a berry fruity note to it.

Its body is somewhat lighter than what I’d expected from an extra stout, but it’s still on the heavier end of medium. The smooth carbonation doesn’t get in the way either.

I was a bit surprised by solid bitter foundation to the otherwise quite conservative taste. It’s a smooth roasted taste that luckily isn’t overly sweet. The traditional dark cocoa (and maybe coffee) taste is balanced to a degree by a slight, sweet berry fruitiness. The aftertaste is sweet, creamy and centered around caramel.

I don’t mind having a stout that isn’t so heavy, but has more to it than the watery thing that’s sold as Guinness in bars.