Island's edge opinions

Effects · 24-01-2022 11:44am

Had a can of this a couple of weeks back. Wasn't as god awful as I was expecting it to be.

andekwarhola · 25-01-2022 1:39am

Nice enough texture but just thought it tasted of very little.

The logical conclusion of stout gradually being turned into something that people that don't like stout would like to drink.

25-01-2022 2:01am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118528888#Comment_118528888

The only thing they should suggest would attract new Stout drinkers is that horrible glass.

Taste wise, its more like a Beamish than Guinness(more flavours).

The thing about it is that if I ever wanted to have a draught pint, I'd have to ask for a Guinness glass and then what's the point of that hassle when I get a Guinness.

I'd grab a few cans as much as I do with Beamish/Murphy's... No better or worse.

irish_goat · 25-01-2022 11:44am

The glass didn't bother me at all. I don't see the big issue with it.

Thundercats Ho · 25-01-2022 12:51pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118524569#Comment_118524569

Islands Edge - "Isn't as God awful as you'd expect it to be"

Hmm, I think they should go with that in their next ad campaign.

the beer revolu · 26-01-2022 3:09pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118529762#Comment_118529762

Many stout drinkers are obsessed with having the "right" glass, whatever that means to them!

BeerNut · 26-01-2022 3:26pm

I quite like the Island's Edge glass. It's the Senator, or a clone thereof. O'Hara's uses it too for their pale ale and lagers.

Effects · 27-01-2022 5:10pm

Isn't the glass roughly the same as the one Guinness would have used in the distant past? Which was changed to a different shape, so that it wouldn't smash if it was knocked over, and no other reason?

27-01-2022 5:38pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118535507#Comment_118535507

Would you like a glass of wine in a pint glass?. (Again maybe you don't care but can see my point a bit more).

Maybe you don't care what kind of glass you get it in, but I do and I'm hardly the only person(no more than women wanting a gin from one of those big goblet type glasses).

Thundercats Ho · 28-01-2022 9:41am

I actually prefer those type of glasses if i'm having a few cans of stout at home.

I think they're called an emperor glass.

I'd go

1. Emperor

2. Nonic

3. Tulip

Macy0161 · 28-01-2022 12:21pm

I have the O'Hara's version. Where I have brewery glass, I use it, but a stemless wine glass is my "go to" for stouts - bring up the temp a little more.

Effects · 28-01-2022 1:47pm

I love Teku glasses, and generally I'm drinking 440ml cans.

Phil.x · 13-02-2022 1:19am

I'm gumming for some after the last four I had. Better than the other black stuff!

bingo76 · 25-03-2022 8:33pm

Just tried this tonight from a can. Had to check the can was in date, as getting a really horrid bitter after taste off this. Allegedly the tea additive to this is supposed to make this less bitter - finding the opposite is true.

Luckily bought some Guinness Surger cans at the same time, so will skip the remaining Islands Edge cans (until I'm desperate). May try again if I see it on draught, but not impressed at all for a first time taster

Effects · 02-04-2022 4:25pm

I hate to admit this. But I don't find it as bad as I thought I would. I'm halfway through the four pack someone gave me at Christmas.

Weepsie · 04-07-2022 9:42am

Small dredge. Tried this last night at a gig. Swill. drank 1/3 of it and binned it.

IF they just marketed Beamish and Murphys a bit more then we wouldn't have this abomination. My assumption is that they needed to have cider and stout to offer punters at events so brought out 'Orchard Thieves and Island's edge and both are awful. But also they might be for people who don't actually like either

Dante · 04-07-2022 9:47am

It tastes like Guiness without the creamy goodness, ie shite.

Weepsie · 04-07-2022 9:53am

I thought it tasted like a can you find the morning you're packing up at a festival. That weird tinny, feint taste of the grass lingering on it.

IF they really wanted to make an impact on the market. A gluten free stout for those people who have had to give up guiness. I know quite a few who would be top of the queue.

ciaran76 · 04-07-2022 10:10am

Thought it was very light tasting myself. Did enjoy the intial taste but it went quite bkand quickly.

L1011 · 04-07-2022 2:37pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119287680#Comment_119287680

9 White Deer Stag Saor Stout's been on the market for quite some time.

rob316 · 04-07-2022 2:44pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119287631#Comment_119287631

Can't understand why they don't market Murphys, its a lovely stout, bit more flavor than Guinness and very creamy. Beamish is my favourite but I couldn't see it appealing to the masses, its fairly bitter and considerably cheaper than Guinness. Islands Edge is for people who don't drink stout so they have created this sub-market of swill with the awful tasteless lager and cider from Rockshore.

Weepsie · 04-07-2022 2:57pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119289112#Comment_119289112

Couldn't remember it's name. Had it in Fallon & bynre years ago alright and hadn't seen it many other places

techman1 · 04-07-2022 3:02pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117908515#Comment_117908515

Why did they get rid of Guinness Extra Cold in Ireland? I don't agree with the Guinness purists it's simply too warm and unrefreshing in many pubs now

Citizen Six · 05-07-2022 1:17am

What temperature would you want it at?

the beer revolu · 06-07-2022 10:49am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119289270#Comment_119289270

Quite simply because people didn't like it and found it too cold. Pubs didn't want regular Guinness and extra cold taps, so extra cold got the chop.

