Foreign Extra Stout

ABV 6.3-8% · IBU 50-70 · SRM 30-40 · Serve 50-55F · Glass Tulip · Bottle 11.2 oz

Identify

Very deep brown to black, and opaque. The head is large, tan to brown, and it holds well. The smell is heavy roast, closer to burnt grain and dark chocolate than to milky coffee, with a dark fruit note behind it that reads as raisin or prune. The roast lands first and it is sharp. Then a faint sourness pinches the sides of your tongue, which no other stout at this strength does. The body is medium full and the bitterness is high. The finish is dry, long, and warm at the back of your throat.

Place

Dublin, 1801, as a beer brewed to survive a long voyage. Now brewed under licence in Africa, the Caribbean and Southeast Asia.

Cause

A wooden ship took four to five weeks to reach the tropics. Beer spoils in that time. Brewers had two tools that slow spoilage, alcohol and hops, so they used more of both. That is the whole origin of the style. Guinness has used a separate yeast for this beer since 1960.

Confused with

Guinness Draught, which is a quarter of the strength and creamy rather than sharp. Guinness Extra Stout, which is the middle bottle and has no tang. Tropical Stout, which is the same strength and much sweeter. Imperial Stout, which is heavier and less bitter for its size.

Numbers

A Foreign Extra Stout is a stout brewed strong and hopped hard so that it could cross an ocean without spoiling. The ships stopped mattering a long time ago. The recipe stayed, and so did the market it was built for. It is a sensation, and it arrives late. Take a mouthful and wait.

Will you like it, Order and Try

Very dark chocolate, the kind above seventy percent cocoa. That bitter, slightly sour edge is close to what this beer does. Strong black coffee with no milk in it. The roast here is sharp rather than creamy. Sour cherries, tamarind, or anything where a little acidity cuts a rich flavour. Drinks with some heat behind them.

Pair, Judge, Myth and Remember

This beer goes with spiced food, and it does not cool your mouth down. Alcohol and bitterness both make chilli heat feel stronger and last longer. At 7.5% and up to 70 IBU, this is one of the worst beers in the course for putting out a fire. That is a real pairing, not a mistake.