Guinness Joins the Holiday Party

Guinness Generous Ale in the wilds of my kitchen counter

One thing learned during in my "research" for an article on California Seasonal Beers is that there's plenty of good ones out there, from some unlikely sources.

And yes, the big macrobreweries are getting into the act, some of their holiday beers are a lot better than this jaded beer geek expected.  One I really enjoyed was a new release from Guinness, their Generous Holiday Ale. 

A press release describes this beer as:

"Inspired by Arthur’s philanthropic legacy and devotion to generous, full-flavored beers, Guinness Generous Ale is special edition holiday beer that was developed in a traditional winter ale style, but with more body and the distinct roast for which Guinness Draught is known."

I found it to have a lot of light roasty malt flavors, with a little vanilla, and a fruity character (plums?).  Each sip ends with a noticeable piney hop presence.  Not something I would have expected from the beer, and it works.  It's "wintery" all right, but has it's own unique character.  Definitely worth checking out.

(Yes, Guinness did provide a sample for the purposes of this review. I'm glad they did.)