Hurry to Tesco...I never thought I'd say that but I discovered last night that the supermarket is selling the Nigerian version of Guinness Foreign Extra Stout (FES), usually only found in specialist or ethnic shops.
This is a different beer to the Dublin-brewed FES, though the strength is the same at 7.5%. On a visit to the Dublin brewery some years ago, I was taken through a tasting of all the different versions of FES sold around the world. Guinness brewers explained how the African versions are made. Due to a lack or shortage of barley in most parts of the continent, Guinness breweries in Nigeria and other countries make a wort from sorghum. In Dublin, a wort is made using barley malt and roasted barley and is then dehydrated. The syrup is sent to Africa where breweries blend the two worts and then ferment it. The label of the Nigerian beer states that beer is made from sorghum, malt, roasted barley and wheat.
The Nigerian beer is strikingly different to the Dublin version, which has a powerful roasted grain note and the "horse blanket" aroma that is the result of blending a young stout with an aged one. The Nigerian beer has a fruity aroma with blackcurrant and strawberry to the fore. It has a rich malt sweetness balanced by good hop notes.
If Sainsbury's is still selling the Dublin version I shall buy some and do a closer taste matching.
Nigerian FES costs £6.95 for four 325ml bottles. If your Tesco isn't stocking the beer, ask to speak to the manager!
Can we now look forward to a supermarket offering Belgian Guinness?