So, we finally got a chance to move the "big stout" out of the 18s it's been sitting in for six weeks or so, cosy-ing up to the whiskey soaked toasted oak chips. We've been looking forward to trying it. We've got quite good at what we call stout. Some black malt, roasted barley, you name it, we shovel it in, but I thought we'd better go easy with this one. I lost my nerve - I admit it.
It's turned out to have a quite restrained "aroma". It smells like beer. Well, maybe there's a touch of dried fruit and even a little bit of incense hiding in there. Taste-wise, there's raisin and black treacle (definitely) and some bitter burnt pepper (is it?). It finishes up with a warm spicy alcohol thing. I can't spot anything I recognise as oak at all. (What is that incense thing? Sandalwood? Is it the oak doing that?)
Anyway, it's very, very dark red-brown, it's 8.8% abv and it's called "Black Flag". Oh, and it's liable to make you drunk. So enjoy responsibly...
The Lucky Shag
-
I'd previously been advised by a friend who visits Perth fairly frequently,
not to miss the *Lucky Shag* pub. Not that you can miss it really, as it
sit...
8 hours ago
3 comments:
I think oak tends to be a very subtle thing. In a stout I suspect it'll be hard to find.
Sounds nice. Are you putting any in bottles?
We're still trying to decide what to do with it. It's in some of our garish plastic 9s now. I think it'll need more time to come together.
I mostly notice vanilla from oak, which could well be lost in a strong stout.
Post a Comment