“Our flagship beer, and biggest seller, Pot Kettle Black is one of New Zealand’s most widely awarded beers. PKB, as it is affectionately known, is a juxtaposition of beer styles: fresh and hoppy yet as dark as night and malty rich. The black beer that has converted many a person who’d formerly professed a fear of dark ales….and called ‘a real foodie beer’ by every chef we meet!”
Not a bad crack at what you could say is quite a mixture of styles from these quirky Kiwi brewers. Served in a beer goblet the opaque black pour boasts an attractive dark mahogany hue. Atop sits a thin tan head that settles to a light covering which omits a mild amount of lacing. The aroma is slightly resinous, spicy hops with hints of juicy dark fruits. Standard porter style wafts come through with chocolate, coffee and roasted malts dominating. What differentiated was the subtle hint of smokey beef jerky and a touch of whiskey. The mouth feel is oily with mild carbonation. Average body. Pretty light on. The 50 IBU’s offer a mild hop bitterness that shows up initially but its quickly overtaken by the roasted coffee, chocolate and malty characters through the mid-palate. Really well balanced finish with bitter hops and roasted malts coming through. 6% ABV. Quite a hybrid here, a little hard to put our fingers on exactly what it is, but nonetheless, a quaffable beer.