Is Guinness the most overrated beer...ever?

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alexdagrate said:
Personally, I love how easy it is to find cheap nitro guinness cans (especially at costco).

However, I somewhat agree that Guinness suffers from the same "Irishness" that afflicts Notre Dame football.

People who never went to college, whose family never went to college, and who are not even practicing Catholics will describe themselves as "die hard" ND Football fans because they are 1/32 "Irish."

Same seems to go with Guinness. Maybe I am suffering from that same affliction. But when I drink a pint of Guinness, it hits me.

Now, when I have a stronger, fresher, bolder stout on nitro (Deschutes Obsidian, North Coast Rasputin, etc), I enjoy it more.

And, don't forget, there's more than one bottle, can, or pint of Guinness. There's a big difference between a pint at St. James Gate, a can on nitro in the US, a keg in the US, a bottle of Foreign Extra Stout, or a pint in Africa (Nigerians drink more Guinness than the Irish).

Sounds like ND must annually whoop up on your football team.

[email protected]
 
Guinness is a great example of the style, dry stout. Not overrated at all.
 
guinness1.jpg



With more and more small breweries popping up everyday, it is only a matter of time until brewers like Stone, or Founders are considered overrated. Just ask Jim Koch

jim.jpg
 
no. i think the answer is no. a carrot can't be overrated because it's a carrot, and guinness can't be over- rated because it's guinness. you know exactly what you are getting and exactly what it is. how can you over- rate it?
 
Kind I hard for any beer to be the most over-rated when Pliny the Elder is still around...

I feel the same way with DFH's "Minute" Ipas. They're a lot of hype but pretty meh.

I think for me having had Bell's around since the late 80's and with Two Hearted and Hopslam as their signiture IPAs, and now with Founders Centennial IPA, I'm spoiled.

But even Hopslam to me can be overrated. I kinda think all the hype around certain beers is silly....People lining up to by Founder's Canadian Bacon Breakfast Stout. Or Utopias going on Ebay for tons. I think all that is silly.

But it's human nature, like the OP's silly troll attempt. Some folks need to make certain things "special" and put them on pedestals....and others like the op feel the need to piss in a punchbowl and tear something off a pedestal.
 
You mean one of the best go to beers anywhere in the world.

Low alcohol
Sessionable
Very tasty
Usually served at proper carbonation & temp
Pairs well with many foods

What's not to love about that beer?
 
Guinness is an excellent beer (and as others have mentioned, an excellent representation of its style), and serves as a wonderful gateway to craft beer. To me, hating on Guinness is like hipsters hating on popular music - if I've heard of a band, then they are not indie enough, and ergo, they suck. Give me a break.

That being said, if you don't like it, don't drink it. I'm not a hophead, so I don't care for most IPA - especially not the serious hop bombs. However, you don't see me posting on how a given IPA sucks.

Drink what you like. Don't complain about commercial beer that you don't like. What is the point?
 
Not overrated and as has been stated here it's become the reference standard for the style. Perhaps not to those of us with an advanced palette but it is consistent and drinkable and beats the hell out of any fizzy pizz water.
Oh, and EFF Notre Dame. :p
 
Guinness = The Ramones.
A well crafted Imperial Nut Brown Ale from my cellar = A Philharminic Orchestra.

Both are great. It's just what you're looking for or what's available at any given time.

bosco
 
"Overrated" cannot be defined, so this is really a pointless discussion.

Guinness is an excellent beer. It's pretty hard to argue against that, even if it's not your favorite style or favorite example of the style. (Although it'd be hard to make a case that the beer that essentially defines its style is a poor example of itself.)

It's also very successful, very popular, and very available. It's probably not a coincidence that it's fairly mild as stouts go. Beers that see extremely wide distribution are rarely, if ever, extreme examples. Extreme tastes go in different directions, so more people will agree on a single beer that tends toward the middle. So even trying to say it "shouldn't be so popular" or something is silly. It may not be everyone's favorite, but I haven't met many people who like beer but strongly dislike Guinness.

