Guinness
Guinness
< 0.5%
NAS
No beer has captured the zeitgeist quite like Guinness over the past couple of years. The same can be said for Guinness 0, the brand's nonalcoholic twist first launched in October 2020. Reviewers and casual drinkers alike have heaped quite a bit of praise on this release, which was one of the first A-list contenders in the now vastly overcrowded zero-proof beer category. It was high time that we gave it a try. According to the brand, the recipe begins with a typical Guinness Stout brewed from a combination of water, barley, hops and yeast. It then undergoes a cold filtration process that strips the alcohol content down to under 0.5% ABV (reports claim that the exact proof point hovers around 0.3% ABV).
Raided Score is a conversion from an external site's score, to our in house uniform scoring system. Please see the FAQ for more.
Roasted malt, unsweetened dark chocolate and coffee — specifically, the kind of oh-so slightly stale coffee you'd be served alongside bacon and eggs at your local diner. Nosing this side by side with a regular Guinness, you'd be hard pressed to find a difference. The can opens with the same signature fizzle, and the much-loved creamy head that rests on top is perfectly intact.
Pleasantly creamy, leading with citrus pangs of orange and lemon. That trifecta of malt, chocolate and coffee is present, no doubt, but much less bitter than the aroma suggested. Instead, the overall impression leans darkly sweet, brimming with citrus, wheat and flower petal vibes. It seems that the absence of alcohol allows for all those delicate flavors to shine.
Much sweeter than a typical Guinness finish. Orange, pineapple and roasted grain, plus a silky smooth mouthfeel that lingers long after each sip.
For better or for worse, nonalcoholic beer is often judged by its ability to fool drinkers for the real thing. By that metric, Guinness 0 is a resounding success. It packages up all the qualities of the centuries-old Irish stout, dials down the alcohol content and soars into the glass with foamy aplomb. The only glaring difference is that pronounced citrusy sweetness. And that might just be our favorite aspect of the beer. Truly tasty stuff, and the definitive template for nonalcoholic offerings from here on out.
86
Disclosure: The producer provided this sample to review free of charge, and without expectation of review or rating.
