Brass Monkey Stout
Sail and Anchor Pub Brewery

 

 

 

A - Dark brown with a dense, creamy light tan head. Nice streaky lacing follows.

S - Roasted malt, coffee, hint of vanilla.

T - Coffee, dark chocolate, toast, biscuits.

M - A bit lighter than I like for a supposed oatmeal stout.

O - A pretty good beginners stout.

I was staying nearby the Brass Monkey when I was in Perth, so decided it was worth checking out to try their house beer, which I believe is still brewed by S&A.

This stout is a creamy nitrogenated gem, pouring a deep black-brown, with a gorgeous off-white head. Lacing is excellent. Overall, it looks fantastic, just as a stout ought to.

Nose is pleasant, but relatively mild. What characters are there are delicious though, a very interesting blend of woodsmoke and smooth, creamy milk chocolate. It's just enough to make you savour it.

Taste is very mild, but lacking a whole heap of stout character. Extremely smooth on the feel, leaving some subtle chocolate and light cream characters. Still, there's no roastiness, and very little darkness at all.

For all that, it's an exceptionally drinkable and very approachable stout, and one which I was very pleased to try. While it misses some classic stout characters, it makes up for it with pure enjoyment. This is something I would be very pleased to drink regularly.

I was recently in Fremantle and had this stout. On tap it poured thick and full with a long standing head. The smell was that of a Guinness Stout with more of a chocolate coffee taste to it. Once it was in my mouth is when it lost some points as the mouthfeel was lacking and almost watery with no bite whatsoever. However, it is definitely on my must drink list but I do love flavored stouts and porters over sharp and crisp pilsners and ales. This taste test was after 7 1/2 months away from great beer as I am in the Navy and was on cruise; so this could be more of a desire for a stout than a good stout. I do recommend trying this beer out for yourself though.

Had this at the Brass Monkey bar in Perth.

A = Poured a dark brown with a thin foam head.

S = Smelt of coffee beans.

T = Taste was really bland. There was the usual roasted malt flavour you would expect in a stout. But it was just all so bland.

M = Average. Slightly on the watery side.

D = Ok. If I was in a pub and it was on tap. I would order it. Just wouldnt go out of my way to find it.

It looks pretty good, and maintains its head for quite a while. Smell's decent, with a touch of chocolate malt evident. The taste just lacks something. No backbone to this beer; it's just sort of "there." Not horrible but certainly not great.