Previous beer posts have explored non-alcoholic "near-beers" from Sober Carpenter with mixed results, so when I saw Guinness had released a non-alcoholic stout, I was intrigued. It is winter. It is time for dark beers. Is this a good option for sober holiday celebration?
I poured the Extra Stout first, and the head rose to the brim of my glass. By the time I had poured the draught can, that head had halved as shown above. Color is the same deep almost-black shade of brown to my eye, and the creamy foam looks the same shade of beige on both as well. The can uses a patented widget sphere and nitrogen for smaller bubbles and longer-lasting foam, whereas the Extra Stout uses typical natural carbonation alone as far as I know. There's no rocket widget in the bottle.
And yes, this means a proper comparison would be widget cans or bottles of Guinness Draught on both sides, but I prefer the Extra Stout. I didn't have high hopes for the non-alcoholic version, so I wanted maximum enjoyment out of its opposition. I don't pretend to be devoid of prejudice and bias here!
So, what are my conclusions?
Guinness Extra Stout is a good stout. I reviewed it way back in 2018 on the old chain. Note that it isn't the same as the Foreign Extra Stout reviewed by @detlev in 2021. I've had stouts I like better, but it ticks all the boxes well enough to never feel like I'm settling for second-rate.
Guinness 0 Non-Alcoholic Draught is not a good stout. It is only the 4th near-beer I have tried, so my opportunities for comparison are few, but I much prefer Sober Carpenter IPA and Blonde over this. I think it probably ranks above their Irish-Style Red, but I'm not confident of that. There is 0 presence tot his beer. It's watery. Carbonation is off. The flavor is wrong. This is a weedy wannabe, not a STOUT. I have 0 interest in buying it again. But hey, it kept its foam longer, so there's that.
It's been a long while since I had a Guinness Draught bottle, but it was far better than this to the best of my recollection.
I would recommend Deschutes Black Butte Porter or Obsidian Stout if you want a toasty dark beer for winter here in the Inland Northwest. I'll see if I can dig up my old reviews. Meanwhile, I really want to find a source for Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout again.
Tangentially related to beer, I was given a stein by some of my library Dungeons & Dragons players as an early Christmas present! I almost feel guilty accepting gifts for just doing my job, but there will be no favoritism no matter what bribes are offered.
Since I am on the clock as a Dungeon Master, I'll have to fill it with something other than beer, but it will be used during the next gaming session. Is this magnificent vessel too ornate and pretentious for drip-brewed Folgers coffee? That brown jitter fluid might qualify as a performance-enhancing drug when I roll dice!
