Guiness Beer Extra Cold?

[falconwind]

So, on a whim I bought a couple cans of Guiness to try for the first time. I'm not a big beer drinker, but I wanted to broaden my horizons to include stout. I have an idea of what I'm to expect.

But something looked odd to me. On the can, it says "Serve Extra Cold." Which seemed strange to me, as I thought it was served... not cold... in pubs in the UK/Ireland.

So, what do you think I should do? Serve it extra cold, or room temp?

 

[Raziaar]

I don't think any temperature difference could have made the guiness stout I had any more bearable. It was so ****ing bitter I felt like vomiting every time I took a sip.

I'm not man enough for it.

 

[StarBob]

Cold... I don't think it's all that great at any temperature though. Then again I'm not a big fan of stouts.

 

[Krynn72]

All beer needs to be cold. At bars they serve them cold.

 

[VirusType2]

^ Yeah. What the hell.

 

[Vegeta897]

 

[repiV]

So, on a whim I bought a couple cans of Guiness to try for the first time. I'm not a big beer drinker, but I wanted to broaden my horizons to include stout. I have an idea of what I'm to expect.

But something looked odd to me. On the can, it says "Serve Extra Cold." Which seemed strange to me, as I thought it was served... not cold... in pubs in the UK/Ireland.

So, what do you think I should do? Serve it extra cold, or room temp?

Guiness is definitely served cold!

You're probably confusing it with real ale, which is served warm. Yes, we drink warm beer. It's much better than lager.

Luvverly.

 

[The Monkey]

As far as I know, it's

Lagers, dark ales and stouts: cold
Light ales: warm

I could be wrong, though.

 

[<RJMC>]

is just a marketing gimmick

like "extra tasty" or something like that

 

[PvtRyan]

I really hate all things that taste bitter, so no beer for me.

 

[kazsymonds]

The "extra cold" is the same anyway. When i used to work in bars we got shown by the brewery how it works.

Long story short - it goes through an extra chiller (draft that is).

I'm guessing its the same for the canned, only that time you have to make it cold. So they want you to do their job, at home, for free.

I drink guiness exclusively, it's amazing. It's also aparently popular with students, as it has a thick creamy makeup it's like drinking a liquidised meal. Not sure on the nutritional values though, not too high i would have though.

My boss is Irish and he drinks fosters, he's a shandy like that.

 

[CyberPitz]

I can't drink any beer warm. It's like drinking shit. Bllaahhh

 

[Warped]

the only time i can bare to drink room temp beer is when I really want to get drunk. for some reason you'll drink the beer slower if its colder and obviously quicker if its warmer. i tend to drink a can of beer close to me and up to my chest, and when i'm drinking a cold glass, i leave it sit for a bit and don't hold onto it, for fear of heating it up. beer can get skunky very quick but in all honesty beer tastes good cool, and not cold or room temp

 

[repiV]

You wouldn't drink ale cold, in the same way that you wouldn't drink lager warm. I'm guessing you don't really have ale over there, in the same way that you can't seem to get proper cider outside of South West England, so have never had the opportunity to try.

It tends to be more of a local thing anyway, as real ale can't really be mass produced.

 

[Laivasse]

Guinness definitely has to be served cold. Ale can be enjoyed at room temp, but in my experience even in England pubs tend to serve everything (including their guest ales) cooler than that.

Guinness isn't a typical stout, though. I think technically it qualifies as a porter rather than a stout and the only beers that really taste that much like guinness are its Irish competitors, Murphys and Beamish. It also relies on certain unique techniques for its texture and appearance, like nitrogen being passed into it at the pump. For a massmarketed beer, you can do a lot worse than Guinness but other stouts tend to be less thick, creamy and dark, and there's much more variety of flavour available than you'll find in that particular Irish style imo.

Don't know about Canada but America actually has loads of nice ales and craft beers, though I think awareness of them is very low. They probably hardly sell at all even in the few bars that dare to keep one on pump (and no, Sam Adams doesn't count because it sucks). For stouts, keep an eye out for Old Rasputin or Dragon's Milk... my memory fails me for American stouts tbh, but I remember seeing a lot of 'chocolate stouts' on sale in posh stores like Dorothy Lane. For other types of beers, try anything from New Holland Brewery (especially Existential Ale), Rogue (especially Dead Guy ale, which is on tap in many places), Stone (esp. Arrogant Bastard, same applies as for Dead Guy), Dogfish Head and Flying Dog are also worth a try. Lots of brewers in the States seem to go for a paler, mega-hoppy, bitter style which works well when served cold.

 

[Mogi67]

So, on a whim I bought a couple cans of Guiness to try for the first time. I'm not a big beer drinker, but I wanted to broaden my horizons to include stout. I have an idea of what I'm to expect.

