Murphy’s Stout Vs. Guinness Draught
Ever since the Irish nectar known as Guinness had hit my tounge it has held a special place in the beer world for me. The creamy, sweet, black beer just has that certain something that I enjoy when I look to the dark side of my pint glass. Several years ago I decided to set out on a quest to find other stouts that compare. I have finally reached a milestone within the journey.
Everyone, and I truly mean everyone, knows Guinness. It’s the beer you drink on St. Patrick’s Day if you don’t want green dye in your drink. It’s the beer that drinks like a meal. It’s the beer that has a strong cult following thanks, in part, to an aggressive marketing campaign that goes on year after year in March. It’s the beer with the widget.
There has to be another stout out there that is worthy of my praise.
Not to sound like an alcoholic but I’ve tried my fair share of stouts. None measured up to the holy grail of Guinness. Some seemed flatter and mild, others had a rich mouth feel, but not quite as pronounced flavour. Oatmeal stout seemed to have the most promise, but always left me disappointed in one way or another.
Strolling through The Beer Store, yes in Ontario it is called “The Beer Store”, I stumbled across a stout I had not seen before, Murphy’s Stout. I figured why not, I’ve gambled on worse sounding stouts before. The minute I cracked the can I knew I was in for a treat, just not how big of a treat. The look of the brew, the scent from the rim and it was even charged with gas in a similar style to the well known competitor.
After sampling the stout I took to the internet, this beer seemed like a Guinness imposter. Such a close comparison I had yet to find. As it turns out the brew I held in front of me had been well documented as a stout that could stand up to Guinness. While there were subtle differences Murphy’s was an absolute dream when compared to some of the other stouts I have tried.
As the brew from Murphy’s hit my tounge I immediately notices a slightly sweeter nuance when compared side by side with Guinness. While it is charged with a similar device to Guinness to offer a creamier texture, it was noticeably lighter, which I do not necessarily see as a bad thing. When I am looking for a beer to drink for an entire evening the fact that it was not as heavy was a plus. It is rather difficult to not make this article sound like an advertisement. Neither company has offered any compensation for my labour here today. This personal quest of stout exploration was something that I felt was worthy of an article. Just as a scientist will publish papers after hours of experimentation for the betterment of their colleagues and the general public, this is meant for drinkers who are looking for an alternate to the well known Guinness.
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