Montys brewery 'Midnight'

From mid Wales, specifically Montgomery in Powys, is Montys Brewery.

I've come across their beers on the odd occasion, but never noticed them being regularly stocked in one particular place.
However recently I have seen them in a nearby National Trust property, Dyffryn Gardens and before xmas picked up a bottle of Midnight, their bottle conditioned stout.


Its 500mls, 4.1%, and I paid over the odds as you would expect in a NT shop.
Now the photo shows a bit of a head but that was induced with some high pouring and soon vanished.
Aroma of malt and coffee, sweet chocolate, and you get the same in the taste, also its earthy, almost ash like.
Its got good flavours coming through, its just a shame its let down a little by the conditioning, or lack of, and its body just seems a little to thin. Personally I feel a more bodied stout would wear and present the flavours better, making it more enjoyable.

Wye Valley Dorothy Goodbody's Wholesome Stout

A surprise during the weekly shop today, Tesco had rearranged their beer isle again, but also had quite a few new bottles, and timely too as a fair few could be indulged for International Stout Day.
They had the beer reviewed below here, but new stouts also were Belhaven Black, Glencoe Wild Oat Stout, Brains 'Jack Black Oatmeal Stout' and Castle Rock Black Gold.

The Welsh contingent has also been increased with a new one from Tomos Watkins 'Blodwens beer', two each from Great Orme and Conwy, and Brains have extended their range on the shelf with bottled versions of  Organ Morgan, and from their 'craft' brewery the Barry Island IPA.
They also had three of their 'Simply' range including a 'Dark Ale', which were 3 for £3.

Lets get back to the black beauty in hand though, a beer that's often listed in 'best beers in the world' books, Wye Valley Brewery's Dorothy Goodbody's Wholesome Stout.
4.6% abv, 500mls, and I got it as part of the 4 for £6 deal but individually I think it was about £1.89.

Although it got a good head for the photo I did have to pour it from a little height to achieve this as it was not appearing otherwise. The aroma was a little difficult because I have a cold currently, but I got the light coffee and roasted malts easily.

The body is light to medium for a stout, dry, coffee again, light hints of milky chocolate, cream.
It sounds strange to say its just an ordinary stout as it ticks pretty much all boxes you would expect, and then it seems odd then if I say its not terribly exciting. What was I expecting? what is it missing? perhaps a little more body if I was being overly picky, but this is a beer I would drink again any day, absolutely. Contradictory yes, but its only beer.

Shepherd Neame Double Stout

Possibly still on sale in Lidl, £1.49 500mls,  this is from Shepherd Neame and its their 4% abv Double Stout with the Master Brewer label.

Almost black, but very transparent, light coffee cream head. Its ticks most boxes with its aroma, coffee, chocolate, roast malts. First taste though and my mind immediately focuses on its body, its quite light and thin, the carbonation is fine but just the thinness strikes you.
Anyway what about the rest? Well its got dryness, coffee and chocolate, a lingering metallic note. Quite bitter coffee noted.
All in all its okay, not great just okay and drinkable.

You know when you make a sauce, pasta sauce or whatever, you season and taste it and think 'not bad, just need to reduce down and intensify the flavours' well that's just what i thought when drinking this beer.

Light and Dark

I've been busy recently, lots of decorating, assembling furniture and a first turn at wallpapering hence the lack of recent posts. All good fun, not,  and now I have a weeks holiday just when its half term holiday.

I certainly though have not been denying myself some decent beers, including another trip to the Cardiff beer shop to pick up some new bottles. I did tend to hit the more well known names this time, Thronbridge and Kernel bottles, Mikkeller and Anchor again. I could have gone for some breweries I've not experienced before but the above mentioned when on the shelf I really felt I couldn't pass over.

Tonight however I drank one from my last shopping trip pre xmas, Orkney Brewery's Dragonhead stout, and then followed it with another bottle from the Mikkeller Single Hop IPA series, this time the Nelson Sauvin.

Obviously 2 very different styles of beer, but at the end of the day its still malts, water and hops.


 Orkney's Dragonhead, a surprisingly low 4% considering how it tastes, 500ml bottle.



On the other side is a Mikkeller Single Hop Nelson Sauvin IPA, a much bigger 6.9% abv, 330ml bottle.





 Both in excellent condition when opened, aroma's flowing free from the pour. One was chocolate, earthy notes and wood, the other bountiful exotic fruit, which was which??!!

