Auckland Dark Ale
Auckland Brewers Group

It pours a deep black-coffee brown, with light just passing through at the edges in ruby strata. Barely a finger of off-white head struggles upward, then falls out to a skim of foam. Dotty lacing punctuates the glass.

In the aroma, a chocolatey roasted malt sweetness is hitched to a vinous undercurrent. A malty cocoa essence lingers briefly at the finish.

A sip brings an initial thrust of roasted malt, dry and virtually devoid of any real sweetness. A fleeting glimpse of cocoa is truncated by a dry ashy bitterness that takes over and hijacks the finish. The flavor profile is disappointingly terse and dull, and veers into unpleasantness.

A touch more than light bodied, it unfortunately coats anough to let the arid dusky bitterness linger longer than I'd like.

It looks pretty good, it smells okay, but then it's all downhill, and rapidly. The aroma intrigues a little, but the flavor can't manage to get out of its own way. The ashiness and disconnected bitterness dictract completely from what little else there is to offer, never letting it redeem itself. I frankly see no reason to consider drinking another, but I can see how it someone who liked it more than I might. They say New Zealand is a ruggedly gorgeous country; it had better be in order to make me forget the beer.

Dark brown color, with a medium head. A light to medium bodied dark ale. Roasted malts, slightly hoppy. Some coffee and chocolate like flavor, slightly sweet. Mouthfeel is round, but a little thin. Finish is clean and crisp. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.

I was not too sure what to expect from this one. Pours a dark if not rich brown color with a medium light beige head. Fair lacing. Aroma of roasted malt and a little fruit. Flavor is very mild which makes it both uninteresting and easy to drink. Finish is a little thin but there are some hops in it. Nothing offensive, but pretty unexciting.