“A classic double stout from a recipe discovered in the vaults of Britains oldest brewer. This beer combines the complex flavours and characteristics of pale ale, roasted crystal and chocolate malts with the finest kilned roasted barley. It is bittered with our famed East Kent hops and brewed in the UK’s last remaining wooden mash tuns. This magnificent example of a classic double stout delivers a velvety-smooth palate of dry, burnt flavours complimented by roast, cocoa and coffee notes. Black, creamy & delicious, it is a Shepherd Neame masterpiece.”
Served in a beer tulip. The appearance is blacker than the ace of spades with a pancake head that collapses to a fine sheet that leaves patchy lace trails clinging to the glass. Smells divine! Heavily roasted and even almost smoky at times with charred wood, oats, molasses, licorice, coffee, chocolate, vanilla and prunes that all blend together beautifully. Uber-nice fusion of roasted and sweet notes on the nose here. The mouth feel is silky smooth with a slightly creamy texture going on. Low in Co2 and medium in body. Upfront we get a prominent cereal malt flavour that works well in to the cocoa and coffee. A mild bitterness forms before a hint of chocolate carries across the mid and delivers a roasted finish with a touch of cocoa powder and a lingering dryness on the rear palate. This is a decent stout. Kind of has that old traditional feel to it, similar to the Southwark and Sheaf Stout (Sadly rare in most bottle shops in Sydney these days) that were so easy to session on for dark beers. We enjoyed it, definitely one that’s tasty enough to return for.