Guinness, an Irish brewery best known for its stout, is expanding its product line to include two new limited release beers: Guinness Antwerpen Stout and Guinness Rye Pale Ale. These brand new brews will join Guinness Blonde and Guinness Nitro IPA in the growing lineup of beers from this legendary European brewery’s side project, Open Gate Brewery.
Guinness Antwerpen Stout takes its name from the Belgian city of Antwerpen. The beer is actually not new- it was first brewed in 1944 and has gone by the name Guinness Special Export. The beer is complex in flavor with tastes of roasted malt, smoked wood, dark fruit/raisin and licorice with a nose that emphasizes bittersweet chocolate, coffee, and black currant. Open Gate Brewery General Manager Padraig Fox is thrilled to see this special stout finally make its way to the United States.
“It’s been more than 70 years since we first exported the Antwerpen Stout from Dublin to Antwerp, but its cult following is probably stronger than it’s ever been,” noted Fox. “I guess now the secret is out. Even if it is only for a few months, we’re happy to see this Guinness favorite having its moment in the U.S.”
Antwerpen Stout will be fuller and stronger than the Guinness Stout we have all grown to love in the United States. This more potent Guinness product contains 8 percent alcohol by volume and 52 IBUs, so it’s more in line with the types of stouts common to American craft breweries. It will be packaged in 330 ml/11.2 ounce bottles and sold in four packs for a suggested retail price of $9.99.
Guinness Rye Pale Ale is a completely different beer. Originally conceived as a holiday beer exclusively for brewery friends and family and brewed for that purpose, the ale proved so popular that Guinness decided to place some kegs on tap at the Open Gate Brewery in Dublin. It was an instant hit with most everyone, so the decision was made to brew it on a larger, commercial basis. The beer has a peppery flavor from the added rye, balanced by citrus contributions from the addition of Mosaic and Cascade hops so, once again, it could prove popular with the American craft beer crowd. Guinness brewer Peter Simpson says Rye Pale Ale was never intended to reach a larger audience, but it caught on quickly.
“Beer is obviously something we love, and we wanted to share a little something we were working on with just a few of our closest friends and family and colleagues at the brewery,” explained Simpson. “We didn’t expect it to get this kind of reaction, but it just sort of snowballed. Now here we are about to introduce it to the other side of the world.”
Guinness Rye Pale Ale is more session oriented than Antwerpen Stout. The amber colored brew contains 5 percent alcohol by volume and only 18 IBU of bitterness and, like the stout, it will be packaged in 330 ml/11.2 ounce bottles and sold in four packs, for a suggested retail price of $8.99.
Both Guinness Antwerpen Stout and Rye Pale Ale will be available in the United States for only a limited time. Expect to find them on store shelves in places where Guinness is presently sold, but only through December, 2016. They sound interesting and won’t be around for very long so grab a four pack when you get the chance.
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