[Wort-H.O.G.]

Would coke market a non-cola drink as coke? Sure coke owns plenty of other brands, but you don't see them putting out coke-mist. Guinness to many is the stout period.

"Guinness to many is the stout period." i guess that's the point-core loyalist hate and resist any change to the core. and that's not a lot different with Harley. we know our core customer mostly doesn't like the additions we've made, however core business has continued to grow and market share with core is up, all while bringing in a new customer for incremental growth outside core. for manufactures, that's a win win so I get why Guinness is attempting it-they just arguably need to be better at.

[Stevie]

All I know is I'm ending it all if Makers's parent decides to add cinnamon.

[klickitat jim]

Small Harleys are nothing new to Harley. I recall the punky kid on the original bad news bears riding one.

I imagine Guinness has made light colored beers prior to a long time ago.

That said, why do I doubt that the Guinness blonde lager at a store in goldendale actually came from that green island across the pond?

[Stevie]

Brewed in Latrobe, PA

[Wort-H.O.G.]

i guess at the end of the day, Im certainly a Guinness Draught loyalist. They nailed it, and if by chance they nail something called Guinness Blonde- American Lager, im in.

Not so sure core Guinness drinkers that try Blonde and don't like it will stop drinking the core product-I know I wouldn't. Equally reasonable to expect consumers can discern the difference and not be confused -only if they actually try the products and decide for themselves.  We all know the attributes of a Guinness-yet ask 10 people that haven't tried Guinness why they haven't, and you'll hear "its too heavy, too many calories, its too dark, too much alcohol, etc". None of which are factual; just perceptions.  So if I'm Guinness, I want to lure these customers into something different that may have great mass appeal. If (and I emphasize if) they do it right and make an exceptional beer, they might even get a few new customers to try the traditional Guinness Draught. So perhaps they win; they don't lose core customers, they gain new customers, and potentially grow the core at the same time.......that's the name of the game.

[majorvices]

I guess we will just have to agree to disagree. In the end, what it boils down to is that up until now when someone ordered a Guinness they knew they were getting a stout. That can't be said any more. Brand loyalty aside, wether for good or bad, that equals brand dilution. The name Guinness does not mean what it did before. To me that is a pretty big deal. Guinness' name used to be synonymous with stout. Having a blonde lager under the Guinness moniker is a very different marketing direction.

[Wort-H.O.G.]

Fair enough-actually enjoyed the discussion.

Now, I'm of to try a Guinness of the Blonde variety 

side note: more interesting to me now, is the using of the ale yeast at ale fermentation temps of 64F (see article). clean as it may be, should it be called a lager?

http://www.beerconnoisseur.com/Guinness-Goes-Blonde

[pete b]

The article states that Guinness will be introducing two new beers a year. It will be weird ordering a Guinness at a restaurant and being asked "would you like the stout, the American lager, The I(reland)PA, or the Spiced Pumkin Latte Porter?"

[Wort-H.O.G.]

In a few hours, I will have the answer to the question / topic of this thread....is it good.

[pete b]

If you like it I'll buy it. Actually it might come in handy when I'm stuck going to a restaurant with no craft selections.

[Wort-H.O.G.]

So FWIW, here's my review:
First impression from the pour, I can smell the biscuit and crystal. Lacing and head are appropriate yet the head fades quickly. First taste-it doesn't suck comes to mind. Second sip-First thought comes to mind that I'm drinking a clean ale similar to kolsch but spicier- willamette. Golden color- looks like an American golden lager (pick one).

It's better then Harp- mostly because it has some character/malt richness and body that strikes me as "other than what you might expect". I think the biscuit is doing most of this and the spice from the hops work well together. They say it has notes of citrus- minimal at best IMO.

$7.99 for a sixer......I'm not at all unhappy. I'd give it 3.8 out of 5.

edit: my wife came home and had one. she likes it (gave it to her blind then showed her the label) and said she would drink at a bar if available. she doesn't care for Guinness Stout- perhaps she's their target after all.

edit2: i'm on my third now, and I think calling it a lager could be a misstep. For the discerning consummate beer drinker, I'm feeling they will classify this as an ale and that may detract or distract. considering many don't know the difference nor do they care, it might not matter so much...but it's running around in my head.

[69franx]

Sounds about right. I think I gave it a 3.5 or so on untapped when I had it. Your description is much better, I just knew I enjoyed and was glad that the brand name attached to it got me to try a brew style I might not have otherwise tried, American blonde lager what? Is that a glass from the winking lizard? I miss the lizard and especially the tour!

[Wort-H.O.G.]

Sounds about right. I think I gave it a 3.5 or so on untapped when I had it. Your description is much better, I just knew I enjoyed and was glad that the brand name attached to it got me to try a brew style I might not have otherwise tried, American blonde lager what? Is that a glass from the winking lizard? I miss the lizard and especially the tour!

yep the lizard-love it. great beers from around the world.

[majorvices]

It dawned on me after reading the review that I had no intention of ever trying this beer. So I do appreciate the review!

[Wort-H.O.G.]

hey what can i say. i'm a liberal, unconstrained free thinker willing to give most anything a try, all in the spirit of learning from my own experiences and making my decisions