8

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Imperial milk stout flavoured with orange zest - so basically a pastry stout of sorts - by this established English craft brewery, thanks Meeki for sharing! Deep beige, creamy, open ring for a head on a blackish chestnut brown robe with coppery highlights. Aroma of milk chocolate bars, caramel sauce, vanilla, marmalade (an effect doubtlessly established by the orange zest), blackberry jam, Milky Way candy, marmite, treacle, raisins soaked in ruby port. Very sweet, milk-sugary onset, even a bit more so than expected really, 'praline'-like with elements of candied cherry, raisin and dried plum; very light beef stock-like umami accent, soft carb, very full and creamy body. Deeply toffeeish, milk-chocolatey and nougat-like middle with a coffee bitter roasty note further on, paired with a more herbal touch of bitterness which could come from leafy hops, but in this case also from the orange zest, which seemingly provides more aroma than actual flavour. Caramel and chocolate flavours dominate, in a brandy-like warming finish, accentuating the milk chocolate element rather than disrupting it. Indulgent, creamy, sweet strong stout - a liquid dessert, but very well done, because it also incorporates this coffee roastedness that constitutes the core of a good classic stout for me. Weird premise, exquisitely executed.

7.6

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

375ml bottle from the brewery. Poured almost black in colour with little life. The aroma is roasted malt, oak, light orange marmalade. The flavour is over moderate sweet, with a smooth, rich, roasty, orange, dry oaky, chocolate, boozy liquorice bitter palate. Full bodied with soft carbonation.

8.4

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

Bottle from The Star & Garter, Bromley. Black pour with a tan head. Nose is dark Terry's chocolate orange, oak,liquorice toffee, prunes,dates. Taste is oak,bourbon, cocoa, dark chocolate orange, notes of coffee. Humungously warming alcohol. Oaky sweet booze laden finish.

7.5

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 9

Bottle at home, 12th December 2021. Pours a thick black stout. Aroma is rich, chocolate, cocoa, barrel. Taste is rich, chocolate and light wood, a hint of orange. Not bad, but not as good as the other 2 in the series

7.8

Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

Dark pour with a short-lived tan head. Roasted malt, bourbon, scotch, oak, vanilla, toffee, ash, light peat, dust. Solid stuff.

7.9

Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 8.5 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Black with a ring tan head. Aroma of dark chocolate, oak, dark fudge, bourbon, oozing milk chocolate caramel sweets, orange notes, booze and alcohol. Flavour is heavy sweet. Full bodied with soft carbonation.

8

Medium body, completely flat. Sweet, oily, dark chocolate, orange, lots of oak. Quite boozy, like orange marnier, fairly strong, some roastiness. Quite an unusual combo, would have thought more threat than opportunity, but very nice.

7.1

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6.5

Bottle sample at a tasting at Yoav's place. Black. Apple (Acetaldehyde), chocolate, a bit of soy sauce, a bit of orange, sweet, a bit of milk, some alcohol.