Guinness Beers: Tradition and Innovation

Five glasses of Guinness beer sitting on bar countertop

Guinness offers a wide variety of styles, ranging from the classic stout to the blonde ale. There’s a beer for everyone who wants to enjoy a pint of Guinness.

Columbia Distributing is a distributor of alcoholic drinks and non-alcoholic beverages serving Oregon and Washington. Here, we talk about the varieties of Guinness beers we sell and the different ways to enjoy them.

Guinness Beer at Columbia Distributing

Customers can find a variety of options for Guinness beer at Columbia Distributing, including:

Draught

Guinness Draught is Guinness’s classic stout, offering a rich and creamy texture with a balanced bitter and sweet flavor. Drinkers love the roasted coffee and chocolate scent, as well as its roasted flavor profile. The coloring of Guinness draught stout is a dark red that’s almost black in appearance. Guinness draught provides stunning creamy foam atop the glass, ensuring patrons get a solid pour each time.

While some patrons believe this was the first brew by Arthur Guinness, the first brew was in 1959 in honor of the 200th anniversary of Arthur Guinness. This was to celebrate his 9,000-year lease on St. James’s Gate Brewery. Guinness Stout has a 4.2% alcohol by volume (ABV) and 125 calories.

Oysters pair well with this beer, working to bring out its roasted barley flavors. Customers can also pair it with cheeses like aged brie or hardy, spicy chilies. In terms of desserts, drinkers will love how rich chocolate and vanilla flavors pair with Guinness stout.

Extra Stout

Guinness Foreign Extra Stout is brewed with added hops because of its unique history. The extra hops helped preserve beer while being shipped, which could take up to four to five weeks in the past. Its full-bodied flavor, with notes of coffee, is balanced with sweetness to create scents of caramel, dried fruits, and dark chocolate. Extra Stout Guinness has a 7.5% ABV and 194 calories.

Customers typically drink Guinness Extra Stout with rich aged cheddar, as well as meats like burgers, barbecue chicken, marinated ribs, or steak. Extra Stout Guinness also pairs well with some desserts, like chocolate-covered almonds or bittersweet chocolate desserts.

Blonde American Lager

The Guinness Baltimore Blonde American Lager is brewed right in Baltimore at Open Gate Brewery. While it has a gold, light coloring, Guinness Blonde Lager offers powerful flavors. Drinkers enjoy this beer for its bitter yet refreshing aftertaste and delicious orange, citrus, and grapefruit scents. It has a 5% ABV and 167 calories.

For this beer, patrons should pair it with chicken and fish dishes. The flavors are perfect for enjoying the light, refreshing taste of Guinness Baltimore Blonde Lager. Customers can also try pasta dishes with their Guinness lager.

Old Fashioned Inspired Ale

The Guinness Old Fashioned Inspired Ale takes the classic Old Fashioned cocktail as inspiration for a beverage for beer lovers. It is brewed at Open Gate Brewery in Baltimore, Maryland. To create this beer, Guinness takes English-style barley wine and ages it in empty bourbon barrels. This process goes on for at least six months. What’s left is an old-fashioned-inspired beer with bourbon, citrus, and toffee flavor profiles.

Guinness old-fashioned-inspired ale packs about 10.8% ABV and 150 calories. Customers can enjoy this beer with filling dishes like lamb or roast beef. This beer also is delicious alongside desserts like cannoli or toffee apple crisps.

Irish Pub Pack

Guinness also offers an Irish Pub Pack, which includes a variety of their beloved beers. The Guinness Irish Pub Pack includes Guinness Draught, Smithwick’s Premium Irish Ale, and Harp Premium Irish Lager. Customers looking to try a variety of beer flavors and profiles will love the choices they get with the Irish Pub Pack.

Guinness 0

Similar to the Guinness Draught, the Guinness 0 offers an important distinction — it’s non-alcoholic. It has all the qualities that make Guinness a favorite, from a balanced flavor and smooth taste to a mix of bitter and sweet notes. The Guinness 0 ensures everyone can experience the one-of-a-kind taste of Guinness. 

About Guinness Beer

Guinness is one of the largest beer companies, known for its classic flavor and being synonymous with Irish culture. People all over the world appreciate Guinness. Guinness’s story starts in 1759, when Arthur Guinness began brewing, taking after his father, Richard.

On December 31st of that year, he signed a 9,000-year lease with St. James’s Gate Brewery in Dublin, Ireland. Since then, Guinness has only risen in popularity. We now see Guinness beverages sold worldwide, with additional Guinness breweries popping up in the United States.

Find Guinness and Other Beers at Columbia Distributing

Guinness is a household name and continues to produce new and exciting flavors and varieties. It provides a different experience each time you drink one, keeping beer lovers returning for more. Serving those across Washington and Oregon, Columbia Distributing helps customers find many kinds of craft beers and imported beers, including Guinness beer for any occasion. To learn more about our Guinness beer selection, contact us today.