Celebration Ale
Black Sheep Brewery PLC

 

 

A: Pours black with an off-white head.
T: Repeats the nose with some earthy fudge. More ale-like than your average stout because of some dried fruit and a roasty toffee note (is there such a thing as roasted toffee?). Ah, I think burned toffee is the phrase I'm looking for. It's slightly smokey and dry as a bone. Good mouthfeel. Faint hint of liquorice. A wee bit of fruitiness in the finish.
O: Sound as a pound. Would be interesting on cask.

 

 

 

A 500ml bottle with a BB of Nov 2012. Brewed for Sainsbury's supermarkets. This came out just before Christmas, but I'm not sure if it's supposed to be seasonal as it's still on the shelves. The label mentions that it contains milk.

Poured into a straight pint glass. A deep ruby hue with good carbonation. Produces a large head of creamy light brown foam that lasts for a few minutes before reducing to a surface layer. Aroma of roasted malt with notes of coffee, burnt grain, stewed hops and a hint of lactose sweetness in the background.

Tastes of dark roasted malt with a dry finish. Notes of coffee, burnt grain, stewed hops, caramel, dried fruit and hints of spice and lactose. Slightly sweet, with a subtle bitterness upon swallowing. Mouthfeel is smooth, tingly and dry, but feels a little insubstantial for the style. Somewhat astringent. Aftertaste of bitter roasted malt.

Tasty - a decent stout and a solid addition to Sainsbury's own-label beer selection. The only quibble I have is that the body could have been thicker and creamier, but it's a pretty trivial complaint. Very nice; I'll be grabbing this again when it's on offer. Well worth sampling.

500ml bottle: best before 28 Nov 2012, poured into an Abbot Ale glass tankard during May 2012 (on a wet and cold Friday evening).

Looks good: deep dark chocolte brown/black body with a full, bulging tanned head.

Dark chocolate and coffee in the nose: liquorice somewhere in the smell as well.

Malty flavours like the smells hit the mouth: semi-sweet at first but with a mildly burnt/roasted/toasted bitterness coming through after the initial molasses hit.

Not really rich or creamy, but it sits well and slips down very easily.

Nice.

Poured from a 500ml bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a dark black colour with a tan head that sticks around for absolutely ages.

Not much of a smell present. Ended up sniffing some up my nose even.

Tastes quite delicious. Rich dark fruits and malts present, with some burnt notes and booze, all the while being quite drinkable.

Overall quite a nice stout.

500ml bottle bought from Sainsburys...

Poured a deep dark red / black colour... Creamy tan head poured quite thick and foamy then faded slowly to nice thick layer... decent amount of sticky lacing..

Aroma - Strong dark chocolate, cocoa, roasted malts, quite nutty, sweet caramel, decent vinous fruitiness (black grapes, dates, plums), earthy, roasted malts, some peppery hops, vanilla...

Taste - Again dark chocolate mixed with dark fruits (plums, dates), light nutmeg spiciness, some fresh vanilla, toffee, some coffee bitterness, quite nutty, light metallic notes in the background, some liquorice...

Feel - Pretty smooth and creamy... light / medium bodied... Pretty drinkable at only 6.0%...

Overall - A very nice (and quite festive) brew... recommended...

Poured into a Guinness tulip glass to reveal a pitch black body almost tar like in appearance as it fades to a reddish brown at the extreme edges whilst whispery white head is barely there.

The aroma is heady strong coffee, chewing tobacco and
cinnamon .

The taste is a no bars held affair of charcoal, christmas spice, bitter dark chocolate that tapers into a petrol tike tang.

Very low carbonation makes this a heavy going with the six percent punch it is a slow supping end of the night affair.

I was expecting a bit more spice for the time of the year not in anyway dull though, nicely roasted dark and satisfying.