Tim: This beer comes in a tall can with a floating "widget". It's suppossed to pour as if it's draught. They seem to have pulled it off. Just watching it settle in the glass makes you think you're in for a good beer. It's got a rich frothiness to it. Has nice chestnut red colour and looks thick and creamy. Yet it goes down remarkably smooth. The flavour is full and starts right away. Has a nice malt taste to it that starts out nicely and then gets better leaving you with a very pleasant aftertaste. Worth going out of your way to find. A damn fine beer! (7/27/2002)


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Tim: When it comes to Irish beers I prefer the reds to the stouts. But as far as stouts go this is a fine one. More full and not at all watery, like say a Murphy's. Goes down quite smooth with a solid aftertaste, approaching Guiness levels but still different. This beer is not for the lighthearted. When I'm in the mood for a stout this one would be at or near the top of my list. I'd like to hear what a regular stout drinker would think of this beer. (7/27/2002)


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Steve: I regret to say that I don't have much of a review. This was a completely unremarkable beer, so much so that I forgot all of its characteristics within minutes after drinking it. Thus, it couldn't have been all that great. It wasn't bad, I can tell you that much. I didn't view each sip with apprehension like some beers. It's much like waiting on line for a ride at Six Flags. If I'm waiting for more than 90 minutes, it damn well better be good. Well, I paid Scream Machine money and got the Runaway Train. I guess it had a wheat beer flavor. I also guess I could've gotten a couple 40's of Miller High Life for the same price and had more to write about. (12/9/2002)


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Steve: This was by far my favorite Guinness, but mostly because the extra stout took 6 years to get used to, and I can almost always taste the can that any beer comes in. Anyway, that's it for the review. Try it. Now, for a true story. I was trying this at Taco Mac in Marietta, GA, when I noticed the bottle felt funny, like it was lighter than normal or lined with something. After I poured this into my glass, I handed it to a friend that I was with to check it out...he looked down the neck and said, "hey, there's a dick in this bottle." The waiter, who was walking by, about snapped his neck to look at my friend. I looked inside, and sure enough, it looked like a little white phallus. Of course, I knew right away that it was the little nitrogen cartridge thingy that makes it taste like it came from a keg, but it still looked funny, especially after a pitcher of Paulaner Hefe-Weizen. This was almost as funny as the time I was at Friendly's in Middletown NJ and attempted to order a Reese's Penis Sundae. To this day, I wish I could blame alcohol on that one too. (9/28/2002)


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Steve: I could say that this is a big ol' bottle of "meh." However, I bought just a 12 ounce single bottle, so in reality it's a 12 ounce bottle of "meh." This beer is brewed to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Arthur Guinness signing the lease on the "famous" St. James Gate brewery, which should say one of a couple of things. Either the brewers are too cheap to find something better, or all real estate in Dublin is toilet so it doesn't matter where they are. In any case, one would think that to celebrate a quarter of a millennium, they would've come out with something amazing that would make your eyes roll into the back of your head like you were getting (insert filthy sexual act here), but nothing. It was just a halfway decent stout. Without the "anniversary" exclamation on the label, it's good, but to build it up the way they did, it's simply......meh. (5/8/2010)


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Steve: My recommendation is this: do NOT drink from a bottle, from a can, or from that Pub draught thingy. Go straight to your neighborhood bar (preferably one that carries Guiness), and ask for one on tap. And then enjoy. This was a damn fine beer. The kind of beer that you want to drink at the end of a long day that just kicked your ass. Unless you're white trash, in which case stick to your Natural Light. Sweet, yet with a bitter finish. Smooth, creamy, this was the Guiness I've heard so much about and yet didn't believe. (Original review - This pours and looks like watered down motor oil. The head was brownish, like the foam you see on the banks of the East River. The taste? Like there was really bitter Arabian Coffee in it. After trying it several times, I got used to the hard flavor, but it needs more samplings. If it was a truly awesome beer, you shouldn't have to get used to it... it should be great from the beginning.) (6/18/1998)


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Steve: Ok, I was told this blew away Extra Stout. In reality, to my taste buds, it's only slightly better. In all honesty, if you don't like ES, you won't like this either. It's not an easy drinking beer.


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Steve: Not the best lager I've ever had, with a bitter, hoppy taste, but then again, the Irish aren't known for this style. Good when cutting Guinness for a Black and Tan. The farther I went, the more bitter it got, so the hop taste somehow settled. Otherwise, a fresh-tasting and strong beer which you will definitely remember.


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Guest Review - Chris J: Thick, rich and absolutely wonderfull!! Leave it to the great Guinness brewers to make the best N/A brew in the world! Not for the O'Doul's O'Idiots! Definitely for the Real Beer drinker! No alcohol??? Could fool anyone!


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Rocky: It's late afternoon on New Years Eve, my team just won their bowl game, and I pulled this out of the fridge figuring a nice crisp lager would be good to start things out this evening. Good choice. Harp is probably the most popular Irish lager, and this is very comperable in quality. If you prefer a nice hearty ale, this isn't for you. If, however, you favor a typical lager, this is probably better than what you're used to. (5/29/2004)


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Steve: It had the color of a red (kind of a nice copper), but it doesn't match up to a lot of red's, which I've grown very partial to. Even Killians was better, in MY opinion (I can't wait to get ripped for saying that), and it couldn't hold a candle to Rickard's (Canada). Decent, but pricey, so I'm sure if you're a red fan you won't be leaving your favorite for this one. (11/16/2002)


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Steve: Has this sweet, heavy flavor like the stout, but I liked this better. Actually, this is probably the best amber I've had to date. It's flavor is just so unique. I will definitely have this again, especially if I can find it on tap like I did at Friday's.


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Steve: Not bad, lighter tasting than Guinness, so that appealed to me. However, in the mouth it had a watery taste to it, not strong at all. The finish, on the other hand, was rich, and slightly bitter, like a strong coffee. Overall, it didn't impress me, because of the water effect. It was like a rich porter, not a stout. Maybe the bottled version is better..


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Steve: I wasn't looking forward to this since I was disappointed with Carlow's other two labels, but O'Hara's redeemed this brewery in my eyes (and taste buds). Clearly, Carlow's beers are not hitting Atlanta at peek freshness (this one was best before April 02, and I had it in Oct. 02). However, this was a nice, robust stout, with a woody and nutty flavor and taste, yet it was sweet tasting. I'd like to try this while it was still "fresh," because it must be really good then. Not as good as Rogue's Shakespeare, but still holds its own. (1/4/2003)


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Steve: I've been hearing about how great Smithwick's is for years, and I have to say, I would now like to do a glass-by-glass comparison with Bass. Both are very good pale ales, easy drinking and good year-round. I can assure you that if you're a fan of Bass, you'll like Smithwick's. Honestly, for Guinness-owned products, I'll take this before Guinness itself for total quality (obviously they're different styles). (9/2/2006)


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