Guinness
Guinness Foreign Extra Stout
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
History & Heritage
Guinness Foreign Extra Stout is a beer born of a thirst for adventure, tracing its origins back to a recipe for our West India Porter, first set out by Arthur Guinness II in 1801.
In the early 1800s, while other breweries were content to stay close to home, we struck out into unchartered territories, braving the perils of sea travel to export our famous black beer across the globe.
Brewed with more hops to preserve the beer in the ships’ holds during voyages of four-to-five weeks in tropical climes, the recipe yielded a powerful drink with a complex, fruity and bittersweet flavour. It’s little wonder that this bold tasting beer with its complex flavour profile has endured for more than 200 years.
Guinness Foreign Extra Stout Beer
Tasting Notes
Aroma: Strong, with pronounced fruity and roast character.
Flavour: A full-bodied palate of roast, fruity character.
Palate: Initial tingling impact, bittersweet leading to a dry finish.
ABV: 7.5%
Appearance: A rich dark liquid with a frothy head.
Interesting Facts
- Guinness Foreign Stout has been brewed continuously in the St James’s Gate Brewery in Dublin for over 200 years – an achievement that’s hard to top!
- Order a “Black Dog” in Malaysia and you’ll be handed a bottle of Guinness’s Foreign Extra Stout. This is because the first export bottlers of Gunness added their own symbols to the labelling to distinguish their bottles and exclusive territories.
- The first Guinness brewery in Africa was opened in Nigeria in 1963 and continues to brew beer to this day.
- Guinness Foreign Stout was originally named West India Porter.