Tried
on 20 Apr 2014
at 12:24
8.4/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Keg @ The Salthouse, Galway [170414]
This was set of one-off kegs available at all 9 Galway Bay bars in Galway and Dublin for one day only
Pitch black, no light through, rich tan head, good lacing, excellent appearance
Aroma of rich sweet dark malts, soft roast, slight vanilla, hint of soy
Taste of rich dark malts, dark chocolate, meaty malts, sweet rich dark malts, alcohol well hidden, very soft coffee notes, some savoury malts, soft dark fruits, slight vanilla, not getting much of the whisky from the barrel aging which is a good thing (maybe just the vanilla and dark fruits)
Palate - Soft carb, full body, oily rich texture, smooth, mouth coating dark malts, slight tangy palate .Finish as main flavour, smooth, rich dark malts, slightly dry
Overall - Not tried the bottle but this is a superb impy stout. It’s my #1 Irish beer.
This was set of one-off kegs available at all 9 Galway Bay bars in Galway and Dublin for one day only
Pitch black, no light through, rich tan head, good lacing, excellent appearance
Aroma of rich sweet dark malts, soft roast, slight vanilla, hint of soy
Taste of rich dark malts, dark chocolate, meaty malts, sweet rich dark malts, alcohol well hidden, very soft coffee notes, some savoury malts, soft dark fruits, slight vanilla, not getting much of the whisky from the barrel aging which is a good thing (maybe just the vanilla and dark fruits)
Palate - Soft carb, full body, oily rich texture, smooth, mouth coating dark malts, slight tangy palate .Finish as main flavour, smooth, rich dark malts, slightly dry
Overall - Not tried the bottle but this is a superb impy stout. It’s my #1 Irish beer.
Tried
from Bottle
on 18 Apr 2014
at 20:36
7.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Keg @ The Cottage, Galway [160414]
Dark brown, clear, no head, thin rim arpund glass
Aroma - Soft roast, some grassy hop, piney
Taste of bitter citrus zest, some bitter grassy hops, roasted malts, nice dark malts underneath, grapefruit zest, easy for the abv, good BIPA
Palate - Very soft carb, medium body, bit sticky. Finish bitter zest, bit grassy, sweet dark malts, roasted malt
Overall - Wasn’t sure at first, then really got to like it...it’s a good BIPA. Should have had more than 1/3 pt taster!
Dark brown, clear, no head, thin rim arpund glass
Aroma - Soft roast, some grassy hop, piney
Taste of bitter citrus zest, some bitter grassy hops, roasted malts, nice dark malts underneath, grapefruit zest, easy for the abv, good BIPA
Palate - Very soft carb, medium body, bit sticky. Finish bitter zest, bit grassy, sweet dark malts, roasted malt
Overall - Wasn’t sure at first, then really got to like it...it’s a good BIPA. Should have had more than 1/3 pt taster!
Tried
on 18 Apr 2014
at 18:45
7.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Keg @ Oslo, Galway [160414] NEW version
Black, rich tan head, good lacing
Aroma - Soft roasted malts, dark chocolate, dark malts
Taste - Soft roast, deeper dark malts than before on tap, fairly sweet malts, plain chocolate, getting a brown bread hint, dab of burnt malts, nice
Palate - Too cold and fizzy at first...so let warm up. Soft carb, medium body, mouth coating malts. Finish is a bit dry, clinging dark malts, soft chocolate.
Overall - This new one on tap gets 3.7, the old bottled brew 3.8 (which I might have overrated tbh). The old tap one I scored 3.4. So this for me has improved on tap (even though I’ve given a lower score overall to the new one). I rated it after it had warmed up for 20 - 30 minutes and lost some of the fizz.. I’’ve rated Buried At Sea 3.7 - I seem to like both these beers as much. Maybe I’ll do a blind bottle tasting of the two...
Earlier Rating: 12/5/2013 Total Score: 3.8
Take 2 Bottle from Drinkstore, Dublin [071213]
Now...let’s try the bottle...Very dark caramel brown, big frothy beige head, bit over fizzy from bottle, some lacing
Aroma - soft roast, soft dark caramel, slight burnt note, hint of chocolate
Taste - Smooth sweet rich dark malts, soft bitter roast, slight burnt notes, hint of coffee, dark chocolate, some molasses, dab of treacle, bit of yeast (err I accidently poured a couple of chunks in), much more flavour than the fizzy keg...this would work REALLY well on cask
Palate - Soft carb (after I let the fizz go down), medium body. bit sticky, quite dark rich mouthcoasting malts. Finish as main flavour, quite dry dark rich sweet malts
Overall - This is much better bottled 3.4 > 3.8
Keg @ Salt House, Galway [021213] 6/3/7/3/14
Fairly black, ruby edges through glass, off white head
Aroma - touch of dark malt, hint of bitter hop, subdued aroma
Taste of dark malts, roasted malts, touch of chocolate, some burnt toast
Palate - Moderate carb, light body, too fizzy for a stout, tad thin, Finish - some roast burnt malts, bit dry
Overall - Not quite as good as the chocolate milk stout. Think I would prefer this cask conditoned or bottled (which I have and will re-rate soon). Not sure that keg is the best dispense for this particular beer.
Black, rich tan head, good lacing
Aroma - Soft roasted malts, dark chocolate, dark malts
Taste - Soft roast, deeper dark malts than before on tap, fairly sweet malts, plain chocolate, getting a brown bread hint, dab of burnt malts, nice
Palate - Too cold and fizzy at first...so let warm up. Soft carb, medium body, mouth coating malts. Finish is a bit dry, clinging dark malts, soft chocolate.
