It's March So Of Course Guinness

Some beer mail arrived this week from folks at Guinness, who sort of own this month if a survey of tap handles is any indication. But what arrived was not the stout many will be drinking next week, instead two versions of porter. Of all the beer styles available this is one I'm particularly tough and possibly not the best judge on as I have a hard time with the versions that simply come across as watered down stouts. It's also not a style I drink as much anymore although in my early days of becoming a craft beer drinker stouts and porters were my go-to styles.

With all of those caveats, it's probably best to refer to the information from the company about each. According to Guinness these beers are part of The Brewers Project that brews on a test brewery at St. James's Gate and are based on recipes from their brewers' notes from the late 18th and early 19th century. Dublin Porter is an English Brown Porter, weighing in at a mere 3.8% ABV and described as being "brewed with rich Irish barley malts and Goldings hops to deliver sweet, rich maltiness and light, earthy hop character." The West Indies Porter comes in at a more standard 6% ABV and "is a full-bodied, richly flavored beer with notes of toffee, chocolate, and caramel."

Both beers are available nationally but not at your local bottle shop. If you'd like to try them you'll have to hit up Costco, Sam's Club, Total Wine or BJ's. None of those are regular stops for me so I appreciated the opportunity to try these beers out. And if you'd like to see what I thought, check out my favorite external memory device, Untappd, for my thoughts on both the West Indies and Dublin porters.

Cheers to the weekend and whatever delicious beer is in your glass!