Marred Musings

Guinness Nitro IPA

At the end of September, I was graciously invited to a beer release event for the Guiness Nitro IPA by my good friend Steph from The Girl And Her Beer. Guinness Draught was one of the first beers that made me really begin to pay attention to what I was drinking, so you could only imagine how thrilled I was to be invited to the release of their new Nitro IPA. It was an historic event for me (as a pale, red-headed Irish-American from Chicago), and it deserves proper time for reflection. Let’s let that settle, like the first tap of a Guinness draft.

It all went down at The Hubbard Inn, an unassuming bar in the River North area of Chicago. There was dark wood, and circular lighting fixtures in grid patterns – it was all in sepia. Was it real? I think it was. I got a free hat, and I still have that hat, so it must have been real. I didn’t feel like I was in Chicago anymore, Toto. It could have been a pub in Ireland. I could have been anywhere, really. It didn’t feel like River North, that’s for sure.

I was greeted with a Nitro IPA straight from the can by a gentleman named Ian with an Irish accent. They only brought cans. Guinness perfected the nitro capsule, so why wouldn’t they only bring cans? When I got it in a glass and tasted it, it was by no means as hoppy as my Chicago palate has trained me to expect when greeting an IPA. It tasted smooth and almost sweet, like ice cream or a semi-savory herbal milkshake. It had a hoppy smell, but a mild taste. The color was fantastic, and the nitro head was incredibly foamy and attractive, but the taste was as tame as organic toothpaste. Are my teeth really clean? Sure… is this really an IPA? I think so… I immediately realized that this beer would be widely palatable – specifically for those who don’t necessarily like or drink IPAs, but want to try it on for size. It’s a gateway IPA tied to an incredibly well known name. It’s not a daring beer, but it’s an undeniably smart move for Guinness, especially in an over-hopped market like the States. Will I bring it to a barbeque being attended by other beer bloggers and brewers? No. I wouldn’t even bring beer to that barbeque, in all honesty. Will I bring it to my family BBQ where most of the attendees think that “craft breweries” are New Belgium and Goose Island? Absolutely. My mom will love this IPA, and she’ll think I’m so cool for bringing it to the party.  And you know what? That’s totally awesome. I’m on board. Good for Guinness for coming up with something that will potentially change the palettes of millions of non-craft beer drinkers out there. This is the gateway IPA – the non-craft craft brew, just as Guinness Draught was the gateway stout for me when I was 21(ish) and an eager young college kid looking to understand beer (kind of). I’m excited to see how and what this Nitro IPA does to the US market. It just might continue to change lives and steer casual drinkers to the deep and adventurous waters of craft beer, as Guinness has been doing for decades, or it just might be a fine-selling beer in the US market. Jury’s still out.