It was way too cold!

techman1 · 06-07-2022 1:22pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119297309#Comment_119297309

Well then just have "Guinness Cold" rather than Extra cold, the fact is that in many pubs it is served too warm ,ok for Winter but not for summer

Macy0161 · 06-07-2022 2:26pm

Large Bottle, off the shelf.

andrew1977 · 06-07-2022 2:32pm

Bought 8 cans of it, drank it , nothing spectacular, nothing disgusting either, would i buy it again , No.

Macy0161 · 06-07-2022 2:39pm

btw Had Islands Edge at a St Anne's Park gig. Was better than the lager option, but wasn't enough to be arsed queuing for a third.

Citizen Six · 09-07-2022 12:20pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119298114#Comment_119298114

The temperature is set by Diageo techs usually, isn't it?

Pick a different drink if it's not cold enough for you. Or ask them to put some ice in it.

Roxxers · 17-07-2022 1:16am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119313095#Comment_119313095

set by the pub if they want techs is a board word for some of them

Roxxers · 17-07-2022 1:18am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117906687#Comment_117906687

bullshit its muck like that

Poorside · 17-07-2022 9:53am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119347744#Comment_119347744

Jaysus lad, no need to be so angry about how I like my stout.

beardo81 · 01-08-2022 9:50am

Only had tried Islands Edge cans before yesterday and had been very unimpressed with them.

Pub I went to yesterday served me a poor 1st pint of Guinness so I said I'd try 'the Edge'

5 pints later and I was still enjoying it. Nice creamy head, pleasant roasted aftertaste and almost as full bodied as Guinness. Very very good pints and a nice change from Guinness. Not sure how popular it is countrywide but I'll definitely have more pub pints of it in the future (when I get out that is!!)

So moral of the story is try it on tap lads, you might have a totally different experience to the home cans.

MakersMark · 01-08-2022 9:51am

Looks like Guinness, tastes like Coors light.

Not a fan.

Atlantic Dawn · 02-11-2023 5:54pm

Gone the way of the Dodo...

https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2023/11/heineken-discontinues-islands-edge-stout-in-ireland/

Damien360 · 02-11-2023 5:59pm

I don't remember seeing it on tap anywhere. In that time since it's arrival, Guinness revamped their tap and added a non-alcoholic Guinness tap. Only ever saw it in the off licence and was never tempted to buy it.

Insect Overlord · 02-11-2023 6:08pm

I had 2 pints of it at the Olympia last year when The Darkness were in town. Perfectly drinkable but fairly boring. Couldn't believe they didn't have Guinness available.

sprucemoose · 02-11-2023 6:39pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119287631#Comment_119287631

didnt they use murphys for that for a while? i remember hearing a couple of english lads at one of the rwc 2015 games ordering pints of 'murphy's guinness'

irish_goat · 02-11-2023 6:51pm

Murphys is what is on tap in any Heineken venues up north e.g. The Odyssey Arena, Brandywell Stadium.

Weepsie · 02-11-2023 7:00pm

Well they've been quietly removing it from places and putting Murphy's back in. Olympia a few weeks ago and bord gais. Seemingly any venue that has a deal with Heineken's group. 3arena should switch too you'd think

Beamish is a lovely pint. Murphy's is decent. Islands edge is and always was dreadful

antimatterx · 02-11-2023 7:03pm

I've never been so happy to see a pint fail. All they had to do was push Beamish and Murphys further. I've never seen Murphys in Dublin

fmul9798 · 02-11-2023 11:56pm

It does strike as some marketing guff that convinced some up-and-coming MBA, who in turn didn’t bother to get back to basics and actually do some research. They had two stouts in their portfolio, and they dumped money in to another. The marketing geniuses knew that the real reason those didn’t increase share was because they just didn’t know what the cool kids social media crew did. Perhaps their next will be a Heineken competitor.

waterwelly · 03-11-2023 12:05am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121316660#Comment_121316660

It's like Diageo. They still have Harp on keg, but it must be 20 years since they pushed it.

But instead of targeting the Under 40's market with a product that already has some presence / penetration, they come up with Hophouse 13 and Rockshore.

L1011 · 03-11-2023 12:07am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121317965#Comment_121317965

Diageo have been pushing Harp since last summer. Huge increase in the number of pubs with it in Dublin.

I suspect they realised there were Islands Edges lines coming out, as well as trying to recover the remaining Budweiser lines since it went to C&C. It has died a death in Dublin; most lines seem to have become Rockshore/Rockshore Light or now Harp. I'd drink all three in preference to Budweiser but it did have fans.

When HH13 came out (nearly a decade ago), Harp was more commonly remembered as a crap product; that had died out. Its not even that crap. Probably has more Sally O'Brien memories than assumptions about quality now.

waterwelly · 03-11-2023 12:23am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121317973#Comment_121317973

The brewing process is much the same for all Diageo lagers, so Harp is not brewed by any sort of "crap" process, it's just a legacy perception that it cuts the throat off you.

I've not seen any advertising of Harp yet anywhere, but it seems to be growing anyway.

Again, shows how "smart" all these marketing dudes are developing products while ignoring what's in front of them.

Budweiser was huge in Ireland once. Falling away to nothing now.

L1011 · 03-11-2023 12:33am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121318020#Comment_121318020

C&C don't have the might to push to keep Budweiser on taps, plus I suspect all but its biggest fans have grown tired of its, erm, unique taste.

Changing Irish producer/distributor doesn't always work out well. Carlsberg is probably unique in bucking that - moved from Bachelors Beans (bottling import) -> Beamish (brewing) -> Guinness (brewing) and got bigger each time.