Guinness foreign extra
One thing I like most about traveling is getting to try things that you can't get at home. When I travel, I really enjoy sampling the local beer (even though one guy I talked to said he doesn't drink the local beer because it's made with local water!).
We just got back from a trip that included a cruise to the Dutch/French island of St. Maarten. After touring the French side of the island and spending a few hours at the beach, we stopped in a little convenience store at the cruise port. In the back, the shop was selling cold beer for $2 a bottle. They had all the typical beers, but I also spotted something that I've been wanting to try for years - Guinness Foreign Extra!
According to wikipedia, Foreign Extra is sold in Europe, Africa, the Caribbean and Asia. It's got a higher alcohol content (7.5%) and tastes remarkably different from the Guinness we get in the states. Apparently, Guinness creates the non-fermented (but hopped) wort extract and ships it to local brewers who then finish off the brewing process.
So how does it taste? Well for starters, this beer has quite a bit more hop flavor than the Guinness we know and love. It's also got a nice caramel nose. The hop flavor diminishes the traditional Guinness after taste.
I liked it so much that I smuggled a coupe bottles back on the ship, although now I wish I had managed to bring some back home as well. Oh well it's just one more excuse to travel!
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