Personally, and sincerely, I like my second beer ever, an extract American stout, better than Guinness. It just suits my palate a bit better. But that doesn't mean I think everyone should drink it or that my beer should be the one getting all the attention.
 
Well....is it?


I had this question come to me from a friend of mine...while drinking a chocolate porter of my own and I really believe there is some validity to the statement. What do you think?

Are you comparing a Chocolate Porter to Guinness? ...
 
The problem is that some people (OP?) usually equate popularity/marketing with being good. No one ever says that McDonalds has the best burger around...I don't know who is saying Guinness was ever good either.
 
The problem is that some people (OP?) usually equate popularity/marketing with being good. No one ever says that McDonalds has the best burger around...I don't know who is saying Guinness was ever good either.

Have you even read this thread? Guinness essentially defines the dry stout style. It may lack some of the aspects of beer that you enjoy, but yes, MANY people say that it is a good beer.

Equating Guinness to McDonalds is just silly.
 
Kind I hard for any beer to be the most over-rated when Pliny the Elder is still around...

Agreed. IMO, Pliney the Elder is the most overrated beer ever; mostly because it's not the easiest to get outside of California. When I was in San Diego last year I finally had it and my impression was "really? all the hype for this?" Great underground forbidden fruit marketing by Russian River, I guess.

I much prefer Ballast Point's Scuplin to Pliney.
 
I for one. I enjoy Guinness. Like I enjoy many, many beers.

Yep. For many years, Guinness was as close to craft beer as you could find in just about any bar in my state. Our alcohol laws have finally changed, so this is changing (slowly), but I have enjoyed many a Guinness when out on the town - and will likely do so in the future. It has a nice flavor, is drinkable, is readily available, and is usually very consistent, quality-wise. What's not to enjoy?
 
I suppose that depends on who is doing the rating, how they rate it, and whom is doing the judging of the rating.

:p

I like it from time to time, certainly not my favorite, but the beer itself has evolved and changed a lot over the years, and according to where it's sold due to laws sometimes, but all in all a good staple for the style.
 
Guiness was also one of the first imports and certainly the first mass-produced stout readily available in the U.S. as far as I can remember.

I think Guiness compares favoribly with other dry, creamy stouts, but it certainly isn't the best with so many options out there. Of course, it's place in the evolution of craft beer is MUCH more important than to ask if it is a great stout in 2012.

So, in my mind, this question is like asking if Bob Cousey was as good at basketball as Labron James. The answer is OF COURSE NOT, but one is far more important to the history and evolution of the game than the other. So it's all relative!
 
Sounds like ND must annually whoop up on your football team.

Does this statement apply to any school these days? You can't even say this about *Navy* anymore...:ban:

I think Guiness is fine, and the notion of "overrated" is completely subjective and silly. It's not really for me, but a lot of people really like it. For something to be that massively popular, it kind of necessarily has to be middle of the road.

I have a feeling what you could get in Ireland is much better than what we can get here, but that's purely conjecture.
 
I'm glad Guiness is widely available at so many pubs, bars and restaurants.... offers an excellent alternative to the fizzy, yellow beerz that often grace the taps.
 
Guinness essentially defines the dry stout style. Equating Guinness to McDonalds is just silly.

Even if it's a commercial example of the style, that by definition doesn't make it good. Old Milwaukee Light is listed as a Lite American Lager commercial example in the BJCP.

I don't know how the McDonalds analogy is silly. McDonalds essentially defines the fast food burger style. It's overmarketed and the vast majority of craft burger joints blow it away. That being said, I will definitely eat a double quarter pounder from time to time and I'm sure I'll drink a guinness draught too.
 
Most overrated? No, at least not in my opinion. Now take your pick of any of the "American Big 3 Lights" and thats my pick for the most overrated beer EVER. It still makes me laugh when those commercials use words like "flavor" and "body" its like if Hedi Montag (sp?) where a beer...
 
I think this thread quickly identifies who are beer enthusiasts, and who are beer snobs. Hint - one of those labels is NOT a compliment.

