Black Grouse
Allendale Brew Company Limited

Copenhagen 20/6 2016. 50 cl bottle from Meny, Østerfælled Torv, Kbh. Ø. Very dark label with a black hen looking noisy. Nice design.

Pours opaque reddish dark brown with a white head. A bit bubbly. Disappears shortly after pouring. No lacing.

Aroma of dark roasted malts, dark chocolate and notes of coffee.

Light carbonation and watery palate. Lightly tingling texture.

Flavor is light with a medium strong sweetness followed by a nice coffee and dark chocolate bitterness. Aftertaste is mainly bitter.

Nice easy porter even though a little watery.

500 ml bottle, as Allendale Black Grouse Oaked Porter, from Gulating Ølutsalg, Stavanger. ABV is 4%. Malts are pale, amber, crystal, wheat, chocolate and cara. Hops are Target, Fuggles and Bramling Cross. IBU is 17. Dark brown colour, nearly black. Moderate beige head. Aroma of roast malts, chocolate and mild coffee, hints of oak. The flavour is mid between dry and sweet, with the same elements as the aroma, a hint of caramel. Very moderate hops, a little more would not hurt.

A 330ml bottle with a BB of Feb 2018, so it's just out of date. Acquired a while back from a webshop. The label describes it as a chocolatey porter brewed with oak chips for extra flavour.

A: Poured into a tulip. A dark reddish-brown hue that appears almost black in the glass. Moderate carbonation is visible when held to the light. Produces a smallish head of frothy off-white foam that lasts for a minute or so before reducing to a patchy surface layer.

S: Aroma of dark malt with hints of dried fruit, mild roasted grain, subtle molasses, wood, faint vanilla, ale yeast and a subtle leafiness in the background. Complex and slightly sweet - good stuff.

T: Tastes of dark malt with notes of subtle roasted grain, mild dried fruit, a hint of molasses, wood, a twinge of vanilla, ale yeast and a vague leafiness. Slightly sweet, followed by an understated malty bitterness upon swallowing.

M: Mouthfeel is smooth, tingly and dry, with soft carbonation and decent body for the strength. Lightly astringent. Aftertaste of dark malt, grain, molasses, oak and ale yeast.

O: Pretty good, if not a world-beater. Looks alright, while the aroma and flavour are a satisfying blend of dark, grainy malt, molasses, wood and yeast. Body is OK. Nice complexity given the strength. Goes down readily enough - worth sampling.

Pours dark mahoghany into a glass from a bottle. Offwhite head sits at two - three fingers high, creamy, and frothy with chunky lacing left behind.

Aroma is slightly nutty, with some chocolate, roasted coffee and some woodiness. Flavour is as the name suggests with a definate earthy/woody/nuttiness which makes up the body of the beer. There is a little bitterness on the backend as well as some mik chocolate underneath.

Feel is medium bodied, a little wet and minimally carbonated.

Nice sessionable porter with some nice mild flavours.