I finally had time and conscience (well, I can’t be drinking beer every day now, can I?!) to try the next beer in the calendar, a dark ale which seemed very promising and that I’ve been looking forward to. It did not disappoint – my favourite so far.

Rating: 4.25/5 stars

Colour: dark brown, actually looks kinda like a glass of coke.

Smell: Rich, earthy and slightly salty, a little sweetness (burnt/caramelly).

Taste: Dark, rich, and sweet. Deep flavours. Tasted a little of the bourbon cask in there as well as a slight salty liquorice taste, and some brown sugar/caramel flavour. It reminded me of Guinness (which in an Irish person’s book is never a bad thing..).

Suggested pairings: Would go well with a stew or other hearty winter dish, as well as cakes or chocolate. It went over very well with the black bean soup we had for dinner (sort of a Mexican dish spiced with garlic, cumin and a little bit of cayenne). And paired nicely with the piece of Puccini chocolate (the best chocolate ever) I had for desert as well.

Suggested serving temperature: 12 degrees Celsius (in other words if you keep it in the fridge, let it sit on the counter for a while before drinking).

Personal comments: I really loved this one, as I expected I would. It’s very much my type of beer though. Like I said it reminds me slightly of Guinness but also of stouts in general.

About this beer type: this is again technically an ale according to the label, but it does have a very “stoutish” feel to it. And it has been (barrel) aged, which according to my research is not that common for ales, or at least they’re not aged for long.