Guinness Black Lager

I was pretty floored when I saw Guinness Black Lager at the liquor store.  I had no idea that Guinness & Co. had branched out beyond their famed stouts. This black lager hails from St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland. It's sold in 330mL bottles and contains a light 4.5% alcohol. According to the label, this stuff is "cold brewed with roasted barley".

It's a deep, dark brown lager streaked with amber and ruby highlights. It poured with a thick, off-white head that starts thick and quickly faded. The aroma is grassy, but also has some malty qualities. It's very easy-drinking for a dark beer. It moves from sweet to bitter, with fairly significant focus on rich maltiness. The finish is mildly bitter, but remains malty to the end. There is some nice, roasty warmth in this brew which is otherwise quite refreshing.

It was a real novelty to see something new from Guinness and it's ain't bad either. It's not super memorable, but it was decent enough. Give it a try.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.