The taste couldn't live up to the aroma's surely?
Oh yes, but first the look - black as a stout should be, with a head that clings on throughout being respectable to the image, and the colour of light melted chocolate, which I'm convinced got darker as I drank more. Oily in texture, good mouthful, you just keep swirling the glass to see how it looks and settles. Dark chocolate, light coffee on the tongue, woody and a little smoke. Total joy. Within the creamy sensation you get some vanilla, and then a good roasted end.

Why did i follow a stout with this IPA, I'm not totally sure. I know I wanted to continue the high qualitity I had just had had, I didn't want to be let down with a lacklustre beer and the last Mikkeller was a pretty good bottle. And I'd recently re-discovered Brewdog's 5am Saint and fancied another similar hit of hops, so hoped this would provide it.

Wonderful colour, sort of a bright copper, the citrus and passion fruit aroma. Great freshness again with this bottle like the last, the bitterness creeps back in your mouth and hits the back nicely, fades a little early but by then your going for another sip so it's a moot point. Crisp sharp orange that should be left in the fruit bowl a little longer, and a wonderful hop dryness.


Good choices.

a big Stout round up

Little run of stouts recently either side of some night shifts and the holidays, some good, very good at that, some not. Two of the five are welsh beers.

The Sainsbury's beer competition last year produced one beer that was roundly praised, even surprising people that it was not more highly placed. I never got to a store whilst the competition was on, so missed most of the beers but a few weeks after I picked up two bottles left on a clearance shelf, the last bottles of the Williams Brothers Profanity Stout.

Spoiler - Its excellent, basically. 330mls, 7% abv.

Dark black ruby edges. Aroma of coffee and malts but also hop fruits coming through. Great full body, chocoloate, creamy, nice bitterness, rich coffee, rich figgy fruit. Excuse me while I go dig the other bottle out of the shed.




Pen-lon Stock Ram , bottle conditioned stout, 4.5%, Pen-lon are based in Ceredigion, West Wales, and all their range are conditioned and vegan friendly made on their farm. Previously I've had their Chocolate stout which was very good, but their bottles are still not easily obtained in South Wales.
It has conditioned well, light carbonation, reasonable full in the mouth. Aroma is light chocolate and ash. Taste is a little odd, there is coffee, its yeasty,  but also some slightly sour fruits, blackcurrants. Its also got a faint cheesy quality. Overall unfortunately I was not that impressed.

Neath Ales Black, this was brought to me in my christmas stocking, coool santa thanks!!
5.5%, 500mls, Neath ales black is light in the mouth, but nicely so, overall its flavours are light and nicely balanced with its body, making it very drinkable. There is bitter chocolate and rich fruit, an ash dryness, finishes with good bitterness.

Saint Petersburg by Thornbridge, is remarkable in that it drinks nowhere near a 7.7% beer. This Imperial Russian stout is beautiful to look at, in and out the bottle, to smell and taste. Beautiful mocha head, aroma is roasted malt, smoke, milk chocolate. Deep flavour, although not as huge as i was expecting, licorice, coffee, good hop bitterness alongside a little metallic edge.
One everyone should try.









Recommended by the Folk & Ale blog I picked this up on an occasional visit to Sainsbury's.
Brewed for them by Black Sheep brewery, one I've always enjoyed beers by, its 6% and damn tasty.
Very dark brown into a black, thick but small head, solid body.
Chocolate on the nose and mouth, milk chocolate, coffee with sugar, dried fruits.
Obviously much more easily available that most of the above and well worth checking out.

The Plough and Harrow, Monknash, South Wales

We hadn't been here for a few years, about five my wife reckons, when we had our daughter in a papoose on my back reaching out for blackberries from the hedgerows. We had a sunday lunch outside the pub whilst she crawled in the grass purple juice on her cheeks, on a lovely sunny day.

The Plough and Harrow is found in Monknash which is a 15-20 minute drive from Cowbridge in the Vale of Glamorgan through a few country lanes. You can do a great walk using the pub as a starting point, we just did part of it, starting going past the pub down the lane and a stony path (good boots needed) for 20-30 minutes and ending up on the Vale of Glamorgan coast line, fabulous views. The walk is great if you've an interest in photography, loads of  natural little waterfalls. ( Some photos here, more to be added over next few days)

Not bad huh?!

