Grain And Grape
Buxton Brewery

Big aroma of red Wine and stable. Light touch of coffee and chocolate. Taste: red wine barrels, dry feel of horse blanket. Light touch of roasted coffee in aftertaste. Complex! Love this!

Dark pour, with a very tall tan-coloured head with good retention. The foam build is slow and there will be foam coming out of the bottle, if you don't pour the whole thing into a glass. The smell is quite inviting, grapes, red wine, citrus, fruit lambic funkiness and a hint of roasted malts. The taste is bitter and sour, something between a stout and a lambic, with notes of fermented grapes, funky lambic yeast, grapefruit and vinegar. Refreshing mouthfeel, maybe a bit too carbonated, but otherwise nice.

 

Jeffo did a really good analysis and I have little to add, but contrary to him I liked the red wine character very much and found the roast as well as the red wine more dominant than the tartness and harsh aftertaste. I had it as a late night sipper and today again with some aged Gouda in the early afternoon. Works really well for me.

Got this at the Bierkoning in Amsterdam

From a bottle into as snifter.
Bottled 16 July 2014
Red wine oatmeal stout

APPEARANCE: A slow foamer, but a careful pour comes out clear dark brown and yields a large, three finger, looser, foamy, light tan head with good retention. Transparent black body with higher levels of carbonation. Head slowly recedes to full foamy cap. Half foamy wisp remains and some touches of lacing. A little too foamy a look.

SMELL: Big nose with lots of red wine, tart berries and lemon, dark grapes, and some lightly roasted notes. A hint of chocolate in there somewhere, but the tartness and sour lemon run the show here for sure.

TASTE: Grapes and red wine notes up front, with a touch of acidity and tart lemon at the swallow. Bolder flavors with a milder but lingering finish of tart lemon and berries, grapes, more red wine and oak tannins, a touch of roast and some alcohol. A bit harsh at the swallow, with a bit too much acidity and tannins perhaps. Okay.

PALATE: Lighter body and higher levels of carbonation. A bit harsh on the palate and goes down a bit abrasive, finishing dry. Some scratch and burn at the swallow. A bit rough going.

OVERALL: Unfortunately not really a fan of this one. The idea was nice, but it’s too carbonated and harsh for my palate, and the acidity and tannins don’t really work for me. A nice idea that didn’t particularly work out all that well. Didn’t actually bother finishing the glass. Pass.