Also, kudos to VTDuffman for pointing out the obvious - ND football beats up on the directional schools, I suppose, but the last time I checked, those schools don't have rabid football fanbases. If you can't even guarantee wins against the service acadamies anymore, you don't have much room to brag.

Finally, War Eagle.
 
Guinness is to the good beer drinking world as mr. Beer is to home brewing. Good for a beginner, but you soon realize there is much better out there. Its a nice transition beer from the miller and bud lights
 
Guinness is to the good beer drinking world as mr. Beer is to home brewing. Good for a beginner, but you soon realize there is much better out there. Its a nice transition beer from the miller and bud lights

I like my Mr. Beer setup though.:(



:ban:


On the topic of Guinness, I drank a lot of it in College and wasn't a fan at the time. Though as I have grown, I can appreciate it more now that My pallette is expanded.
 
oh wow, i just had to check my browser because for a second i thought i was on beeradvocate.com.

bashing Guinness is like bashing your grandfather because you think it's lame that he wants to take you fishing while you'd rather play video games. yea, it's not infused with coffee beans, chocolate, chili peppers, vanilla beans, or some other ridiculous ingredient, and yea, there are better beers out there, but considering it was established in the 1700s with the basics, i'd say it's a damn fine beer.
 
oh wow, i just had to check my browser because for a second i thought i was on beeradvocate.com.

bashing Guinness is like bashing your grandfather because you think it's lame that he wants to take you fishing while you'd rather play video games. yea, it's not infused with coffee beans, chocolate, chili peppers, vanilla beans, or some other ridiculous ingredient, and yea, there are better beers out there, but considering it was established in the 1700s with the basics, i'd say it's a damn fine beer.

This. Some of the posts in this thread make me wonder if the posters quaff their imperial chococoffee stouts with one pinky held high.
 
I don't think guinness is particularly great, I find it to be really thin and watery and barely any flavor compared to other dry stouts. Yes, they invented the style but they aren't the best example anymore. I think in terms of "overrated-ness" guinness is most overrated by people who don't know beer and think that guinness is the best stout there is, super flavorful, super alcoholic (4.2... that's bud lite), a meal in a glass (about 120ish calories? that's bud lite...) and etc. I like guinness for what it is - a fallback option at a bar with a bad selection, or when I want a lite beer.
 
Guinness was the first beer in a long line of beer when i was younger that I actually liked the taste of. (Read: drink to enjoy, not to get drunk). So count me as one of the Guinness lovers. I do not think it's over-rated. It's been a successful (and good-tasting) brew for centuries.


Centuries.
 
And this is a problem for you? To ME this means I can go to any bar, including a non beer centric bar like I would normally go to, (Like a place with a beer list longer than the wine one, or a brewpub) and KNOW that there's at least going to be 1 beer amongst the bud, bud light, coors, that I might actually ENJOY drinking....

I'm happy nowadays that even in the most divy shot and shell bar, I might find Guinness or at least killians on tap these days. Beats ordering a water.

I love the newly converted and how snobby they can be....:rolleyes: Bitching that Guinness is always on tap these days. Sheesh. Try going back to the 80's when the idea of something OTHER than BMC in a bar was an impossibility....

I agree with alot of what you're saying, and I am seeing alot of beers on tap lately with a lot of variety but it seems they are all pale ales or ipas amongst the bmc on tap. Alot of bars just seem to have one stout choice and its usually guinness. Im not bitching just asking a question and could be totally off base about, just my .02 :mug:
 
I also want to clarify that I am not trying to bash guinness, like I said I like it. That and sammy smith got me into the world of stouts a few years ago. Also just because something is or isnt over-rated does not make it bad by any stretch. You can be good/great but be over-rated.
 
When I was in San Diego last year I finally had it and my impression was "really? all the hype for this?

I have to agree - I had the same first impression. Halfway through the bottle it started to grow on me though. I think had I of only sampled the beer instead of having a 3-pack to work with over time, I would have been quite disappointed.
 
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