Overall - This new one on tap gets 3.7, the old bottled brew 3.8 (which I might have overrated tbh). The old tap one I scored 3.4. So this for me has improved on tap (even though I’ve given a lower score overall to the new one). I rated it after it had warmed up for 20 - 30 minutes and lost some of the fizz.. I’’ve rated Buried At Sea 3.7 - I seem to like both these beers as much. Maybe I’ll do a blind bottle tasting of the two...
Earlier Rating: 12/5/2013 Total Score: 3.8
Take 2 Bottle from Drinkstore, Dublin [071213]
Now...let’s try the bottle...Very dark caramel brown, big frothy beige head, bit over fizzy from bottle, some lacing
Aroma - soft roast, soft dark caramel, slight burnt note, hint of chocolate
Taste - Smooth sweet rich dark malts, soft bitter roast, slight burnt notes, hint of coffee, dark chocolate, some molasses, dab of treacle, bit of yeast (err I accidently poured a couple of chunks in), much more flavour than the fizzy keg...this would work REALLY well on cask
Palate - Soft carb (after I let the fizz go down), medium body. bit sticky, quite dark rich mouthcoasting malts. Finish as main flavour, quite dry dark rich sweet malts
Overall - This is much better bottled 3.4 > 3.8
Keg @ Salt House, Galway [021213] 6/3/7/3/14
Fairly black, ruby edges through glass, off white head
Aroma - touch of dark malt, hint of bitter hop, subdued aroma
Taste of dark malts, roasted malts, touch of chocolate, some burnt toast
Palate - Moderate carb, light body, too fizzy for a stout, tad thin, Finish - some roast burnt malts, bit dry
Overall - Not quite as good as the chocolate milk stout. Think I would prefer this cask conditoned or bottled (which I have and will re-rate soon). Not sure that keg is the best dispense for this particular beer.
Tried
from Draft
on 18 Apr 2014
at 17:44
7/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Keg @ Oslo, Galway [160414]
Amber, clear, white head
Aroma - Soft sweet fruity malts, getting a dab of apricot, light aroma
Taste - Soft spicy hops, nice soft fruits, some apricot, yeast esters, mellow zest, flavour gets more intense with the drinking
Palate - Soft carb, light to medium body, bit spicy and peppery, sweet soft fruits and some bitter fruity zest.
Overall - Nice saison, good soft flavours in there
Amber, clear, white head
Aroma - Soft sweet fruity malts, getting a dab of apricot, light aroma
Taste - Soft spicy hops, nice soft fruits, some apricot, yeast esters, mellow zest, flavour gets more intense with the drinking
Palate - Soft carb, light to medium body, bit spicy and peppery, sweet soft fruits and some bitter fruity zest.
Overall - Nice saison, good soft flavours in there
Tried
on 18 Apr 2014
at 17:08
6.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Tremendous IPA. I have no problem putting this on par with Alesmith, Stone, Maine, or Hill Farmstead. Pours a deep cloudy amber into the pint glass, medium off white head that dissipates quickly, nice soapy lacing left on the glass. Big grapefruit, juicy hop cones, tropical fruit, caramel, full oily mouthfeel, ranges from hoppy bitter to caramel smooth/sweet, back to long bitter finish. Really the best Irish IPA out there. Rerate on 24/6/2020 330ml can at home. Pours a slightly hazy orange yellow. Thin off white head. Nose is melon, grass, orange rind, some small bit of pithy grapefruit. Flavour is hop resin, pink grapefruit, some burnt caramel.
Tried
from Can
on 18 Apr 2014
at 10:11
7.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Not the best style out there for a hop head like myself. I normally am not a fan, but this is really nice. Pours a deep mahogany into the tulip glass, medium off white head that dissipates in time, almost no lacing on the glass. Bread, marmalade, hay, some hop resin the in the aroma, taste is similar, but the mouthfeel and finish are both nice and smooth, where most Red or Irish ales can get cloying and over-sweet. Really nice interpretation of the style.
Tried
from Can
on 12 Apr 2014
at 10:57
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Was expecting something to the effect of Young’s Double Chocolate Stout, but this isn’t so ineffectual. This has a lovely serious bite to it. Thick pour into the pint glass, HUGE tan head that took awhile to dissipate, little to no lacing on the glass. Big chocolate and coffee aroma, some bitter hop resin. Bitter on the tongue like burnt coffee, then the sweetness of the chocolate and the smoothness of the milk sugars come through and add to the finish to make a fantastic beer.
Tried
on 04 Apr 2014
at 11:36
7.8/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 6
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle(thanks to Rachel for holding this for me). Jet black with a large tan head. Aroma is subtle, dark fruit and vanilla. Flavour is bitter chocolate, wood with a gentle warming whiskey base. Velvet texture.
Tried
from Bottle
on 03 Apr 2014
at 14:01
7.5/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 10
Overall 7
Draught. Jet black with a coffee head. Aroma is light sweet roast. Flavour is pronounced chocolate, strong base of roasted malt, vanilla cream on a very long dry roasted base.
Earlier Rating: 12/22/2012 Total Score: 3.6
Draught. Black with a tan heat. Aroma is dry malt. Flavour is toasted coffee malt with a touch of creamy vanilla. Dusty dry velvet finish. Very drinkable.
Earlier Rating: 12/22/2012 Total Score: 3.6
Draught. Black with a tan heat. Aroma is dry malt. Flavour is toasted coffee malt with a touch of creamy vanilla. Dusty dry velvet finish. Very drinkable.
Tried
on 03 Apr 2014
at 08:31