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Another Friday trek to the Morris Beer store and I was slowly pacing the beer shelf looking for something in particular.

Earlier this week, I put up a post about good, canned beer. While I was cruising the craft shelf, I was looking for a canned beer which I hadn’t had. Tetley’s was still there as well as Young’s Double Chocolate Stout both of which I’ve tried.

Tucked away in the back of one shelf was a four-pack of a canned beer which was new to me. It was Beamish Genuine Draught Irish Stout. The label noted: This can contains a floating widget which may rattle. Great. A nitro-can. The fun will start when the top is popped.

The four-pack container stated that the beer was only 4.3% ABV so it shouldn’t put my head through a wall when morning came. At 8 bucks for the four tall boys, I thought it was worth a shot.

Halloween Saturday was a memorable day here in the sprawling metropolis of Morris, Illinois. Today was the day we bottled our latest batch of homebrewed beer and entered into the last leg of waiting while the bottles of our Octoberfest recipe were primed and capped. In two weeks we’ll finally get to sample the fruits of our labors.

This was a repeat of our very first batch which we called Frabekurji Octobrew. This particular batch came in a kit and it was the first time a beer was brewed completely by me and my wife. Together. In her kitchen. What fun… (!)

After all the doorbell interruptions between bottles, It was time for some supper and then off to the Manly Garage for another anticipated brew review. Outside temps were in the lower 50s and the Sotz would have the inside temps up to around 70 in no time. It was finally time for some canned beer.

When I popped the top on the can there was the familiar gurgle inside as the nitro capsule discharged. It gave off a little squeal as the last of the gas was released. Pouring into the glass, the beer reminded me of a dark chocolate milk with a thin suds forming on the top. Then there was the waiting period during the a cascading performance as the top and bottom of the glass switched sides. What I was left with was nice dark liquid with about a quarter inch of light brown cream on the top. Nice. The aroma was slight and it gave my nose the idea that was a rich, full, dense beer.

The first sip took me by surprise. The initial tastes were that the liquid was thin and the dark, coffee flavor of the stout was on the light side. I could actually feel the creaminess in my mouth as I swallowed the intake. The beer left me wanting another sip right away.

The more I sipped, the more I appreciated this beer for what it was. Light enough to chug and stouty enough in flavor to give me the impression that I could drink this beer all night long without paying a severe price the following morning. I’d say that yes, this was in fact a session beer. At 4.3% ABV you’d probably be able sip the evening away and not say anything stupid or regretful the whole time.

It’s interesting in that this beer tastes like a stout lite. Still with all the characteristic flavors of a stout, the richness, chocolate-coffee robustness are there, but you’re not clobbered in the chops with darkness. The best part of drinking this beer was the feeling of creaminess the liquid gave my mouth. It was the one characteristic that will make this beer memorable to me. The overall drinking experience that this beer gives is one that you probably won’t find in other stouts. Nicely done.

I recommend this beer with a few stipulations. This beer is on the light side of the stout taste style. Each sip is a tease. You could probably drink quite a few of these in a six-hour session with proper gastric preparation and maintenance. The creaminess of this beer will amaze you. Too bad it was only a four-pack but there’s always another time to drink beer.

The SixPackTech ratings for Beamish Genuine Draught Irish Stout are:

Taste: B+ > A stouty taste on helium.
Smoothness: A- > Creamy as a dairy farm.
Drinkability: A > Could I get a bigger glass?
Bang for the buck: B > Two bucks a can ain’t bad at all for what you get.
ABV: 4.3%
Wife’s all-encompassing opinion: It doesn’t smell very beery but… (sip) Bwah! All you get is the bitterness. It’s like watered down grapefruit juice. (sip) No real flavor, just bitter. Ook. (I keep blowin’ ‘em up and she keeps poppin’ ‘em.)