Background – From Guinness themselves “Irish tradition meets American spirit in Guinness Blonde American lager. Complex and flavorful. Light, floral and alive with citrus. This beer is perfectly balanced with a lingering malt and biscuit finish. It’s the coming together of vibrant flavors, of character drawn from both sides of the pond. And it’s come a long way to get here. Ireland and America go way back. Ours are histories that have crossed paths countless times. Our cultures may be totally different but we’ve still got a lot in common. One thing we can definitely agree upon is what makes a good beer. Whether it’s stout or lager, we demand the same things: quality, distinctiveness, character.

The first fusion beer in the Guinness Discovery Series, Guinness Blonde combines the best European brewing techniques – as well as our famous strain of Guinness yeast – with the finest American hops and malts. A collaboration between the Guinness brewers in Dublin and their counterparts at the legendary Latrobe Brewery in Pennsylvania, the result is an American pale lager akin to that of the 1930s: a crisp, light beer that’s big on flavor.”

Appearance – I really enjoy to style of the bottle as well as the design on the label. Using the traditional Guinness Toucan with some beautiful gold accents this bottle is an eye catcher. The beer pours a clear golden color with minimal white head and virtually no lacing which leaves you with a clean glass.

Aroma – The aroma is surprisingly strong for an American Pale Lager. With the bready malts being the strongest scents I also noticed a bit of banana.

Taste – Similar to the aroma there is a decent amount of flavor. Once again I primarily notice the malts and get an aftertaste of banana. Somewhere in between I notice a bit of the hops.

Drinkability – This is an odd beer to drink because you get the clean smooth drinking of a pale lager and yet you walk away with a dry mouthfeel and a bit of bitterness. Somehow when I first take a sip it seems to be a creamy sensation and will lay quire heavy for a 5% beer. Similar to most Guinness beers this is an overall easy beer to drink.

Overall – Overall I enjoy this beer. The Guinness Blonde manages to create a better American Pale Lager than most American breweries. With the bready malts and a touch of banana there is a lot to like about this Irish/American fusion.

Game Pairing: When it comes to game pairing I decided to go with Rage a unique game that is quite underrated. Its like Doom in the world of Mad Max so it manages to combine the best from both racing and FPS’s. Similar to the Guinness Blonde these two together yield a complex product that is very enjoyable. So grab a couple bottles and get playing, Sláinte