Double Dark Alliance
Arbor Ales

Bottled and possibly bottle conditioned
pours a dark dark brown with massively foaming tan head that sticks
soapy coffee aroma
a rich fruity gourmet coffee flavour with soapy notes
full, full bodied

 

330 ml bottle, Southville Deli, Bristol - Pours jet black with a thin tanned head. Medium carbonation. Aroma - espresso coffee at the front, resin undertones, dark fruits, hint of dark chocolate. Taste - roasted coffee, lighty hoppy resin notes, dark roasted chocolate, lingering bitter finish with a slight alcoholic warmth. Well balanced coffee fronted hopped imperial stout. Track this down if you can.

 

 

 

 

Hoppy + coffee + stout in the nose.
A big beer that drinks like an imperial coffee IPA.
Moderately intense hops mix with black coffee and a load of dark roasted grains.

Thick full body.

A 660ml bottle with a BB of June 2014. Acquired recently from Trembling Madness in York. The second collaborative brew with Moor Beer Company - taking the recipe from the previous collaboration and doubling the ingredients. An imperial coffee stout brewed using coffee from the Clifton Coffee Company.

Poured into a Duvel tulip. Bottle conditioned. A very dark brown hue that appears ultra-black in the glass. Produces a creamy head of light-brown foam that lasts for a few minutes before reducing to a patchy surface layer. Nice lacing. Aroma of intense roasted malt and coffee, with notes of burnt grain, cocoa, molasses, mild dried fruit, faint pine, stewed hops and earthy yeast. Dark and complex, with a whiff of booze in the background.

Tastes of overwhelming roasted malt and coffee, with a powerful bitter finish. Notes of burnt grain, roasted malt, coffee, cocoa, molasses, a hint of dried fruit, subtle pine resin, dank weed, stewed hops and earthy yeast. Slightly sweet, with a touch of alcoholic warmth in the background. A deep, potent bitterness upon swallowing. Mouthfeel is smooth, tingly and mildly spicy, with soft carbonation and a velvety body that envelops the palate. Rather astringent, followed by an aftertaste of bitter coffee, roasted malt, pine and earth yeast.

Boom - a big beer with a big character. Looks the part, with an aroma and flavour that reflect intense coffee, roasted malt and bitter hops. Nice silky body enhanced by light carbonation. Very impressive; an avalanche of dark malt and coffee assault the tastebuds. If you like your imperial stouts big, boozy and bitter then this is the brew for you. Don't pass it up if you come across it.