So, back to the pub. A traditional country pub. Nooks, crannys,  bits and bobs on the walls and ceiling.  Oozing it from the pores. And that is meant in no way disrespectfully, you end up looking at the houses around it and imagine your self living there so you could be a local in this pub. You sink into the chair, and want time to stretch. We wonder if our kids could manage the walk we did so we could come back sooner.

An old building, fires and small bars, ales up front on pumps, five casks behind the bar.

No menu's, its written across the beams, as are the beers and ciders, abv's and prices. 

Lunch was some traditional faggots, peas and chips this time, superb and priced fairly. The staff friendly and professional, absolutely no complaints there. 

On cask was Wye Valley HPA, Wickwar's Cotswold Way, Hancocks HB, and Kingstone's Gold but I went for the Cotswold Spring Brewery stout Guv'nor. 

Light to medium in the mouth, chocolate, dry and burnt coffee beans. Fruit and chocolate beautifully balanced, £3 a pint. Money well spent. 

A day well spent.

Jacobi Brewery of Caio "dark roasted ale"

I'm afraid I know little about this brewery but what i manage to find out is:

- Based on one of the few National Trust lands in Wales, the Dolaucothi estate in West Wales.
- Started in 2006 by Justin and Jane Jacobi, i met Justin at a recent food festival and he's a very nice bloke.
- He told me that they were hoping to convert a nearby building into a brewery tap and shop.
- This is the website but there's nowt there!

 So, the Jacobi Brewery of Caio produce 4 regular beers plus seasonal offerings, I picked up the dark, Light ale, and Red Squirrel bitter. I also tasted a locally sourced honey beer (i forget its name). They sell locally, festivals, realbeerbox online and through some National Trust shops.


Tonight i fancied the 'dark roasted ale', 500mls, 5% abv, not bottle conditioned. When opening it i feared it was going to be a flat beer as there was hardly any 'pffft' but this was actually no problem i the end, it stayed perfectly carbonated through to the bottom the the glass. Head retention was reasonable also, an off white head.

Strong roasted aroma, creamy chocolate, a little spicy.
With the fizz and its dark brown colouring its similar looking to Coke, plus a head.
Light body, not as strongly roasted as the aroma suggests but nicely smooth to start with light chocolate, a dryness, sharp berry fruits sneak in too. Ends with a mild bitterness.
Very pleasant overall, look forward to trying the other beers from the brewery.

Purple Moose Brewery 'Myrica Gale'

The Purple Moose Brewery are based in North Wales near Snowdonia whose range of beers in their 6 year history have won quite a few awards at national and international level, including Champion beer of Wales in 2009.

My bottle tonight is this years winter seasonal 'Myrica Gale'. A stout brewed with Hallertau hops, 500mls 4.1% abv, and with bog myrtle added.
Bog myrtle is also known as sweet gale, and has a long history in brewing, being frequently used for bittering, its 'intoxicating' effects and was used in place of the hops when brewing.

A nice very light brown head that settles to a ring in the glass. Colour is near black but deep red at the edges when held up.
Aroma is chocolate, spicy which reminds me of dandelion and burdock.
Light to medium in the mouth for a stout, carbonation is good.
The spices are more evident in tasting, herbal and bitter tones, although they dont linger to much in the mouth. As it goes on the chocolate and roasted malts come through more.
Easy to drink and overall its quite nice, refreshing, interesting. I found the spice dominating over your normal stout flavours however, although not in an offensive over the top way.

International Stout Day

is November the third, you can find more details here.
But what more do you need to know?  just get some stout and drink it!!
Except i cant. I'm working a couple of night shifts this week.
Poor show for a blog with stout in the title huh!

Anyway on the next available evening i'll retrospectivly celebrate and drink some black stuff, namely these two welsh bottles.

The Jacobi brewery of Caio  i picked up three of their bottles a month ago, the Dark roasted ale will be perfect for stout night, the sample i tasted was tantalising. 

Next will be the Purple Moose brewery  and their seasonal offering "Myrica Gale"  'a sumptuous stout brewed using Hallertau hops with the added extravagance of bog myrtle' 

Sounds interesting!!

Bullmastiff Welsh Black

A quick lunch out was taken today at the excellent Boars Head in Tyla Garw, South Wales.

We both had the excellent Aberdeen Angus burgers, and to accompany it i had a BullMastiff Welsh Black stout.

