“Our stout uses only the finest English malt and hops to give you a deliciously balanced and hearty ale. A fine ale good for any time of year but ever so satisfying when dark and cold outside. Best consumed at about 8°C.”

Glassware: Snifter.

Appearance: As black as the ace of spades. It constructs a light and fluffy two finger head which quickly reduces to a collar. Minimal lacing as we go.

Aroma: Nice and meaty. Really solid bottom end to it…chock-full of molasses, Vegemite, salted dark chocolate, delicate coffee, marzipan and burnt grain. We pick up a bit of earthy and spicy hop character which we don’t mind at all with these more basic and peeled back versions. Decent aroma. It’s hard to get any style right when you’re only working with the base ingredients (water, hops, malt and yeast).

Flavour: Good follow through. That hearty bottom end is on full display here as well. It’s more roasty and charred though, lots of coffee, bitter dark chocolate and earthy hops. Subtle hints of marzipan, molasses, ash and campfire. It has a notable hop bitterness that develops late and ushers in the dry, roasty and chocolatey finish that lingers well into the next sip.

Mouthfeel: Stocky and cohesive yet it maintains an effortless texture. Medium body and a well behaved 6.1% ABV.

Overall: A solid core range Stout that ticks all the boxes. The price could be a little sharper (roughly $8 a can) but it’s good quality so we don’t mind paying a bit more for a good product.