Guinness Extra Stout

B- / 3.5
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | drink: 2.5
Room temp
Bottle to pint glass

Appearance: As I poured the brew came out very smoothly allowing for a nice soft pour, even still once I began pouring down the middle of the glass the almond colored medium density head began to build immediately so much that I had to slow my pour lest I overflow the glass, when I was finished the head was nearly 2 fingers, but faded to about ¼ inch leaving a medium lace that clings to the side.

Smell: I smelled a very strong dark or chocolate malts, there was some caramel sweetness but it was hidden, what I noticed the most was the heavy spice of the hops. The hops was fairly strong but not completely overbearing, I noticed what seemed like another spice in there as well but it might have been just a very heavy hop. I did not smell any alcohol in the brew.

Taste: I really didn't notice much of the sweetness that I smelled initially, there was a very robust malt taste that competed with the bitterness of the hops. The level of bitterness was not offensive in fact it seemed well balanced, but the bitterness held throughout and seems the one constant in this brew, even as I write this almost 15 minutes after finishing I can still feel and taste some of the bitterness in my mouth. There seemed to be some very rich licorice taste which was probably a mixture between the malts and the hops. This is certainly a full bodied brew, but there is a spice in the taste that I simply cannot put my finger on. I also did not notice any alcohol taste.

Mouthfeel: This stout has a thick feel to it but certainly not tarish. The carbonation is about medium as it fizzes on my lips and tongue. There is also a thin layer of diacetyl that is left at finish, but once gone the Extra Stout leaves the mouth dry.

Drinkability: This is where I think this brew suffers, the complexity of this brew means that it is really in my opinion an acquired taste. I cannot honestly say that this stout went down easy, and with the residual bitterness in my mouth now 20 minutes later I don't know if I would want that on a regular basis.

Impressions: This is a robust brew, very dark and bitter, I am sure that this fits the style very well, and I think I just added another brew to my "no drink" list. It is not a skunked beer, or a bad brew its harder than something I'm looking for in a brew.