But something looked odd to me. On the can, it says "Serve Extra Cold." Which seemed strange to me, as I thought it was served... not cold... in pubs in the UK/Ireland.

So, what do you think I should do? Serve it extra cold, or room temp?

You're wasting your time on canned Guinness. It's best from the tap, and quite cold at that.

 

[BabyHeadCrab]

Bottled/canned Guinness is yucky. Grab some Newcastle if you gotta get something mass produced in bottles.

Guinness definitely has to be served cold. Ale can be enjoyed at room temp, but in my experience even in England pubs tend to serve everything (including their guest ales) cooler than that.

Guinness isn't a typical stout, though. I think technically it qualifies as a porter rather than a stout and the only beers that really taste that much like guinness are its Irish competitors, Murphys and Beamish. It also relies on certain unique techniques for its texture and appearance, like nitrogen being passed into it at the pump. For a massmarketed beer, you can do a lot worse than Guinness but other stouts tend to be less thick, creamy and dark, and there's much more variety of flavour available than you'll find in that particular Irish style imo.

Don't know about Canada but America actually has loads of nice ales and craft beers, though I think awareness of them is very low. They probably hardly sell at all even in the few bars that dare to keep one on pump (and no, Sam Adams doesn't count because it sucks). For stouts, keep an eye out for Old Rasputin or Dragon's Milk... my memory fails me for American stouts tbh, but I remember seeing a lot of 'chocolate stouts' on sale in posh stores like Dorothy Lane. For other types of beers, try anything from New Holland Brewery (especially Existential Ale), Rogue (especially Dead Guy ale, which is on tap in many places), Stone (esp. Arrogant Bastard, same applies as for Dead Guy), Dogfish Head and Flying Dog are also worth a try. Lots of brewers in the States seem to go for a paler, mega-hoppy, bitter style which works well when served cold.

Fantastic taste in beers :O

 

[Wanted Bob]

Never liked to drink beer warm to be honest. Perhaps someday I will come across one that changes my mind.

 

[Warped]

warm beer, i think gives me headaches

 

[Stormy]

Just takes a wile to get used to. Kinda like coffee. If you keep drinking it you will just find it's not to bad, then you will enjoy it.

Its just a very heavy drink, so much more then 2 pints is a struggle.

 

[Tyguy]

Just to agree with everyone regarding canned guinness...it's definitely not the best way to introduce yourself to guinness. I didn't like guinness for a long time but then for some reason I decided to give it a chance and see if it would grow on me...which it did. It's easy to drink and It's one of the few beers I actually crave.

There's a very distinct after-taste that drives a lot of people away.

 

[Laivasse]

Maybe the canned product is better in Ireland, but imo there isn't a hell of a lot of difference between canned and draft Guinness, for what it's worth. A pint from the pump is always nicer, generally speaking, but I'll settle for canned Guinness in a way I wouldn't for other more subtle brews.

Anyway, this thread inspired me hunt down some irish online beer stores, since I haven't had nice beer in ages HAAARRRGH

 

[Mogi67]

Any canned beer is generally shite IMO, go for the bottled Guinness if you can't find it on tap

 

[falconwind]

Well, I just tried it last night, and my god it is bitter! Sort of reminds me of stale black coffee except without the roasted coffee flavor.

Incidently, I did enjoy a can of Tetley's English Ale. I was rather surprised just how creamy it was. I think I might get some more of that.

Can anyone recommend a good unfiltered wheat beer? Rickard's White is my readily accessible beer of choice, at the moment, and maybe someone can point me in the direction of something more indicative of hefeweizen or witbier.

(I can hear the beer-affectionados grimacing right now.)

 

[Laivasse]

Ah, you live and learn... I just found out from Googling Rickard's White that it is in fact Coors' 'Blue Moon' under a different name. I didn't like it very much.

If you hadn't had Guinness before, then I'm guessing you haven't tried stuff like Hoegaarden White, Leffe Blonde or Duvel. Those are some widely available Belgian beers which are a decent introduction to the style, while being above average in spite of their big brand, massmarketed status. Of those, I'd recommend Hoegaarden since I can't remember what Duvel is like and Leffe is not unfiltered like you're looking for. Leffe is still quite tasty, if a bit fizzy.

If you want to sample something beyond the best-marketed stuff, you're still sort of spoilt for choice since more and more American craft brewers are trying their hand at white beer or belgian pale ale in some form. Here are the offerings from Dogfish Head and Flying Dog. Weihenstephaner's WeissBier is definitely worth trying if you have access to some kind of import supermarket or a liquor store with an extensive range. TBH witbiers seem to be everywhere now, since casual drinkers find them quite palatable, so just experiment imo, although naturally some are much better than others.