• by Teresa Buyikian , November 18, 2024

Guinness generally conjures images of the lush Emerald Isle, the beer’s Ireland home base in Dublin since 1759. But the launch of Guinness Fornio Stout honors the beer’s little-known African heritage, as well as bringing awareness to the “Brewing for Impact” effort.

The Guinness Fonio Stout, a collaboration with Brooklyn Brewery, is a limited-edition beer, described as a “Guinness stout with a flavorful combination of roasted coffee, chocolate, and tropical fruit flavors,” per the brand. The brew was a collaborative initiative inspired by Brooklyn Brewery Brewmaster Garrett Oliver's work with the ancient West African grain fonio.

Right now the limited edition stout, with an ABV of 6.2%, is only available in the greater New York area, northern New Jersey and select regional chains until the end of the year. The use of the African grain fonio isn’t the beer’s only connection to Africa; as revealed in the promotional video for the campaign, seen here, the beer maker’s first location outside Ireland was a brewery in West Africa.

The vibrant design on the Fornio Stout can was created by Haitian American artist Kervin Brisseaux, and “celebrates Guinness's centuries-long history in Africa, blended with the cultural heartbeats of Brooklyn.” Illustrations include a taxicab blended with subway cars and fonio grains. 

"Fonio Stout is an example of the magic that comes from blending the right amount of heritage and innovation," said Joyce He, Guinness brand director, in the announcement. "Bringing our brewers together with Garrett Oliver and artist Kervin Brisseaux is a celebration that represents our commitment to pushing boundaries of creativity in brewing and cultivating social impact on a global level."

In addition to the online video, Guinness is promoting the new stout via social media and exclusive dining events in New York and surrounding areas.

Brewing for Impact is a global initiative by breweries to drive social change through beer. The organization was created after Oliver's work with fonio, and in addition to Guinness includes brewing partners such as Maison Kalao from Senegal, Carlsberg from Denmark, Russian River from the U.S. and Jing-A from China. In 2024, each brewery created a new beer with fonio, which helps support West African farmers, who are predominantly women.

Guinness has also donated $10,000 via its Guinness Gives Back Fund to the Michael James Foundation for Brewing and Distilling, also founded by Oliver, which helps fund education and career advancement for people of color in the distilling and brewing industry.