Thursday, 1 December 2011

Nigerian Guinness

I’m off to Nigeria early next year, and after handing in my visa application today, it seems an appropriate evening to crack open a bottle that’s been sitting in the “to try” crate for rather a while: Guinness Foreign Extra Stout from Nigeria.

Now, there are infinitely more qualified people out there who can tell you all about the history of how Guinness developed such a committed market in Nigeria, but one thing I can say: this is not your familiar Irish Guinness. For starters, it’s 7.5%. Be warned.

The initial aroma is sawdust, which is not entirely pleasant, I have to say. That carries into a slight cardboard note in the taste, which I suspect is a result of oxidation, probably exacerbated by the fact that I let this beer age too long.

Apart from that, Nigerian Guinness is sweet right from the start, followed by some of the stout elements you’d expect: burnt caramels and such. Not refreshing so much as nourishing. And intoxicating -- did I mention it’s 7.5%?

In any case, it’s certainly inviting. I am very much looking forward to trying it in its homeland...

3 comments:

  1. It's my familiar Irish Guinness, though Irish Foreign Extra is brewed with barley rather than the sorghum they use in Nigeria.

    How do you find it compared to Special Export?

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  2. This had just started to be stocked by my local Tesco's.

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  3. Spent six months in West Africa last year. Surrounded by Guinness, yet I couldn't stand the local stuff. For an Irishman, this was hard.
    Wrote a piece about it here, below. Funny how they advertise it down there....
    http://politico.ie/blogs/tom-rowe/6598--african-guinness-still-good-for-you-and-your-lady-friend.html

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