The Irish.

You gotta love us.

We’re a charming lot, always ready with a story, a joke, and a laugh.

We’re also quite clever, too.

Case in point: Arthur Guinness, who in 1759 leased an unused brewery at St. James Gate in Dublin for 45 pounds (about 45 dollars) per annum. For nine thousand years. No doubt the landlord thought he’d made a good deal – the brewery would likely fail again, and he and his descendants would be guaranteed 45 pounds/year – whether the brewery was operating or not.

However, it turned out the people of Dublin really liked the beer, and they really wanted jobs. The landlord must have felt a right eejit when he realized how successful Guinness was becoming – and that the rent couldn’t be raised for thousands of years.

Fair play to you, Arthur Guinness. Fair play.

Originally, Guinness wasn’t vegan. The beer was filtered through isinglass (fish bladders). In 2018 they stopped using isinglass. Contrary to popular belief and misinformation spread by vegan influencers who should know better, there are still a handful of non-vegan Guinness beers. My vegan readers who imbibe will want to check out Barnivore.com before selecting a Guinness variety to purchase.

In 2020 Guinness came out with Guinness 0, a non-alcoholic and vegan-friendly beer. (Beers under .5% alcohol are classified as non-alcoholic.) Despite its name, Guinness 0 actually has .3% alcohol. That is not enough to be a concern for most of the sober curious – you might get that much naturally occurring alcohol in a bowl of nice cream made from overripe bananas. But if you absolutely want or need to avoid as much alcohol as you can, reach for a truly 0% alcohol free beer such as Heineken 0.0.

The Taste

Guinness 0 tastes like … well, Guinness, as best as I can remember it. Maybe Guinness Lite. It’s dark, smooth, and sort of creamy, with smoky undertones of chocolate or coffee.

The Packaging

Comes in a four pack of tall boys. There is a strange rattle in each can, which I found alarming. Turns out it’s a white plastic ball – a “widget” – which releases nitrogen into the beer once opened and creates the abundance of creamy foam. Be very careful when opening – this widget makes the beer likely to spurt everywhere!

Would I Recommend/Buy Again?

I would definitely recommend trying this beer if you are/were a fan of Guinness or other heavier, smoother beers. Or if you’ve never tried a stout before.

As for myself, even though I have Irish ancestry I grew up in Charlotte, NC – land of independent breweries and craft beers. My preference is for hoppier beers and IPAs. However, even though I wouldn’t necessarily buy this to drink, I am quite intrigued to try this non-alcoholic version in recipes – chocolate desserts, vegan vegetable rarebit, and of course, Irish stew. Recipes, if successful, will be forthcoming.

Sláinte!