Guinness DraughtvsBeamish Irish Stout

The benchmark: dry-roasted, coffee-forward, slightly bitter, nitro-smooth. The pour is slower than anything else you'll order and the wait is part of the experience. Deep brown-black with a dense tan head. Roasted barley dominates — the same character that makes Guinness recognisable from across a room. The finish is dry, long, and slightly acrid in the best way. Absolutely no sweetness to speak of.

The forgotten one, which is criminal given how good it is. Pours identically — the nitrogen cascade, the cream head — but the taste is noticeably different. Sweeter and more chocolatey, the roast character is still there but it doesn't dominate. There's something almost caramel-adjacent in the middle, before the finish, which is still dry but gentler. Less coffee, more cocoa. The kind of stout that converts people who think they don't like stout.