7.8

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 8

Bottle (Cool Wine). Black with a tan head that’s soon at the rim and then gone. Interesting aroma of spiced coffee beans and hairy raspberries, somewhat acrid roasted malt. Doesn’t really signal the breadth of what’s to come. Only just medium bodied, moderate carbonation. Taste has just a little sweetness, with as much chocolate and vanilla initially as coffee, although a little astringency kicks in a bit later. The raspberries are there and sit just underneath the stouty flavours. Couldn’t pick the whey, oats or leatherwood honey really, but there’s a broadness and softness across the palate that I suppose I associate with all of them. It’s surprising the distinctive leatherwood doesn’t stick out. Somehow remains a proper stout with berry porridge and coffee features that fit. At the end there’s a little tightly spicy bitterness. Quite something.