BEER #100: GUINNESS FOREIGN EXTRA.

The Swill: Guinness Foreign Extra
The Still: St. James's Gate Brewery
Dublin, Ireland
http://www.guinness.com
The Drill: Imperial Irish Stout, 11.2oz bottle, 7.5% ABV
The Spill: A brew not found in the U.S., Guinness Foreign Extra is a rare treat. Basically the Imperial version of their world-reknowned hallmark, the Foreign Extra is quite simply that: Guinness times two. Or maybe even three. Pouring the expected jet black, with a noticeably darker head than the unleaded stuff, the inviting aroma is sweet with molasses and prune, rather than the nutty and sometimes sour-metallic nose that one would expect to come drifting above the widget in a can of the usual stuff. The mouthfeel is thicker and more carbonated, and the flavor is a clear improvement. A definite Imperial Stout character, featuring rich notes of molasses and coffee, the beer is a pleasure to behold, like nothing any other form of Guinness can offer, save for the telltale nutty Guinness finish.
Says Bill: This is far and away the best thing I've had with the name Guinness on the label. I'm not a big fan of Irish stouts; I think if anyone truly likes the dark stuff, something American will blow anything European out of the water any day. However, I was still delighted when Holly brought this home with her when she came back from her most recent trip to Ireland this past March. You can't get it in the U.S., at least at a retail beer store. BeerAdvocate.com, the leading beer review website on the net, featured a good many reviews of the stuff, but all that mentioned where the bottle was purchased said either the Bahamas or Ireland itself. I feel privileged to have experienced this beer, and grateful to Holly for grabbing it for me. Don't you wish you had a wife like her?
Refill?: If only every bottle of Guinness tasted this way. Maybe I wouldn't make that poopy face when I drank it: 4 taps out of 5.