In 1817, the first barrels of Guinness beer — a porter at the time — made their way across the Atlantic and to the U.S., marking the beginning of 200 years of Guinness being sold in our country.

As Guinness notes, “The anniversary this fall is a celebration of a 200-year love affair between a brewery and a people: Guinness and America.” To commemorate it, the brewery has released this limited-edition Guinness 200th Anniversary Export Stout, which was inspired by an old recipe that Benjamin Guinness – the son of Arthur Guinness – originally developed in 1817. It’s brewed with Black Patent Malt and Golding Hops and is bottled with traditional, not nitro, carbonation.

Note that for a while you will also find classic Guinness Draught stout in “limited-edition cans depicting everyone’s favorite toucans flying across the iconic American monument of Mount Rushmore from a rarely seen Guinness ad from the 1950s.” This and the 200th Anniversary Export Stout are also available as part of a mixed 12-pack.

As for Guinness 200th Anniversary Export Stout, I like it quite a bit. This is bit of a different animal than Guinness Foreign Extra Stout (with considerably less alcohol), though as with many a glass of Guinness, it is a black-hued brew loaded with roasty-toasty malt, lightly nutty, and both round and mouth-filling. The 200th Anniversary expression feels more balanced than most Guinness special editions, with a lighter hand to the carbonation giving its grain bill a chance to shine more clearly. The finish even sees a touch of fruit to give some acidity to what could otherwise be a heavy experience.

On the whole: Plenty of reason for celebration!

6% abv.

A- / $8 per six pack of 11 oz. bottles / guinness.com

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