RowTow 2.0

My friend recently returned from a long trip to Germany with a brief stopover in Amsterdam where he was able to acquire this for me.  This beer is a special version of Guinness with a higher ABV (8%) than any other Guinness available.  Supposedly this version is closest to the “traditional” recipe that Guinness was brewed with up until about 100 years ago.

I decided to compare it with a normal Guinness poured from a can.  I thought about going for the Guinness Extra Stout as that’d be a closer comparison, but as this beer is supposedly close to the original Guinness recipe I figured I’d compare it with what most people regard as “Guinness”.

Visually the head is far more bubbly and white on the normal Guinness. I was surprised by how much of a head built up on the Special Export Stout.  It seems to bubble quite a bit more than I remember Guinness Extra doing, and I don’t remember that making much of a head.  The head on this is almost comparable to the one formed from a nitrogenated can, except the bubbles poured from the can make pockmarks all over the surface of the beer.

I’ve never tried sniffing normal Guinness for its aroma, but upon doing so I find it’s virtually absent.  Not so on the Special Export Stout, as there’s a strong, almost raisiny musk which hints at the Guinness flavor.

First sip: holy crap this stuff has an awesome flavor.  What can I say, it’s Guinness but stronger, both in terms of flavor and booze.  Taking a sip of normal Guinness it tastes like water in comparison.  If you like the flavor of Guinness and wish it were stronger and full of more booze, this is certainly the beer for you.

Each time I take a sip of the normal Guinness after taking a sip of the Special Export Stout I can’t help but feel that regular old Guinness is crap in comparison.  The Special Export Stout leaves a lingering aftertaste of the delicious Guinness flavor, and I feel little bubbles bursting all over my mouth.

I don’t know why Guinness doesn’t have a larger distribution for this stuff.  It’s great!  It certainly puts regular Guinness to shame.