Guinness Black Lager
Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011
First it was an innovative iPhone app The Blacklist and now it’s Guinness Black Lager, wonder what’s next for the iconic company?
Guinness & Co. aka Diageo (Australian Importers) are currently testing the waters here in Australia with a new brew in the form of a European Styled dark lager. It is currently only available in Perth and the South Western region of Western Australia, where it is being trialled until April. So unfortunately if you live in Brisbane like myself, you will be hard pressed to get your hands on a bottle. I however have been fortunate enough to try it and I would like to express my thanks to Splendid Communications for the case I was sent. Guinness & Co. have been trialling this product overseas since March 2010 and will make a decision later this year as to whether or not it will be rolled out across Australia. Personally I hope it is rolled out here, as it would be great to see more dark lagers in our great country.
Take a look at the above picture and guess which glass is holding Guinness Black Lager and which is holding the traditional Guinness Draught? If you said the one on the left was holding Guinness Black Lager you’d be wrong. As you can see once poured this brew is nearly identical to Guinness Draught, bar that wonderful tightly knit head and waiting for the surge to settle (which already has done in the above photo). Another similarity is that they are both brewed and bottled in Dublin, Ireland. A notable difference other than the taste which I will get to shortly is the alcohol volume. Guinness Draught is 4.2% alcohol per volume, whereas Guinness Black Lager is 4.5% Alcohol per volume. This brew pours a brilliant inch thick light tan head that slowly subsides to leave uniformed lacing over your glass. You almost cannot not see through this brew it’s that dark, but when held to light it looks ruby in colour. I don’t think it has all that much in way of an aroma but there are certainly some roasted malt notes to it. Now here’s the part I will most likely cop some criticism for – the taste, I prefer this brew to Guinness Draught. I will admit that I have yet to experience Guinness Draught on tap in Ireland but I have tried many of the imported versions we receive here in Australia. This beer is really refreshing and I could easily spend the day or night drinking and enjoying it. It starts off in your mouth as a burst of smooth roasted malts, leaves you with a well carbonated bitter aftertaste and then wanting more.
This brew certainly won’t please everyone but I can see it helping to convert many Australians over to the dark side…..assuming it does actually get rolled out here.
Rating (out of five):
Quick Facts : 4.5% alcohol – 330ml brown bottle – Pop top
Category : Beer Reviews, Dark Lager