Guinness mid-strength

[noby]

Guinness are launching a "mid-strength" stout (2.8% abv) on a trial basis in Limerick. I wonder will it go the same way as Guinness Light.

From the Irish Times:

It promises the same taste and the same colour. It even promises the same distinctive head (except the morning after). But it will be for the drinkers of Limerick to decide whether a reduced-alcohol version of Guinness goes on sale across Ireland later this year.

Read on here. (http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/front/2006/0209/1870472420HM1GUINNESS.html)

[chazwicke]

Hmmm..... The Guinness I drink is already fairly low in alcohol but if there is truly very little difference in taste, I'd be up for it on occasion.

Can't help but be a bit skeptical though.

[fretlessman71]

I like the idea - wish they would get stuff like that over here. I'm all for lower-alcohol flavorful beer.

[HogieWan]

I've been wanting to brew some low-alcohol beer, but I think I'm waiting to have a kegerator and always have one "dinner brew" tap.

[zoom6zoom]

Limerick, you say?

They got this new half-strength Guinness
Daresay we won't like it's thinness
Might try a pint or two
Didn't like it - do you?
But I guess they just won't get the business.


OK, it's lame. It's tough to rhyme with Guinness.

[fretlessman71]

An "E" for Effort. Bravo! ;)

[Richard English]

2.8% is mild strength, not stout strength. I wonder if it is actually a dark mild?

[MeridianFC]

I'm not a style judge but I've found a dark mild and a low abv stout to be very similar with the stout just having more roasted/bitter flavor.

[chazwicke]

I'm keen to try this toned down version. Although I still like most of the regular Guinness versions that i have sampled.

When someone accuses me of being snobbish toward mega brewers, I point out that I do like some mega brews and mention that I enjoy Guinness.

[noby]

Originally posted by Richard English
2.8% is mild strength, not stout strength. I wonder if it is actually a dark mild?

That was my first thought. I get the feeling, though, that Guinness would never have the balls to announce they're making a dark mild. Milds are as rare as hen's teeth in Ireland, so I'm guessing the marketing guys came up with 'mid-strength' instead ("get a phrase with the word strong in it, it sounds more macho than mild" was probably their brief).

In fact 'mid-strength' makes no sense, as it is neither in mid-stout range, or there is no 'low-strength' Guinness option. To me it's just a term like 'light', or 'cold-filtered'.

In another paper, there was a straw-poll of maybe8 or 10 people in a Limerick pub. One guy said he would be sticking to his normal Guinness. Of the others, there was a 50/50 split between people who thought it would be handy if you're driving and wanted a beer, and people who said that Guinness should spend more time getting their stout to taste like it used to instead of messing about with new beers, and that's the reason they now drink Beamish.

[HogieWan]

Originally posted by noby
. . . , and people who said that Guinness should spend more time getting their stout to taste like it used to instead of messing about with new beers

good idea here