Why do dark beers tastes so bitter? Guiness, especially, tastes awful!?

Question

Dark beers taste awful! You can practically use a spoon to "eat" Guiness beer -- it's so thick and nasty. Why is that?

Answer 1

This is largely a case of appearances deceiving.  People expect Guinness to be bitter, strong, and thick because it is dark and has a reputation.

In reality, Guiness is a "dry stout", medium-bodied rather than thick, with relatively little hob bitterness.  I suspect that the bitterness the asker notes is more a function of the unmalted roasted barley that is a centerpiece of the dry stout style.  

Here's an experiment:  next time you are around a Guiness, pour an ounce or two into a wineglass and treat it the way you would a wine tasting.  Be open to the experience.  You may not like it, but I think taking a bit of time with the tasting will allow more flavors to come up and be recognized.  Allowing the beer to warm to room temp will also likely bring more to the table.

Answer 2

1. Have you ever actually had Guinness? It is actually a medium-light (watery) beer. Guinness is 125 calories versus Budweiser at 160 per 12oz serving. Hardly what I'd call thick. It gets its color from using dark roasted malts instead of Budweiser's corn...or is it rice they use.

2. They bitter "nasty" is hops. A primary ingredient of beer. Guinness actually uses some. Most mass produced lagers seem to forget to add enough for flavor.

3. Stouts are beers. This isn't directed at the Asker, but at the guy that answered above. Seriously, what makes you think stouts are beer?

4. Contrary to their ad campaign...Guinness is a poor example of a stout. I like to think of it as an entry level beer. Better stouts have more pronounces bitter chocolate flavors and roasted coffee malts. Try and O'hara's Irish Stout for a great example of what Irish beers taste like.

Answer 3

Bitterness comes from the hops in a beer, which is true - but if you don't like ANY dark beers, then it's probably not due to just the hops.

When they make a dark beer, typically the process to get it dark involves roasting the barley. The normal color for barley is a very pale color (the color of most 'regular' and 'light' beers, for example). If it's roasted, it obviously will turn darker depending on the roast. Roasting not only changes the color of the beer, but also ads to the flavor. Some people pick it up as an extra 'bitterness' - while others just think they can taste the roasted flavor - everyone's taste buds vary. Guiness and other stouts use a very dark roast - and the barley used for those is roasted so much that it looks almost black.

This is probably the problem more-so than the hops if you don't like any dark beers. Lighter-colored beers can actually have a stronger 'hoppy bitterness' than a lot of darker beers.  

Answer 4

Guinness is an acquired taste. You either love it or hate it.It's my favorite beer but yes it is filling.It takes some getting used to.

Answer 5

Guinness is stout, and good for you, and absolutely fantastic.

sadly it's really expensive in Hungary, but, my motivation precludes me from bothering to return to the UK just yet.

Answer 6

Dark doesn't always equal bitter. Some are actually very sweet. It has to do a lot with hops and some with the type of malt. Rogue Chocolate Stout is a very good and for the most part sweet beer. Some dark Belgian ales are very fruity and sweet. There are hundreds of styles to chose from and if you're willing to experiment you may just see the differences.

My friends and I finished making a German Marzen/Oktoberfest last night and I have to tell you although it's a darker beer it is no where near bitter. Marzen beers are very heavy on the malt and tend to be very pleasing to most people. I haven't met anyone yet that hasn't liked my Marzen. Some brands of Marzens include, Gordon Biersch, Sam Adams, Flying Dog, and Goose Island.

Answer 7

Salutations,

Bitterness is generally a sign of hops. and yes Guiness does pack a bitter punch, but I happen to love stout. I usually say to friends that it is "earwax at it's finest" but all I can tell you is try Guiness with a thick juicy steak and HP steak sauce. you'll love it.

if you don't like bitter, try darker beer that has a lot of Malt in it, or add your own in the form of Goya Malta, available in most grocery stores. Cheers

Answer 8

I have not tried that beer, but beer is really bitter. The only time beer taste just perfect to me is after mowing the lawn or something and I am all hot and sweaty and then it is sweet real sweet but when I am at the club and get my first beer yeah it is really bitter. But you are right, I drank a German beer one time and it was awful.  

Answer 9

It's not a matter of the darkness of the beer. It's more a matter of the hops to malt ratio. Try a bock (also dark [mostly]) and you'll see.

Answer 10

Part of the bitterness you're tasting in some beers is the effect of hops and some people highly prize this quality.

Originally the English put extra hops in beers shipped to India because of their ability to preserve the sudsy stuff and invented IPAs, India Pale Ales.

You certainly wouldn't want to taste an IPA. Would you?

.

Answer 11

guinness is stout,not beer . . and is not much thicker than lager beers except for the thick creamy head maybe