Guinness Nitro Beers: Nitrogen-Infused Smoothness Or Marketing Hype?

Guinness is a stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in the 18th century. It is now one of the most successful alcohol brands worldwide, brewed in almost 50 countries and available in over 120. Guinness is famous for developing and popularising the process of infusing beer with nitrogen gas, which gives the beer a silky, creamy mouthfeel and subtly alters its aroma and flavour. While Guinness was the pioneer of nitrogenating beer, the practice has since been adopted by other breweries, and nitrogenated beer is now available in a variety of styles beyond stouts and porters.

Guinness Nitro IPA

Guinness is well-known for developing and popularising the process of infusing beer with nitrogen gas, which gives the beer a creamier mouthfeel and subtly alters its aroma and flavour. The Guinness Nitro IPA is an English-style IPA, brewed with Irish barley malt, a touch of roasted barley, and five hop varieties: Admiral, Celeia, Topaz, Challenger, and Cascade. The blend of CO2 and nitrogen in the beer helps to balance out the profusion of hop flavours, creating a smooth, creamy texture and a strong body of citrus flavours and pine notes.

The Nitro IPA is made in Dublin, Ireland, at St. James's Gate, using the same unique Guinness yeast strain that is used to ferment all stouts at St. James's Gate. The Challenger, Cascade, and Topaz hops are dry-hopped to accentuate a sharp citrus aroma, resulting in a tangy citrus peel aroma with gentle pine notes. The flavour is a balanced blend of hops and roasted barley with citrus accents, and the finish is pleasantly bitter and hoppy.

The Guinness Nitro IPA has received generally positive reviews, with some highlighting the smooth, creamy body and refreshing citrusy, almost lemony flavour. It has been described as a nice change of pace from the typical American IPA and a good alternative to the juicy, hazy, mango, and citra-dominated craft beer industry. However, some reviews mention that it may not be to the taste of those looking for an American IPA-like quality.

The Nitro IPA has a golden, honey colour and a long-lasting head of dense bubbles. It has an ABV of 5.8% and approximately 210 calories.

Guinness Nitro Cold Brew Coffee

Guinness, the originator of stout and nitro beer, has developed a brew that combines coffee and beer. The Guinness Nitro Cold Brew Coffee beer is a perfect blend of coffee and Guinness, with flavourful notes of coffee, chocolate, and caramel. It has a distinct coffee and caramel aroma and a rich, creamy head. The mouthfeel is rich, smooth, creamy, and well-balanced, with a noticeable coffee finish.

The beer is brewed with cold brew coffee extract and natural coffee flavours, and it can be enjoyed straight from the can or poured into a glass to activate the widget inside. The widget helps to create the signature surge and settle that Guinness is known for. With 119kJ/31kcal per 100ml, this brew is a delicious and refreshing sweet sensation.

The Guinness Nitro Cold Brew Coffee beer is a testament to the brand's innovation and willingness to experiment with new flavours and brewing techniques. It offers a well-balanced taste profile that appeals to a wide range of drinkers, whether they prefer the bitterness of coffee or the sweetness of caramel. This brew is a delightful treat for any occasion and can be enjoyed straight from the can or poured into a glass for a more sophisticated experience.

Guinness Nitro Stouts

Guinness famously developed and popularized the process of infusing beer with nitrogen gas, which subtly alters a beer's aroma and flavour while lending it a silky, creamy mouthfeel. The addition of nitrogen gives beer a smoother texture. For a long time, Guinness was the only nitro beer you could find on tap or in cans.

Guinness has a range of nitro stouts, including:

• Nitro IPA: Brewed with Irish barley malt, a touch of roasted barley, and five hop varieties—Admiral, Celeia, Topaz, Challenger, and Cascade. The blend of CO2 and nitrogen helps balance the profusion of hop flavours while creating the signature surge and settle made famous by Guinness Draught.
• Nitro Cold Brew Coffee Stout: A combination of everything coffee lovers like about coffee and Guinness. It has flavourful notes of coffee, chocolate, and caramel, with a sweet-smelling coffee/caramel nose. It is dark with a rich creamy head and a notable coffee finish.
• Nitrosurge: A new product from Guinness that promises to deliver the "satisfyingly smooth Guinness you enjoy, at home".

Guinness Nitro Bottled and Canned Beer

Guinness started brewing over 260 years ago in Dublin, Ireland, and is now one of the most successful alcohol brands worldwide, brewed in almost 50 countries and available in over 120. The company moved its headquarters to London at the beginning of the Anglo-Irish trade war in 1932 and is currently owned by the British-based multinational alcoholic beverage maker Diageo.

In the late 1950s, Guinness ceased brewing cask-conditioned beers and developed a keg brewing system with aluminium kegs replacing wooden casks. In 1959, Guinness began using nitrogen, which changed the fundamental texture and flavour of the beer as nitrogen bubbles are much smaller than carbon dioxide bubbles, giving a "creamier" and "smoother" consistency. This step was taken after Michael Ash, a mathematician turned brewer, discovered the mechanism to make this possible.

Nitrogen is less soluble than carbon dioxide, allowing the beer to be put under high pressure without making it fizzy. High pressure is required to enable very small bubbles to be formed by forcing the draught beer through fine holes in a plate in the tap, which causes the characteristic "surge" (the widget in cans and bottles achieves the same effect). The "widget" is a small plastic ball containing nitrogen. The perceived smoothness of draught Guinness is due to its low level of carbon dioxide and the creaminess of the head caused by the very fine bubbles that arise from the use of nitrogen and the dispensing method.

To recreate the nitro experience in a packaged product, Guinness placed a widget in its bottles and cans. When Guinness infused liquid nitrogen into its stout while packaging, nitrogen rushed into the widget and stayed relatively well-pressurised. But when you open that can of Guinness, the pressure drops and the nitrogen escapes from the widget. With a hard pour, you can create that swirling nitro beer effect as the nitrogen dances down and out of your glass.

Over the years, liquid nitrogen dosing has improved, so the widget is no longer necessary for packaged beers. Brewers can simply dose their beer on the packaging line without needing a widget. Consumers pop open the beer, “hard pour” their beer, and, voila, lush nitro beer in a glass.

Guinness Nitro Cold Brew Coffee beer is a brew for both beer and coffee lovers, with flavourful notes of coffee, chocolate, and caramel. It is best enjoyed straight from the can or poured into a clean glass to fully activate the magic of the widget inside the can.

Guinness Draught

Guinness famously developed and popularised the process of infusing beer with nitrogen gas, which gives the beer a silky, creamy mouthfeel and subtly alters its aroma and flavour. The addition of nitrogen—an insoluble gas that forms smaller, more profuse bubbles than carbon dioxide—gives the beer a smoother texture.

The beer can also be enjoyed from a can, with the Global Head of Quality, Steve Gilsenan, perfecting the craft so that you can enjoy the same great-tasting Guinness from the comfort of your own home. To achieve the classic pour from a can, you simply need to get yourself a clean pint glass and hold it at a 45-degree angle. Slowly pour your Guinness Draught off the side of the glass, and as it fills, slowly tilt your glass upwards until it is vertical. Let it settle and enjoy!

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