BEER: Guinness Draught (Guinness & Co. - brewed at "St. James's Gate Brewery, Dublin 8 Ireland") - Irish dry stout
ABV: 4.2%
SERVED: 330mL brown bottle with full-bottle black logo wrap. Poured into a tulip-shaped glass.
APPEARANCE: The distinctive look of Guinness is instantly apparent: virtually black in colour, but a deep ruby when held to the light, with a thick, creamy head on top. It is not quite as thick or smooth as the on-tap version, but there's still no confusing this beer with anything else.
AROMA: The malts in this beer make it smell a bit like chocolate. I'm not sure how else I'd describe it. The trouble with reviewing a beer that you've tasted many, many times is that... well, it smells like Guinness!
TASTE: Creamy and smooth, the Guinness Draught in bottles and cans always goes down very easy. It's not quite as creamy and nowhere near as thick as the on-tap Guinness Draught. I've always found the bottled and canned versions to be almost a bit watery compared to how it tastes on-tap.
OVERALL: The side of the six-pack I bought at the LCBO boasted that Guinness Draught in bottles is "now even better," so I was curious if there was any difference. I think I agree with the statement though: it does taste a little better, if only slightly. It's still nowhere near as good as it is on-tap (if it's properly poured), but it's still a good tasting beer. A properly poured pint of Guinness on tap would earn 10/10 for me every time, but in a bottle I can't give it higher than 7/10. Good. Just not AS good.
