7.2

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

Dry stout in Irish style from a brewery in Sarlat in southwestern France; tasted from both a longneck and a 75 cl bottle with crown cap. Moussy, mocha-beige, medium thick, closed and stable head, very dark chocolate brown robe, looking blackish but still with burgundy-reddish hue at the edges. Aroma of hard caramel, ground walnuts, dry leather, beef stock, nutmeg, some bitter chocolate in the background, dry tree leaves, coffee grounds, plaster. Sweetish but restrainedly so, old raisins, dried figs and a touch of apple peel, fizzily carbonated with smooth mouthfeel; hard-caramelly, walnutty and brown-bready maltiness, dryish, with a light beef stock-like umami hint. Roasty coffee grounds bitterness dominates the finish, along with a herbal and peppery hop touch; aspects of dry tree leaves, nutmeg and old liquorice peep through along with something iron-like (blood) and a subtle sourish undertone, but the roasted bitterness sufficiently holds its own. Balanced, rather unassuming dry stout, nothing spectacular but enjoyably old school – probably the best of the tasted ‘24’ beers for me during that holiday in the Périgord.