They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder, and I have to tell you: it really does. Such is the case for me with Guinness Foreign Extra Stout, a beer I can get only rarely, but when I do, it's a real treat indeed. What, you say, can't you just pop on in at the corner pub for a pint? No my friends, here in America, that would be Guinness Stout. OK, then, why not pick up a six-pack at the liquor store? Wrong again: in bottles, that's Guinness Extra Stout , a bit different from the draft product, but still not what I have before me tonight. Simply put, Guinness Foreign Extra Stout is not sold in the United States.

Guinness says this about Foreign Extra:

Originally brewed in Dublin and first exported in 1802 it's been brewed locally throughout Asia, Africa and the Caribbean since the 1960s. Here, it's the undisputed GUINNESS® beer of choice.

Today, GUINNESS® Foreign Extra Stout is a GUINNESS® world-beater... 40% of the world's GUINNESS® Beer is a little foreign and has a little extra.

Stouts, of course, are quite popular in the Caribbean. With the hot climate in the region that might not immediately make sense to most Americans who prefer lighter beers with hot weather, but if one considers the restorative, satisfying properties of a rich stout this may begin to be better understood. Dragon Stout of Jamaica is one that immediately comes to mind as being popular in the region, but Ireland's Guinness Foreign Extra Stout is very popular here too.
For the longest time, Guinness Foreign Extra Stout was also a beer I had considered a "holy grail" of sorts, something to be sought out and that simply must be found. I really hadn't anticipated trying it without a visit to its native region, but fortunately a brewer friend who paid a visit to the Caribbean brought me back a bottle many years ago.

It was worth my wait, and I took the following notes on that sample, which was brewed in Ireland for export.

Before decanting, I noticed a fine sediment of yeast in the bottom of the bottle. Hooray! I just love a bottle conditioned brew. Had I not seen the splotch of yeast, however, it still would have been difficult to mistake the conditioning, as the tan colored cauliflower head on this beauty was quite substantial and clung to life and the sides of the glass all the way to the last sip. When I took a sniff just after pouring, I was surprised by a fairly non-distinguished nose to the beer.

Happily, the palate made up for that, and then some. My tongue was literally assaulted by a big, delicious roasty espresso barley shock wave, soon to be followed by an over-the-top chocolate character and slight sourness (intended to impart a quenching character) which blended wonderfully with a big roasted barley astringency and kiss of hops in the finish. A big beer in flavor, and a big beer in alcohol at 7.5% by volume. This is a beer for sipping slowly on a Jamaican beach, listening to the waves crashing against the shore under a blanket of stars. If you visit the Caribbean, don't miss it!

These days, I get my Guinness Foreign Extra Stout from a co-worker who brings me back a few bottles every time she flies to Jamaica. Fortunately, it's sold in the duty-free shops in the airport there, so it can be brought on the plane. It's also brewed in Jamaica under license rather than hauled in from Ireland, and it's a tad different, too. The alcohol content is a little bit lower than the Irish stuff at 6.5% by volume, but otherwise this is a lot like the stuff I first tasted years ago.

Jamaican-brewed Guinness Foreign Extra Stout pours to a dark black cola color with a light creamy head formation and an incredibly appetizing roast coffee nose. The body is a bit thinner than you might expect, but not really thin in all reality. And it is packed with flavor: strong hints of licorice, dark roasted coffee, chocolate, prune and raisin make their presence very much noticed on the palate.

But where Guinness Foreign Extra has always struck me as most exceptional and different from the pack is in the finish, where it has a much more assertive hop bitterness than Guinness Stout on draft or Guinness Extra Stout in the bottle. Even more idiosyncratic is the distinctly sour, almost vinous character you'll find, too.

Many years ago I had the pleasure of escorting the celebrated and rather unique Austrian beer writer Conrad Seidl around several of Rhode Island's more notable beer attractions. One of the things we discussed was sourness in beer, and Conrad remarked that he distinctly enjoyed the quenching character a sour finish could impart to a stout. A beer the likes of Guinness Foreign Extra Stout is exactly what he was talking about, something you'll easily see if you happen to try a bottle.

And if you get the chance, I certainly suggest that you do.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.