A non-alcoholic version of Guinness’ legendary Irish stout has made its way to the Guinness Open Gate Brewery in Halethorpe.
The Irish brewer launched the non-alcoholic Guinness 0 in Ireland and the UK last summer and, in recent weeks, has introduced it in the United States.
Reviews of Guinness 0 have been mixed.
“I’m not convinced that I’d be able to tell this weren’t the real deal if it were served to me blind,” one reviewer in the UK said.
Others found differences, including a “disarming sweetness,” wrote the Chicago Tribune’s resident beer writer Josh Noel.
“The problem is that Guinness 0 is thin and lands sweetly. Too sweet. It’s not single-note sweet; there are welcome fruity notes at the edges. But a Guinness stout needs the roasted-toasted punch we expect from Guinness,” Noel wrote.
Guinness 0 is joining a growing number of alcohol-free beers hitting the market. Popular breweries such as Lagunitas, Dogfish Head, Heineken, and Brooklyn Brewery have released their own non-alcoholic brews.
Four-packs of the non-alcoholic stout will be available at the Open Gate Brewery while supplies last. “Quantities are limited,” the brewery said on Instagram.
