I’ve been a fan of Guinness ever since I started drinking beer. I know it’s tough for the younger drinkers amongst us to imagine, but there was a time where craft beer options were much fewer and further between. In those days, you didn’t have 30 different options of juiced, fruited and barrel-aged brew waiting for you a the local spot. Back then, Guinness was amongst my favorites. I’ve been looking forward to trying their 200th Anniversary Export Stout since I saw it on the shelves. This beer commemorates the first exports of Guinness from Ireland to the U.S. over 200 years ago, and was inspired by entries from the company’s brewing logs dated from 1817. Pretty impressive.
Up against the Guinness Anniversary Stout, I grabbed The Poet from New Holland Brewing. Part of New Holland’s core offering, The Poet has been making craft beer fans happy for roughly 20 years.
HopDuel Survey
| Better label | New Holland Brewing The Poet |
| Better aroma | New Holland Brewing The Poet |
| Better taste | New Holland Brewing The Poet |
| Better finish | Guinness 200th Anniversary Stout |
| Winner | New Holland Brewing The Poet |
Tell us about it
Neither of these beers really separated themselves in the aroma category, as each were lacking for a stout. New Holland Brewing’s The Poet has a surprisingly delicious taste, rich feel, and a subtle creaminess. I was very impressed with it until the finish, where the taste faded quickly. The Guinness Anniversary Stout, on the other hand, did well in that area but in my humble opinion, that’s the only area it really excels. Not a bad beer, but I prefer their original formula.
HopDuel 