Midnight Blue Stout
Arbor Ales

L- Black, and not a photon from a halogen torch gets through this one. Pours with a 1Cm pillowy deep-tan head. (ps 20mins later the head is still holding very well).
S- Distinctly toasty, a slight hint of smoke too.
T- Toasty, roasty, quite pungent coffee plus some lighter cocoa notes. It also goes into decent hopping into the finish which helps bring some balance.
F- It's notably pungent tasting but mercifully (for me) it's not sweet or even over-rich; the feel is well balanced by decent hopping and lack of overt sweetness (incl no lactose!).
O- I was never a black beer drinker (thanks factory Guinness for putting me off young) until I lived in Germany and found how stunning some of their Schwarzbiers are. There seems to have been something of a renaissance of the style in the UK too. This beer seems to be a good example of a modern British Stout that puts factory Guinness to shame. It has very good depth and complexity to it. There are no clever tricks/additions, no lactose, marshmallows, other gimmicks; it comes over as trad yet of high quality and carrying quite some punch to it. Ideal for winter when the palate wants some punch. Stout fans might do well to give this one a try. 568ml/One Pint can BB: 12/07/2021 £4.20 Bought from TremblingMadness/York as part of a mixed-case for home delivery to me in London