Guinness has a special place in the world of beer, it is almost unique and stands alone as an icon. But there is more than one version of this famous beer and we are about to taste the ‘Belgian Guinness’.
In 1944 John Martin, the renowned English brewer who had set up in Belgium, went to Dublin to visit the Guinness brewery at St James Gate. He commissioned a special beer to be brewed and sent to Belgium, stronger, richer and with more hops than the classic Guinness draft.
The Guinness brewery duly obliged, creating Special Export Guinness at 8% ABV. And John Martin’s brewery had the distribution rights for this beer throughout Belgium, France, The Netherlands and Luxembourg.
It pours nearly black, with a light tan head. This beer doesn’t have the same settling effect that normal Guinness has given the absence of nitrogen.
The aroma is full of dark roasted malt, with some chocolate and fruit notes. And this follows through in the flavour as well with roasted malt, chocolate, caramel, dark stone fruits and a little hint of coffee or even wood smoke.
The mouthfeel is full and quite creamy at first, giving way to a roasted malt bite towards the finish with a lovely lingering malty bitterness. It is a very different beer to the normal Guinness and one I think you’ll enjoy.
