bottle - To me this beer is very much like the draught, so I won’t repeat too much. I just taste a little heavier roasted malt and a little more bitterness. The widget in the draught does give a bit better appearance and palate. Both are good beers, especially impressive for a megabrewery.

Bottle. Sour malt and molasses aroma. Dark brown opaque with moderate head that collapses quickly. A sweet and sour molasses malt flavor with moderate carbonation. Moderate body. I decided to taste this along side the draught version (can with a widget). This version has more aroma and flavor; however the main difference is the level of carbonation - the draught version is completely flat whereas this one is fairly high - if you like it with a higher carbonation, buy this version but if you like it more like when it’s pulled, get the draught. Personally I like this version better.

This dark beer is good, but I don’t like it as much as Guinness Draught. It’s nice and thick, just like it’s brother Draught, but the creamy head is missing, as is the flavor I long for. This one’s a bit on the bitter side, not overly, but enough. It’s a drinkable beer, but not something to drink on a regular basis.
Earlier Rating: 2/2/2004 Total Score: 3.5
This dark beer is good, but I don't like it as much as Guinness Draught. It's nice and thick, just like it's brother Draught, but the creamy head is missing, as is the flavor I long for. This one's a bit on the bitter side, not overly, but enough. It's a drinkable beer, but not something to drink on a regular basis.

Bottle. Blackish beer with a big beige head. Roasty aroma along with caramel and coffee. Slightly acrid. Roasty flavor, lots of malt. Some sourness.

Bottled. More bitter than the draught, or maybe the lack of nitrogen lets you taste something. . . I find this much less thin, more flavorful and just overall, better of a beer. This is the Guinness I remember, not the watered down, crap that you buy in bars on draught today. I’ll take this every time. I wish I had tried the unpasteurised bottle in Ireland, I bet that is tremendously good.
Earlier Rating: 7/9/2002 Total Score: 3.5
very bitter, like coffee at the end of the pot. hmmm, not bad though, still a bit watery and syrupy. It'll do if it has to

Rated lower than regular Guinness but this is a better beer. Pours very dark brown with a creamy tan head. The body is nicely carbonated which provides a different mouthfeel than regular Guinness. Bitter roasted malt aroma with surprising hops notes. Body is smooth and silky with bitter roasted barley balanced by slightly sweet caramely malt flavors. Hops are present although subdued. Surprisingly good and much better than their standard offering.

Hmmm...after having a couple of these the other night, I’m not sure where my original 3.7 rating came from. Bitter and rather unbalanced.

This version is less watery then the can version but not as good as the one on tap. It is mentionned to drink from bottle but I still suggest using a regular stout glass.Usual bitter aftertaste but not much coffee taste as with other great stout. This is legend but I think that other brewery are now doing better stout.

Old rating for the Irish version is gone...? But luckily I just sampled the Canadian stuff for the first time - or well, maybe thats not so lucky, because this is clearly not the same beer, nor is it even in the same league as that beer. Looks much the same though: deep dark mahogany with full fluffy tan haed. Aroma lightly roasty, with a light roast flavor and dry finish. No particular character. Some astringency and plastic apparent unless fully up to drinking temperature. So avoid the current recommendations from Guinness that it should be chilled for at least 3 hours - of course, even without the off-flavors, a beer of this style should not be drunk that cold.
Earlier Rating: 4/26/2000 Total Score: 4.5
Actually, I like the bottled extra stout better than the canned draught. It doesn't look as good in the glass, but its strength and roasted malt flavors are more present. I know I'm in the minority in my Guinness preference.