Guinness 250th Anniversary Stout
Guinness will celebrate its 250th anniversary next year and looks to be doing it in style with a new beer, Guinness Anniversary Stout. The beer commemorates the date on which Arthur Guinness signed the lease on St. James’ Gate in Dublin: December 31, 1759. Guinness hasn’t come around to the craft beer scene yet but this one might appeal to craft drinkers. The packaging looks fancy and at 11.2 oz. indicates that this one may be bottled (I have never heard of an 11.2 oz. can but I could be wrong).
From Wikipedia, “Leased for 9,000 years in 1759 by Arthur Guinness at £45 per year, St. James’s Gate has been the home of Guinness ever since. It became the largest brewery in Ireland in 1838, and was the largest in the world in 1914.”
The good news comes amidst rocky times and major changes for Guinness. Just two years ago, there was talk that the brewery may shut down operations at St. James’s Gate. But this past May, it was announced that the brewery would be saved and that a new $1 billion brewery would be built elsewhere in Ireland. Still, according to Reuters, Guinness “will close two smaller sites by 2013 and cut its Irish brewery workforce by more than half.”
The 250th anniversary should provide for some much needed cheer amidst the turbulence. No release date set for the anniversary beer yet but I wouldn’t be surprised if it is released in the States around St. Patrick’s Day (not official).
5% ABV
Troegs Sunshine Pils
Hop fans rejoice! Sunshine Pils combines the crisp taste of European style pilsners with a
kicked-up hop character to create a balanced, refreshing seasonal beer. Golden in color with
a fluffy white head, Sunshine Pils is the perfect beer for Summer.
5% ABV
Bell’s Two Hearted Ale
India Pale Ale style well suited for Hemingway-esque trips to the Upper Peninsula. American malts and enormous hop additions give this beer a crisp finish and incredible floral hop aroma.
Don’t let this one fool you:
7% ABV
Philadelphia Brewing Company’s Fleur De Lehigh
Special ordered - usually this beer is only sold in their variety pack.
An unfiltered golden ale, blooming upon the palate with a vibrant, floral character the accentuates any seasonal feast.
? ABV
Victory Ten Year’s Alt
The Victory version of this ‘secret’ offering is inspired by the rich brewing heritage of the alt beers. It is a dark ale exhibiting the love of hops and mastery of malt that Victory has displayed for 10 years. Initially assertive with spicy hops, Ten Years Alt concludes ever so comfortably in rich, roasted malts and burnished hop character.
8.5% ABV
Magic Hat Wacko
Crisp like the morning, cool like the evening and quenching all day long. It’s the beer that dances to the beat of summer. Pop the top and set your summer loose. Wacko is the song of summer.
A delicious, beet-red summer beer with a big malty aroma, a subdued hop bit and a clean, slightly sweet finish.
4.5% ABV
In the name of science and research, here is my take on this month so far:
1. Guinness 250th - I felt like this beer tastes exactly like the regular Guinness but with more carbonation. I’m not sure if I was expecting something awesome because its Guinness… but I wasn’t impressed at all.
2. Troegs Sunshine Pils - I’m not a big pilsener guy but my take on this beer was that it was about average. Nothing super memorable.
3. Bell’s Two Hearted Ale - Holy shit this is good. Hides the 7% very well. Probably one of the better IPA’s I’ve had in a long time. Definitely case worth in my book but it is on the expensive end.
4. PBC Fleur De Lehigh - Besides the fact I can’t say the name right I like this beer. Its a very light drinkable brew… the aroma of the beer really adds to the flavor. It does seem like one of those beer that you’ll either like it a lot or not care for it at all though.
5. Victory Ten Years Alt - I liked this beer… it was a bit heavy though. I feel like this one also hides its alcohol content pretty well. When its poured it has a really nice color to it and a hoppy aroma. I could only drink one or two at the most though before switching to something a little less filling.
6. Magic Hat Wacko - didn’t get to try this one yet but I’ve heard good things.
My favorites this month were the Bell’s and Victory ales.
The Guinness was good but nothing special. I could not have told it apart from a non-anniversary version.
Count me among the people who really don’t care for the Fleur De Lehigh - it was just boring. I don’t see any reason someone would drink that over, say, Miller Lite unless they liked the bottle art.
I liked the Troegs but it wasn’t the best pilsner I’ve had. Pretty good but not really case-worthy.
I’m not a big Magic Hat fan but this one is probably my favorite of their beers. Not overly fruity like some of the others.
i was pretty stoked to try the new guiness. im not a huge guiness drinker, but theres a bunch of hype behind the new 250 anniversary beer. It was pretty dissapointing, just carbonated guiness. i doin’t think i’ll ever drink one ever again.
the bell’s two hearted and the victory 10 ale were both awsome. both were high alcohol and very full bodied, the type of beers i tend to enjoy.
the troges sunshine pilsner was good. i actually opened one, then started grilling. its great to drink when its nice outside.
i wasn’t really feeling the magic hat wacko and the fleur de lehigh, both were a little light for my tastes, and the lehigh really tasted like flowers. the wacko looked great, the beet coloring but fell short on taste for me.