Appearance- very dark brown, opaque, nearly black. A half-finger cream head. Aroma- chocolate, roast malt, milky coffee, cocoa, toffee hints, biscuity malt. Taste- roast malt, milk chocolate, cocoa powder, caramel biscuit, hint of ashy roast, chocolatey sweetness. Smooth mouthfeel.

Keg at Brewdog Soho. A brown black coloured pour with a a lasting beige head . Aroma is tangy berry white choc, milky,. Flavour is composed od milky choc, soft, berry, brown sugar,. Palate is semi sweet, oily, lowish carbonation.. Ok. Little woody.

Keg at BrewDog Soho - London. Pours deep brown with a frothy, tan head. The nksenholds mellow roast, milk chocolate. Light-medium sweet flavour with more milk chocolate, soft roast, raisins, nips of ash. Light bodiednwith fine carbonation and velvety texture. Finishes with light bittersweet cocoa, dried milk chocolate, dried berries. Decent stuff.

Can from Plan B in Rotterdam, an oatmeal stout from a craft brewery in Ireland hitherto unknown to me. Regularly shaped, creamy and dense, yellowish beige, sparsely lacing head, very dark burdungy bronze beer, bordering in black but still largely translucent with deep copper red edges. Aroma of melting caramel candy, coffee cream, raisins, old ginger powder, milk chocolate, stewed Moroccan dates, butterscotch, hazelnuts, candied cherries, tea, wet tree leaves somewhere. Sweet onset, candied fig, sourish touch of blackberries, soft carb, creamy and velvety mouthfeel thanks to the oats, soft and supple. Caramelly and nutty malt sweet body with soft toasty bitterish edges, bitter chocolate flavours at the back but all remaining quite gentle and straightforward, light herbal hop bitterish touch but maltiness, more sweet than bitter, keeps prevailing. Classic, malty sweet stout, a decent introduction to this substyle, with the oats pleasantly providing velvetiness in the mouth. Well done, if nothing out of the ordinary.

Keg at BrewDog Leicester. dark brown, bordering on black with a hint of purple. Opaque. Heavy sweet liquorice in the aroma with a bunt hit of fudge brownie. Sweet taste, almost overly so. Thin body with more far-to-sweet liquorice in the aftertaste. A bit disappointing.

330ml can. Dark brown with a thin tan head. Sweet chocolate aroma, flavour is sweet, chocolate, coffee. Not complex but decent

33 cL bottle. Pours dark brown with a tan head. Aroma is roasted malt. Breadish. Bitter, dark malt. Slight sweet and roasted. Medium dry. Roasted dark malt. Breadish and roasted finish.

Bottle from Beers of Europe. Poured a clear dark brown with a big frothy light tan head. The aroma is roasty malt, dry stone fruits, light sweet chocolate. The flavour is moderate sweet with a light watery, sweet malt, liquorice, chocolate, light dry coffee palate. Medium bodied with soft carbonation.