The Bar Towel

An excellent strong stout with a fine, complex coffee-like aftertaste.

Gary

Well Greg I made some deductions but I don't know for sure of course. Usually in my experience, the best-buy expiry is 1 year after packaging. A few European beers' cartons state both the production and expiry dates in a normal way (D/M/Y). Most though state from what I can see just the expiry date ...

I'd agree with some of the earlier assessments (i.e., at the time) but the current canned beer at LCBO is very good. It is dated to February 2010 and so must have been made in the last 4 weeks or so. It has a notably flowery nose and taste: the hops seem better and more natural than in past examples...

Belgian, thanks. I've tried too now some of the blond ale, the one that started as a double IPA. It has a stronger cidery note than Korruptor and is as sweet. Although the notes on the pack state that a lot of hops were used, it didn't seem all that hoppy, and I think long aging has reduced some of ...

An interesting and certainly unique package. So far I've tried Korruptor, at some 14% ABV. It has a strong winy note with light accents of cider. Quite honey-sweet and of course very potent. It reminds me of some ice wines or sweet vidal wines. Served chilled after a good dinner, I think some people...

By the way recently at beerbistro I had an excellent pint of Celtic O'Hara Stout from the Republic. It had more body and flavour than draught Guinness but seemed no more bitter (perhaps less?), I thought. Then too it was served quite cold and might have disclosed more hop notes at a warmer temperatu...

I would bring very good representatives of any style, no matter what they are: if you tell people what to look for, they may be able to appreciate it. Recently I was having a Raftman at Rebel House. A friend with me who rarely drinks beer said, "I'll have what he's having". I suspect this ...

Okay, thanks all. Guinness Stout on draught is still an acceptable beer when served fresh IMO. Guinness FES is excellent in its own way, as is the all-malt Special Export Guinness in the bottle they get in Europe (i.e., the Continent, it is circa 8% ABV). It is too bad we don't get FES and the Speci...

Yes, it's called Sinha in some markets.

Gary

I was aware that the Guinness extract or syrup (I am not sure what it is exactly, could it be a very high gravity beer?) is made for addition to bottled Guinness Extra Stout made locally in, say, Canada or Nigeria. The Guinness Extra Stout made in New Brunswick would presumably utilise this, and thi...

Thanks for that correction, Jesse.

Gary

You still see some here and there, e.g., Queen's Quay and Bayview and Shephard. I don't know if this is from the original shipment or later ones (its best-buy is summer 2010). It has a soy sauce nose (similar to that of exported Guinness Extra Stout in the 1970's) with notes of chocolate and dark br...

Am trying the "new" Golden Pheasant (i.e., new slimmer bottle format, available at Summerhill, still in a green bottle). The new packaging twigged me that it is likely fresh stock, and it is: the beer appears to have been packaged 6 weeks ago. This is too soon for light to have affected it...

This beer is not horrible, it is simply a commercially-styled Canadian beer with a dash of stout flavor, IMO.

Gary

I saw this at one of the Duke pubs and had a go. Although I did not expect a full-on craft beer flavour, I was disappointed by the blandness of this drink. It reminds me of, say, Labatt's Porter from the 1980's. Or if you took the Canadian-brewed Guinness and mixed it 50/50 with Blue, that is what i...