I'm no psychic, but I would be willing to bet that if you are over the age of 30, I can guess where your first taste of a stout came from. It wasn't from some crazy and creative craft brewery. Nope. Those are still, in relative terms, new in this style scene. It probably wasn't from some American brewery in general, considering that their interest in the stout world didn't blossom until a few years ago. Chances are the first time you got a sip of my favorite style, one beer in particular sat squarely in front of you on the bar, and that beer was none other than a Guinness. I will take a pause for you to reflect on that magical moment as I do the same. Pretty awesome, right? Ok, let's continue. Now that technology in the beer world has advanced by leaps and bounds, the people at Guinness Ltd. now offer a version of their Guinness Draught designed to be enjoyed straight from the bottle. I know what you are thinking. ''You mean we can take Guinness with us anywhere and skip the pint glass completely?'' The simple answer is ''Yes'', while the more detailed answer is ''Not exactly''.

Now seeing as how it is designed to be drank straight from the bottle, you lose a lot of the Guinness glory right off the bat. There is no signature tan head waterfall, nor is there a stark black appearance that refuses to let even the slightest amount of light pass through. You have a bottle to look at. Granted it has a few more curves than the standard bottle we normally see, but it still isn't the same as the visual we have all grown accustomed to seeing as a nice pint is presented to us at a bar. And while we are at it, go ahead and try to get some aromas out of that tiny little bottle opening. While it will provide plenty of entertainment for anyone in visual range of you, other than a bit of a charred malt aroma, that is about the only thing that will come out of it.

After a bit of research on the Guinness Ltd. website, I came across this passage:

The signature Guinness Draught experience is activated every time you tilt the bottle to drink. The nitrogen contained in the new gas mix is released by the tilting action – that’s why it’s best consumed straight from the bottle.

Well I for one really hoped that this was true and some real Guinness flavor came through considering what I had to give up for the convenience of getting to carry it around in a bottle. I mean, if I don't get to look at it, it better at least taste like it right? Unfortunately, there is a let down here as well. There is a bit of a dark, roasted malt flavor, along with a hint of cocoa powder and some weak coffee, but that's about it. And even they are very...muted...at best. Tilt after tilt, the taste never changed, and besides a lingering, slightly tinny metallic aftertaste, not much came from the bottle for me. Even the signature creamy mouthfeel comes across as a bit watery and thin.

I really hate to rip the beer that introduced me to the style I have come to love, but in this case I think we both get a break. I know, I know. Just bear with me. The Guinness Draught that is presented to you in a bar, fresh from the tap, still upholds the standard that it set so many years ago. But the Guinness Draught that finds itself imprisoned in a bottle is a whole different story. In a nutshell, it tastes like a regular Guinness that was allowed to go flat, and then about an ounce of water was added to it. Not horrific, but not top notch either. Think of it as an ''in a pinch'' option. Odds are you can find it at most any grocery store or gas station, which means it can keep you far away from the mass produced corporate garbage. Other than that though, if you find yourself at a bar or store with a decent brew selection, you can definitely do better.