Bullmastiff are a Cardiff brewery, run by two brothers since the late 80's, and naming the brewery after their own dogs as well as a lot of the beers (As far as i can see they have no website). Your most likely to find their beers in the Wetherspoons in Penarth.
I first came across their beers in another less than salubrious establishment in Penarth a few years ago, perhaps it was the (dodgy) atmosphere, and the name of their main beer 'Son of a Bitch' but I didn't form a great first impression back then. I have not really seen their beers outside of the Penarth/Cardiff areas really so a surprise to see 3 on tap today, but i went for the Welsh Black.

Light to medium body, light cappuccino creamy head that lasted very well.
Aroma was fruity, sweet berries that certainly had me thinking blackberry, and little roasted notes.
The fruit i first thought was blackberries now appears in abundance but its not as earthy as i would expect so raspberries would be my second guess, its not sharp enough to be blackcurrants.
The sweetness does dominate the mouth, but you do get some creamy, oily texture alongside light bitterness.

Williams Brothers 'March of the Penguins'

Another of the new bottles on my local Tesco shelves. 500mls, 4.9% abv.

Into the glass and its black, held up its almost impenetrable, and has a lovely off white colour head.
Its giving me a nice smoky, chocolate flair on the nose.
Its body is a good medium, fills you mouth appropriately, with coffee and roasted notes, and ticks the dry and bitterness boxes. A nice sweetness of toffee comes through as it warms.
Buy it if you see it, a good example of well made stout.

Brain's Stouts - Original & Black

Newly launched by Brains is their Original Stout, 500ml bottle 4.1% abv. They've scored a big deal with Tesco for their beers, and this stout is part of the deal.

Seeing as they only launched their other stout 'Black' last year it does make you wonder about its future. I like Black (also 4.1%), its nice and easy to drink but if 'Original' is a success then where does that leave Black?
Was Black a test launch into the market? if it succeeded, which it has, then launch a proper named stout and maybe let Black fade away. If black had failed, well chalk it up as experience, you were up against Guinness after all! Perhaps wait a few years and try again?

The drinks.

Original stout - small light brown head, aroma initially chocolate but soon disappears and left with light nutty aroma, faint though. Bitterness coats the mouth, lingers at the top of the mouth well after you swallow.Medium body, medium roasted malts too.

Black - my previous notes said "Nice and smooth, excellent head that stays and laces the glass all the way, nutty aroma and good but light burnt caramel malt taste."
This time, as i seemed to drink more of the 'Original' first, when i got to the Black it was slightly warmer and seemed remarkable similar to the first although less bitter.



 





















Probably an unfair taste test, black only comes in cans, nitro widget gives it smoothness and lasting creamy head. As i said i wonder if in a years time Black will still be around if 'Original' takes off,
Perhaps a bottle comparison with bottled Guinness would be a better test, seeing as that's the market it needs to swim in.

Overall, the new bottle is nice, neither to be honest are really exciting stouts, but they make for pleasant drinking. Which is preferred?  for me i think it is the new one, not having the widgetted smoothness is better, and the hop bitterness comes across better making it more rounded.

Sierra Nevada Stout

The last of the American bottles i picked up yesterday, this is a stout by the Sierra Nevada brewery.
Love love love their Pale Ale, not quite as enamored by their IPA Torpedo though.

The stout is 5.8% abv, 350mls, and was £2.39

Fizzes out of the glass, very dark brown, very light brown head that settles down to a nice ring on the glass.
Aroma is bitter coffee and chocolate although not a huge amount comes on. Nice medium body, quite bitter from the hops but smooths off nicely with the chocolate and roasted malts, and ends quite bitterly drying.

USA Friday

In a extremely quick stop at the Cardiff beer shop i aimed to pick up either 4 bottles from the American or the German shelves. I attempted to ignore the other recently stocked shelves, badly as it happens, as i'm heading back next week for loads of new bottles i've not tried or even seen before.
 
 Back to todays purchases, i didn't get past the US section, several new bottles jumped into my arms.

Two are from the Brooklyn Brewery, the Brown Ale and East India  Pale Ale, Flying Dog's Doggie style classic Pale Ale, and a Sierra Nevada Stout (not in photo). Three hours later and the first is opened tonight, a live posting in fact:








Brooklyn's Brown Ale - 355mls, 5.6% alc./vol., and i thought I'd add how much i paid for it, £1.99, i don't normal include that information, no real reason why, but sometimes i do wonder what others pay in other area's of the country.


Deep brown in colour, short lasting off white head, a lovely aroma thats nice and roasty, plum, chocolates and malts.  

