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In honour of the 250th anniversary of the signing of Arthur Guinness on the lease on St. James’ Gate in Dublin, the brewery has announced that they are going to release the Guinness Anniversary Stout. The packaging is fancier and it is bottled in an altogether different amount, 11.02 oz. There had been a lot of trouble brewing over the relocation of the brewery for some time and this news was a welcome relief.

Guinness is considered as the all time best selling beer in Ireland and it is also very popular among the Americans who are of Irish descent and who love to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day attended by millions of Americans every year. What makes this different from the Guinness Draught is that this uses carbonation while the latter uses a combination of nitrogen and carbon dioxide. This new stout has also more alcohol and it weighs more at 5% than the Guinness Draught of 4.2%.The Guinness 250th Anniversary Stout is a limited edition brew that had long since been awaited.

It uses patented ‘brewhouse’ processes which blends stout and ale malt producing a unique carbonated stout that tastes clean and smooth with no bitter aftertaste. Not since 1967’s Guinness® Draught has another stout been introduced, however this is only available for a limited time starting from April 24, 2010. The aroma is surprisingly Guinness, and the head rich and creamy just like the other Guinness.

This should not surprise many as the recipe has never been changed for the past 250 years, hence its name. Now the marketing jargon claims that this is a totally different stout from what one is used to, however, the most discerning palate can honestly and profoundly say that it is a Guinness and nothing more or less than a Guinness and that is just grand. This will satisfy a lot of fans for to totally change the taste would not have made it a Guinness at all, it would be something else totally.

Truthfully though, not to disappoint the fans, but this has just got a cleaner taste to it. It is definitely smoother and maltier than the standard stout and the carbonation lends it a ‘liter’ taste. By lite, it simply means that the regular feels a little heavy after drinking a few, but this one does not give that much of a weight so to speak and this is what makes it a better drink. It also has a lot more alcohol weight in it so it can be quite deceiving.

Imagine drinking a regular stout, but make it chocolatier, nuttier and oakier and less heavy on the stomach. It is like seeing an old friend who had always been attractive but went through a makeover and the result was no longer attractive but downright beautiful. Go and try out this limited Guinness for it is new and old at the same time and is a great way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day or any other day before or after it.

With that title, who wouldn’t be intrigued; I mean, religion and beer? Could anything be more intriguing? But wait up, before you think this is some nutty religious propaganda, let me clear the air. This is about beer people! Beer! In fact, it’s an anniversary beer brewed by Schmaltz Brewing Company over in New York. A brief background on the people who brought us this delight, Schmaltz started brewing around 1996 and if you haven’t caught up yet, the 12 represents their 12th anniversary as a company.

Now going back to the booze, the label is pretty interesting, sort of Coney Island inspired and if you look closely, you’ll see they put a list of things significant with the number 12 such as: the 12 disciples, the labels of the past anniversary beer labels, the 12 days of Christmas, California’s 12th district where He’Brew started out among other things. In fact, I took the liberty of including other trivia about the number 12:

The number 12 is considered to be a “complete” number by numerologists. 12 months in a year.There were 12 gods living in Olympus.You have the 12 tribes of Israel. 12 is the reason why 13 is unlucky, owing to the fact that the addition of 1 makes 13 more or less complete. Yes, yes, now you know how it looks like and maybe just a bit more informed about the significance of the number 12, lets get on to the actual beer.  The He’brew Jewbilation 12th Anniversary Beer is said to be a pretty fine beer brewed with 12 types of hops and 12 types of malt.

This bad boy pours as a really dark brown color, almost black with a hint of brown on the head. This then fades into a thinner layer leaving a solid lacing on the edges. Its quite aromatic, with whiffs of dark chocolate, smoothly roasted malt and traces of plums and raisins, so in all you get a sweet chocolate-fruit scent. The aroma does sweeten as it gets warmer but it never gets overwhelming. The taste somewhat echoes the smell, if you think it pours smooth, then smooth is what you’ll get when you take your first sip, and this is definitely a sipper.

The hops might not be obvious in the smell, but at first taste the bitterness they bring adds a complexity to the beer that most people will enjoy. The overall beer is dominated by malt but make no mistake this is one big beer, with big flavors, big aroma and a big alcohol content at 12%ABV, not to be taken lightly. This beer is one for the books and is definitely made for sipping and sharing, with that alcohol content, you wouldn’t get through too much on your own anyway. But as good things never last so does this beer. It’s a limited edition, but you can still watch out for the next anniversary beers, and while you’re waiting, why not sample their other brews.