“Experience the velvety richness of Galactic Grounds Dirty Chai Latte Stout, a decadent brew with harmonious flavors. Its sweet, creamy texture, reminiscent of a perfectly crafted latte, is infused with robust coffee notes and layers of chai-spiced goodness, elevating the traditional stout to interstellar heights in every sip.”

Glassware: Snifter.

Appearance: Impenetrable black pour with a billowing three and a bit finger head emerging on top. It holds for a minute but eventually deconstructs and leaves an intricate lace in its wake.

Aroma: Well it’s certainly ticking all the chai spices off. We get a tonne of cinnamon, nutmeg, star anise, ginger, cardamom and five spice. Giving off the scents of a good Indian restaurant at the same time. More subtle notes of coffee and cocoa, sweet vanilla, condensed milk/lactose and a deep-seated hint of Angostura bitters. Intense aromas and they’ve managed to balance them all nicely.

Flavour: We love the fact that they haven’t gone absolutely ham on the sweetness. On entry it rolls seamlessly into the chai spices and then the subtle coffee, chocolate and vanilla fills the space around it. The mid palate provides a robust yet well tempered roastiness that draws out more of the coffee and chocolate in the finish. Good length on it too.

Mouthfeel: Rather slick and creamy texture with medium body and low-ish Co2. The 6.9% ABV is well hidden.

Overall: This was a random pick from a bottlo in Queenstown, NZ. We’d never heard of them before and after this we must say we’re pretty impressed. They’re based in Wellington which only reinforces the fact that the South Island is the beating heart of craft beer in NZ. Solid stuff.