Also loving the nutty rich taste, malts and rich dried fruit, a smooth chocolate finish, and as it slinks down the throat a dryness that bites just a little and lingers.
Very enjoyable.



Flying Dog Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale
Again 355mls, 5.5% alc./vol, and the first time i've noticed on a bottle, the IBU: 35.  I paid £2.39.
The art of Ralph Steadman wraps around the bottle beautifully.
Previously i've only had their Gonzo Imperial Porter which was pretty special so i was looking forward to this.

It pours a reddish golden colour, one finger of a frothy white head.
Gorgeous aroma, pine, orange and mango sweetness, promises alot.
However its a little less exciting that i hoped, its has a medium body, pine resin and orange taste, and a light bitterness from the hops, its fresh tasting and grassy. Goes down very easy.
For me its a subtle beer, quite nice, but not as exciting as i was expecting.


Brooklyn Brewery East India Pale Ale, 6.9% alc./vol., 355mls, and £2.25.

Colour was a little lighter, a little more orange than the Flying Dog, with again a one finger frothy white head.
Certainly it seems more full bodied than the last one, the stronger alcohol is obvious. Aroma though is less prominent, a little perfumy , and some pine, generally lacking though.
Its bitterness is more upfront, the pine resin hits, my mouth is quite dry following this.

Of the three beers the brown ale was the best of the night, but between the two pale ales i'm in bit of a quandary. Which did in prefer? possibly the Flying Dog, the better flavored of the two, and although light on the mouth and less balanced, it was a bit more exciting, just though.



Now tomorrow, after a 12 1/2 shift at work, i'll have the Sierra Nevada Stout waiting for me. Tell me, is it worth waiting for??

Ridgeway Bad King John

This is one i picked up a couple of months ago, and its been sitting my leaky and dusty shed, but i got it out this weekend. Its listed as a 'very english black ale' on the bottle, which has a beautiful label, really in keeping with its description and gives it a tapestry 'ye olde beer' impression. Its 6.0% abv 500ml and bottle conditioned. It also seems to be a bottle thats for US import originally judging by the label information.

Is it black ale? what is a black ale? i'm not sure how one is defined and i've certainly had beers similar which described themselves as stouts, and i notice some rating websites also call it a stout. Anyhoo its a beer and i drank it. What did i think.

It has a small off white bubbly head that soon goes to just a ring, and its colour is pretty black, with its carbonation its appears almost cocoa cola like.
It has some sour notes and ash, and tasting, well its bitter, coming with some coffee, and dark chocolate. These keep on going throughout the bottle, and its has smoke down to the last drop. It has a thin not quite medium body, and some fruits keep popping through, lovely blackberry, certainly blackcurrant involved in its bitterness. Overall though not bad, i'd have i again it offered.

Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate Stout

A bottle i picked up when i went to the Otley Bunch of Grapes a fortnight back.
An imperial stout, it is 10.0% abv in a 355 ml bottle. Classically appropriate design, it looks so inviting.
Pours black into the glass, a thick creamy tan head sitting majestically on top. It has a lovely expected aroma of coffee, sweet milk chocolate. Its smooth as hell, a creamy medium body is just right, with roasted malts coming through strong for me, bitter coffee, the bitterness carries on to the end also.
This was a great one to sip, shame it didn't last to long, as i loved the chocolate coming on more as it warmed, balanced by tangy dark fruit and alcohol warmth.
Highly recommended.

Beer round up no.2

A bit of a round up post, featuring a few beers I've had over the last few weeks but not featured in any posts, so i can now get onto the new bottles sitting waiting, so here goes......

Picked up a couple from Morrison's, including Everards 'Beacon Bitter', and one from my neck of the woods, Ringwoods 'Boondoggle'
After a 12 1/2hr shift i welcomed the Beacon bitter, pounced on it, and drained it down quickly. Classic copper in colour, faint fruit aroma with malty background, 3.8% abv. Mellow bitterness, alongside its toffee hints on a medium body. Good standard bitter, not much wrong with it.

Ringwood's 'Boondoggle' is one i remember having on cask many many years ago, you dont forget that name really. 5% abv which is apparently strong than on cask, light golden in colour, its a 'blonde beer' that has the aroma of a honey beer, sweet and floral. Taste wise its sweet but with a dry bitterness, lemon, digestive biscuit malt. Overall though it wasn't one that impressed me, it was like a bad Badger beer, overly sweet and floral, wouldn't buy it again i'm afraid, Ringwood do produce much better beers than this normally.

