Guinness Generous Ale

We picked up a winter seasonal selection of Guinness brews in honor of St. Patrick's Day. We ended up not drinking each of them yesterday, as we had a friend over and were busy downing the whiskey. I wish I could make that up, but no, it's true. It was a fine St. Patrick's Day, indeed, where the whiskey defeated our love of craft beer. It's a once-a-year shortcoming, I promise.

So, this is the Generous Ale. It pours a deep garnet color with minimal off-white head. The aroma is biscuity malts and moderate hops, with some mild caramel and toffee notes. Let's take a sip. Wow, this is good. I'm pleasantly surprised. It's different... that Guinness water note is what I first taste (see the Smithwick's and Guinness Draught reviews for more on the water note). It carries throughout the drink, but it's not objectionable. Then the biscuity malts come through, which are followed by some mild floral hop notes, and then it flows into a toffee tone. This is the best beer from Guinness I've had. It's smooth. The mouthfeel is pretty clean -- not sticky, not resinous. It's more velvety, but with ample carbonation.

I'm pleasantly surprised. It recalls to my memory another beer I've had, but I can't recall in detail. When it comes to me, I'll update the post.

4/5 caps

-Jennie

So, after a long day at work, I decided to do a review. Not because I needed a beer, but because I figure it would help me wind down, and, yet, get out some of my bottled up creativity and frustrations.

This winter seasonal was purchased about a week ago from Kenny Road Market. They are a fantastic store for purchasing a wide selection of craft and imports (and the only place I've only seen a 24 pack of Burger). My heart jumped with joy when I saw this, knowing it would be a fantastic selection to review for the upcoming drinking holiday.

As Jennie-the-Jigger (see previous post about how she was dancing a jig while holding a bottle of Bushmills) stated, this pours a deep red color with some off white head. The aroma to me is very faint, but gives off tones of toffee and biscuit malt. I don't really get the hops Jennie-the-Jolly-Leprechaun picked up, but then again, my nose is kind of plugged up with dust. Yay, factory work! The taste is interesting. I pick up some floral hops, roasted malt and toffee, although all very faint. Clean, smooth mouthfeel that leaves me wanting more.

While drinking this, I'm left with many questions. What the hell is the Harlem Shake? Who really pays attention to the Papal Inauguration? And why don't I have a pope-mobile? The reason these questions are running through my head, very clear to me. The news is on. The answers to these questions, though, much more complex. Complex like why is this better than the regular Guinness. Why is this not brewed year round and sold in its own 6 pack... Ponder this, my Irish beer-brethren and get back to me.

4/5 caps

-Nathan