Holy crap. They removed the nitrogen canisters from the bottle and the stuff is ROTTEN. It's harsh... It's bitter... The smoothness is gone. It has that nasty aftertaste like Bud or Miller.
They really screwed-up. I'm dying just trying to finish a 6, and it used to to go down easier than oxygen.
they always had non-nitro cans and bottles - the bottled stuff is certainly very dry from what I remember.
I just perused the website it seems the can still has the widget, the bottle you just got to tilt it more to activate the nitrogen in the liquid, that is, drink faster and from the neck! 
The Draught has only come with the nitro inserts. It's the Stout that does not use them.
It has nothing to do with drinking it faster. In addition to being counter to Guinness' "let it pour" campaign, pouring it into a glass, which is what I do, should be more than enough to 'activate' the nitro and obviously tilts the bottle as much as needed.
all very confusing to me - I only ever drank Guinness, or anything, in a bar setting however.
Or you could just suck it up and drink some real beer 
Need to cut it with something like a Blue Moon or Oberon..... 
karlt_10 wrote:Holy crap. They removed the nitrogen canisters from the bottle and the stuff is ROTTEN. It's harsh... It's bitter... The smoothness is gone. It has that nasty aftertaste like Bud or Miller.
It sounds like you bought the Extra Stout. It doesn't have the widget inside. It doesn't taste the same as the draught. It's not supposed to. There is a Draught in a bottle version that does have the widget, but IMHO, it's better out of the can, but served in a pint glass.
I did not buy Extra Stout; that is the point. The Draught bottles NO LONGER HAVE THE NITRO CANISTER. They have gotten rid of it. And it SUCKS. Tastes like crap.
The cans may still have it. I need to check Costco.
Evan, I'd ask what you consider 'real beer', but I have a feeling it'd be some garbage anti-freeze like Bud or Miller. Or even worse, Sam Adams and it's 'fruits and spices'. They need to just call it Samuel Adams Iced Tea.
Bud? Sam adams? Not for me. If you want a stout I would suggest dogfish head chicory stout or a craft imperial stout. I'm more of an ipa drinker myself though. Best beer I have had lately is stone lucky bastard.
I was just kidding mostly though, guiness is better than most mass produced swill.
karlt_10 wrote:I did not buy Extra Stout; that is the point. The Draught bottles NO LONGER HAVE THE NITRO CANISTER. They have gotten rid of it. And it SUCKS. Tastes like crap.
Well, that is a bit of a bummer... although I haven't bought the bottle version of Draught in years... just never tasted the same as the can version, IMHO. Plus, I like drinking Guiness out of a glass, rather than a bottle.
did you read the directions?
The new guiness in the bottle notrogen is activated by tilting the bottle and is grank from the bottle instead of from a glass..
rtfm
besides the Guiness we get here is very bitter compared to the stuff available overseas. Only place I've been in the US that has a proper pint.. ( You'll know it because it tastes sweet like mothers milk with no bitters).. Is http://www.kildaresirishpub.com The pints are silly expensive like $9, but worth it. They had Guiness engineers come over and build there system, atleast the restaurant in KOP.
wow, ALL CAPS. I decided to go out after midnite and had 5 20oz pints of Guinness in their natural setting, an Irish bar. Very tasty I might say.
Old Rasputin.
Never say 'die'.
As an interesting note, one of my local watering holes now has Old Ras on a nitro tap. 
It is amazing. Even my non-beer drinking mom like it. It's like a dry beer shake.
YaY for russian imperial stout.
Ignorant wrote:did you read the directions?
The new guiness in the bottle notrogen is activated by tilting the bottle and is grank from the bottle instead of from a glass..
Nothing on the case or bottles say it needs to be drank from the bottle. I tried the last 2 of the 6 directly from the bottle and it was just as nasty. And bottle vs. pouring into a glass shouldn't matter; there's really no difference in the angle and the beer shouldn't taste that much difference A vs. B.
It's like New Coke all over again.
I just don't drink Guinness in the first place. It's the Irish equivalent of Budweiser.
all I can say is "couldn't care less" the stuff is nasty
I can drank Guinness but I have to be in the right mood for it. I tend to gravitate more towards Yankee attempts/ripoffs/versions of them (Yuengling Porter and Black and Tan). Even though Coors makes it, I am a sucker for Killian's Irish Red as well. On the topic of stouts, River Horse Brewing makes an awesome Oatmeal Milk Stout and Victory makes a good punchy stout by the name of Storm King.
On the other side of the spectrum, I will probably be celebrating this New Years Day with an aluminum tallboy of PBR..
Well as long as the cans haven't changed, I guess the world will be spared my wrath.....
Thank you for taking time to contact Guinness. Your feedback is important to us.
We are sorry that you were disappointed by your recent Guinness experience. While we have removed the widget from the Guinness Draught In A Bottle, the liquid has remained exactly the same and continues to come from St. James' Gate Brewery in Dublin.
Guinness Draught In A Bottle has always been meant to be enjoyed directly from the bottle. We've adjusted the gas mixture so that the nitrogen gas is activated every time you tilt the bottle to drink, providing the signature creamy head each time you take a sip. Guinness Draught In A Bottle is still nitrogenated.
If you prefer to pour a Guinness into a glass, we recommend Guinness Draught in a Can, which still has a widget since Guinness Draught in a Can is meant to be poured from the can and enjoyed from a glass. It is our recommendation for consumers who enjoy drinking from the glass at home, as it delivers an outstanding 'from the glass' experience.
If you prefer to continue to pour from the bottles, pouring faster and from a vertical angle will give you a much better head than pouring slowly. We're very passionate about our beer and do everything we can to deliver a Great Guinness Experience whether it's straight from the bottle or poured into a glass. We hope this information answers your question and ensures your next experience with Guinness will meet yours and ours high standards.
Please do not hesitate to reach out with any further questions. We would be happy to offer a refund for this purchase and look forward to speaking with you directly if you would provide us with your phone number. Thank you very much.
Sincerely,
Amanda D. Guinness Consumer Representative
Beer is for girls, I drink booze
I am enjoying a bottle right now, from the bottle I may add.
Murphy's FTW
In reply to Salanis:
I love some Rasputin. That is my current favorite beer. The Guiness just sits in my fridge lonely.
My #1 favorite is Old Engine Oil Special Reserve - a stout aged in old Scotch barrels. It's a bitch to find, tho...
A close 2nd is Cooper's Extra Stout.
Next would be Brooklyn Chocolate Stout - which is a Winter-seasonal brew and happens to be available right now. Only behind Cooper's because it's more difficult to get.
Murphy's is good too.
I'm fortunate to be near a store that sells obscure stuff by the bottle, so I'm always finding something new.
Guiness from the can is still a nice stand-by...
That said, we still have cases of wine that we brought back from Watkins Glen... so I've been drinking more of that lately than beer.