Black Sheep do good beers. Fact. 'Square ale', 'Golden sheep' and 'Riggwelter' - good bottled beers. Riggwelter is a 5.7% strong Yorkshire ale, a marvelously chewy toffee ale, cracking beer. Rich roasted malts, strong dark fruits, a sweetness bordering on treacle flavored. A nice coffee bitterness in there too, medium to heavy bodied, really enjoyable.


Brewdog's 8% Rip Tide stout was a nice drop but a little bit of a let down if truth be told. Black, black, black in the glass with tan coloured head. A little thin in the mouth which was a surprise, coffee, chocolate malts, licorice. I think i was expecting something a little more 'bombastic' from it than it actually gave, hence feeling underwhelmed.

 Young's Double Chocolate Stout, relatively famous beer in most respects, and another that features in the "best beers in the world" books with some regularity. So was quite looking forward to this one, open it and got a well carbonated black pint, little frothy off white head. Smooth, chocolate and some spice aroma, surprisingly noticeable hop presence. Again i was a little underwhelmed with it, if anything the milk chocolate was a little too sickly sweet for me.

Coniston Brewing Co.'s Bluebird Bitter, award winning and very drinkable. As you can see from the photo i just about left some in the glass before i remembered to shoot it! Golden straw colour, malty aroma with sweet fruit sweetness. Taste was very good, bready, malt, but also a floral and hoppy element. There also seems to be a little apple and maybe banana in there too? I would certainly like to try this on cask if given the opportunity.

 
Finally the other night i tried the Weihenstephan Kristall Weissbier. Very refreshing, crisp, dry, very carbonated as you can see. As you'd expect it has banana, clove, yeasty, and bubble gum sweetness. Lovely, not much wrong with it, again best on a hot day i would imagine.

Lancaster Black

A bottle picked up in a dash to Asda the other day, 500 mls 4.6% stout. Nice simple clean design on the bottle. Pours a nice deep brown with light tan fluffy head, an aroma of caramel and light chocolate. Its quite a smooth drink, moderate in everything - chocolate, roasted malt, earthy bitterness, light bodied but not thin.

Its all very pleasant but nothing jumps down your throat saying 'here i am'! But there's nothing wrong with that, i'd happily drink this again, if the abv was a little lower it would make a great session beer too, probably very good on cask.

Valentines Black Velvet

Valentines Day, the day in the year where men are expected to fork out for the woman in their life, and usually get little in return. Fortunately my wife is sensible enough to suggest that money spent on cards and ridiculous gifts could be better spent on a decent bottle of wine and a bloody huge slab of steak.
Nothing says i love you more than congesting your partners colon and pickling their liver!

Anyway last week I received a gift at work for being good at my job, and whilst my colleagues enjoyed their box of biscuits, I am looking at a bottle of Moet & Chandon champagne.

I'm not a big champagne fan to be honest, a little at a toast is more than enough for me, and so the sensible part of me thought immediately of Valentines night. Obviously i was not going to be able to tell the wife i had got it specially for the 14th, she'd never believe me, but i thought we'd enjoy it.
I then remembered in a Nigella Lawson book a drink called a Black Velvet - Guinness and Champagne.

 

That makes the champagne more palatable to me anyway.

I used Guinness FES for this. You are supposed to pour the champagne first, then the guinness on the back of a spoon and it looks like this.

Anyway, I'd liked to say it looked bloody marvelous... but it didn't, they both mixed together. But it tasted smooth, hint of the bitterness with the dryness of the champagne sitting in the centre, quite nice.
Actually i was most surprised that i quite enjoyed the champagne on its own, obviously I have to have the quality stuff to appreciate it!!

Beer post next time i promise, i'm aiming to be at the Cardiff beer shop tomorrow so hopefully i'll post goodies galore.

Pen-lon chocolate stout

A bottle from welsh producers Pen-lon Cottage Brewery. Its a brewery that you hear about in South Wales but i do find it difficult to find their beers on the shelves, Waitrose aside. And thats a shame because their range always looks interesting, their philosophy and style looks honest and very drinkworthy.

This is their Chocolate Stout, 4.5% abv 500mls. A milky medium body on the tongue, small head, and it was eager to get out of the bottle! A little spillage on the wife's newly washed floor but what she doesn't know.....
Anyway its smooth, light on the roasted malts, slight metallic hints and a light chocolate follow through. Its certainly got a dairy'ish quality about it, and it has a long dry finish too. Earthy aroma noted too.