Review: Guinness Blonde American Lager
Bar the doors and shutter the windows. Hell’s freezing over and it’s starting with the world of beer, of all places.
What happened? Guinness, the mother of all black-as-night stouts, is releasing a standard, pale, American lager.
Made in Latrobe, Pennsylvania(!), Guinness uses American Mosaic, Willamette, and Mount Hood hops plus its Dublin-born Guinness yeast to create Guinness Blonde, a chewy blonde lager that’s unlike anything else the company has ever produced. (That said, this is the first volley in the new “Guinness Discovery Series,” so it’s possible a cranberry lambic is coming up next.)
As for the beer, it is awfully good. Thick and rich, this malty brew drinks like a Czech style pilsner, with a core of buttery biscuits and a very mild nuttiness underpinning it. The body is moderately creamy, which balances the mild fresh-baked bread character quite well, and it offers a curious touch of brown sugar and cinnamon on the back end. Guinness Blonde American Lager is both filling to the stomach and pleasing on the tongue. It’s hardly the deep dive into the abyss that standard Guinness Stout is, but it makes for an interesting foil to the standard Guinness bloodline — and an obvious choice for the bottom half of a Black and Tan.
5% abv. Available September 2014.
A- / $9 per six-pack / guinness.com
Guinness Blonde American Lager
$9
About Post Author
Not a fan of U.S. Guinness Stout and not a huge fan of this beer either, but I like it more than the Stout. I’m not sure why it’s called “American Lager” because it doesn’t taste like any U.S. lager I can think of. I think it’s bitter and hoppy, but for the money, I’d rather have MGD at half the price. It’s not awful but I would rate it at about a 2 out of 5.
Not outstanding. Was expecting more. Would have rather bought a 6 pack of regular Guinness. Don’t expect this to be on the market long with all the better choices in the price range.
Yeah I was disappointed as well. I kinda want my money back. The bottle says “Discovery Series No. 1”. Maybe the next one in the series will be better.
Been selling out at local liquor store, just people curious and advertising hit then it started selling. Same thing happened with Miller Fortune—hot seller at first then slowed to a trickle.
I think it’s smooth and good. A bit pricey though.
I normally favor left-coast ales but gave this one a shot after trying Sierra Nevada Nooner lager. The Guinness entry is better due to limiting the north-west hops.
A good lager, but agree it’s a bit pricey.