Oisin Owl vs Guinness Extra Stouts

So ... I recently brewed Oisin Owl Irish Stout with the intention of having it ready for St. Patrick's Day.

And, of course St. Patrick's Day was last week.

At some point, I thought it would be cool to grab some Guinness Extra Stout to compare with my homebrew. So, I bought some from a local liquor store.

The weekend before St. Patrick's Day, I tried them both side-by-side.

I've really been enjoying Oisin Owl Irish Stout.

As expected, it is a deep, opaque black with ruby highlights when held to the light. The head is creamy thick tan.

It is nicely roasted with flavors of dark chocolate and rich coffee. There is a touch of caramel and has just enough bitterness to balance out any sweetness, and it finishes out nicely dry.

It is exactly what I would expect from an Irish Extra Stout.

Unfortunately, the bottles of Guinness taste horrible next to my beer. I don't think I've ever had  Guinness Extra Stout, but I've had lots of "Regular" Guinness, and I don't think the bottles I purchased taste like they should.

The Guinness Extra Stout has a touch of licorice and sharp (unpleasant) bitterness. There is a bit of a sour twang. It doesn't taste as smooth and balanced as the Oisin Owl.

Visually, they look almost exactly alike. But, they are certainly not similar at all in flavor.

If I'm reading the date code on the Guinness bottles correctly, these were packaged on the 288th day of 2024, which makes them around 5 months old.

Of course, my Oisin Owl is extremely fresh, which is always better.

But... I wouldn't expect a 5 month old stout to be so past its prime. 

Generally, I don't buy much imported beer, sticking mostly to beer that I brew or commercial beers from local breweries. This experience enforces that practice in my mind.

I don't think I'll ever buy Guinness from a liquor store ever again.

Now, I will finish these beers, so they are not so horrible that I felt the need to dump them. I'm just disappointed in the quality of the bottles I bought. 

It is a shame to not think I got a good example to compare my beer to.

But, of course, the fact that I love my Oisin Owl Irish Stout is great news. I have lots more Oisin Owl to enjoy. I doubt it will last 5 months for me to see if my beer degrades like the Guinness did.

It is a wonderful beer.

I rarely drink alcohol on Mondays, but since St. Patrick's Day was on Monday, I had to have some of Oisin Owl to celebrate the day.

Of course it was great then too. 

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