The Devil Made Me Brew It
Arbor Ales

 

L- Superficially black, with a halogen behind it's super-dark ruby-chestnut. Pours with a 5mm mid-tan head. [ps 10mins later, the head is very impressive, it's holding really well].
S- I got a waft of it from a distance on popping the can, contemporary/hipster hop notes. It smells the same up close, citrus, over on the grapefruit-lemon spectrum. Seems most odd for a 'black beer', wonder whether I'll like it... hmmm...
T- Dry, citrus/citric bitter on the front, then into very toasty and a bit smokey, then back into a hoppy dry lick over the palate into the finish.
F- It's a notably well hopped beer, in a hipster, non-trad stout way. That combines with a quite pungent taste to yield a very unusual beer. The carbonation in the mouth is very strong, that's one striking +ve to note.
O- It is a very unusual beer; I think I've only had one other stout/porter that has these prominent citrus notes such as this. It doesn't work for me. I'm reminded of a law in Singapore concerning 'Acts against the order of nature', that concerns things some people might wish to do with others. If there were a similar Act for beers going against the order of brewing, turning a stout into a citrus driven hipster beer might be justiciable. All of that said it is not that unpleasant that I have to sink it, but I certainly shan't be buying it again. Maybe one for hipsters to buy to 'blind-taste' on friends, it's very left-field and who knows they might like it.
Bought from Real Ale in London. 568ml/Pint can £3.75. BB: 25/03/2021

 

Interesting beer. Dry hopping this stout infuses it with a TON of hoppy, floral goodness for your nose but the taste doesnt really match. Thats not a bad thing though. You get a quick blast of the hops when you sip but the roasty, dark porter flavor soon takes over and the finish is 100% dark. It has big, bold flavor and would make you think that its way stronger than 5.5% but as a UK beer, 5 to 6% is about right. Not bad.

568ml, bottle-conditioned. Pours opaque black with thick tan head. Aroma piney hop. Taste piney hop and dark malt. Mouthfeel medium body with dry finish. Overall: a superb dry stout with tangy hop.

Bottled and possibly bottle conditioned
Pours a jet black body with big frothy tobacco stained off white head
Smells like a good pot of coffee brewed with cranberries
The flavour is like that ammonia type liquorice that the nods make
Like quite a few stouts it's the mf that let's it down
Just plain thin for style and I know it's 5.5% nut that's still nearly 1% stringer than most draught stout
Shame because otherwise it's a decent very hoppy stout

 

568 ml bottle, Southville Deli, Bristol - Pours dark black with a large tanned foamy head. Medium carbonation. Nice lacing. Smell - fruity, floral overtones. Taste - roasted malts, slightly fruity, dry bitter finish. Aroma belies taste. Interesting well balanced ale.