This is a strange brew, and I mean that mostly in a cultural and business-marketing sense. Guinness is of course the name associated with the world's most popular dark beer, the creamy stout with the thick head, so closely identified with Ireland it would make shamrocks and St. Patrick turn green with envy. Now we've got a Guinness that's "blonde" and "American." One knows it's not going to sit well with craft-beer aficionados who care enough about fermented barley to spend more time (than typical Guinness or Bud fans) dominating the blogosphere with incessant sideswipes about the blandness of big brands.
Strike one: It's brewed in Pennsylvania, by a facility in Latrobe once best known for producing Rolling Rock and formerly controlled by Labatt.
Strike two: It's blond. For a brand synonymous with the dark colour of stout, this new product might seem as compelling as an e-bicycle made by Jeep.
Maybe there will be a strike three, who knows. But suspend your disbelief if you can. It's a good, boundary-bending beer. Dirty-blond in colour, with moderate carbonation and a head that quickly subsides, it's got a strongly sweet, malty, rounded-profile core, far richer than big-brew U.S. lager brands that spend what seems like half their marketing budgets on football-linked ads featuring cheerleaders or waitresses in short shorts. (In truth, it's a tad sweeter than I'd prefer.)
This lager's aiming at hefty mouth feel and creamy texture versus light and refreshing. Maybe that's the nod to its Guinness-stout roots. There's also a grainy-yeasty bready taste that reminds me of the Euro-lager profile. Will an Irish stout brand conquer American-lager hearts? Who knows? Just don't ask me to bet beer money on it. Available at the above price in Ontario, $12.79/355-ml six-pack in B.C. ($11.79 till Nov. 28), various prices in Alberta, $15.49/six-pack in Saskatchewan, $2.96/473-ml can in Manitoba, $15.29/six-pack in New Brunswick, $15.99/six-pack in Nova Scotia (on sale at $14.49) $15.49/six-pack in Newfoundland.