Bell rates... Guinness Original

type: Stout
origin: Ireland
ABV: 4.2%
location: house
served: 330ml bottle to a glass


There is some debate whether Guinness is a stout or a porter, and my good friend and mentor Mr AG McGhee BSc (Hons) insists that it is in fact a porter. Now, he's the biggest beer snob I know, and quite knowledgeable about alcoholic drinks made from fermented sugars... however it says 'Stout' on the label, so I'll rate it as such.

It should also be noted that the label on the back of this bottle also says 'Brewed in Dublin', which is important as the water used to brew the beer is one of the most important factors. Guinness brewed outside of Dublin is like the Irish football squad at the 1994 World Cup. Or one of those fake Irish theme pubs. It's just not the real thing.

This is though. Good body, good aftertaste, good aroma, great looks.


Smell: roasted barley and hops coming through nicely. inviting. 3/4

Colour: black, with the creamy-white head. It's iconic, and it gets a full 4/4

Taste: a pleasant variety of warm, dry, chocolatey, roast flavours. good level of hops and bitterness, good aftertaste. 3/4

Overall: superior to the foreign stuff. 10/12

Bell Rates... Glencoe

type: Stout

origin: Scotland

ABV: 4.5%

location: house

served: 330ml bottle to a glass

Glencoe Organic Wild Oat Stout, to give the beer its full name, is produced by Traditional Scottish Ales near Alloa (it says Stirling on the bottle, but it's marginally closer to Alloa) and while the naming it after a part of the highlands is a slight example of geographic poetic license, at least the Alloa link gives them plenty of permit to the 'Traditional Scottish' part. Alloa was once one of the most prominent brewing towns in the British Isles, due to the high quality of the local barley and water - something that Glencoe Stout can draw upon to this day, but sadly, most of the breweries are now defunct or consumed by big-business corporations.

This isn't one of those corporate beer-by-numbers efforts though, and is clearly an independent operation, evidenced by the strong emphasis on 'organic' beer. While this label might attract people who read the Guardian, and concern themselves over whether the lentils in their soup were free-range or not, the important bit is this attention to organic ingredients results in a clean, light taste. Chocolate and roasted malt elements abound.


Smell: quite strong, but balanced, and just the good bits. 3/4

Colour: a dark caramel, inviting and warm 3/4

Taste: malty, quite sweet and with just a little bit of bitterness. Very smooth, very balanced and very clean - especially in the aftertaste. 3/4

overall: a good traditional Scottish-style stout; smooth, warm and flavoursome. 9/12



more info: www.traditionalscottishales.co.uk