DarkNESS
Loch Ness Brewery

It pours dark brown with a brown head. It has very good head retention. There are roasted flavors with a bit of smoke. It also has some coffee notes with a smooth texture.

Black pour with brown edge, almost no head. Light nose with some smokey notes. Taste is malt forward and has that smokiness and very light other than the smoke. Light body and a bit low carbonation.

 

 

 

 

 

Reviewed blind (thanks, Bob!)

Serving: Bottle
Best before: Feb-28-2019

A:
It pours a fairly opaque dark, dark brown that almost has some ruby at the edges. Two fingers of foamy head. Good retention; some lacing. (4)

S:
The aroma is lightly nutty with toasty malt notes, caramel and some sweet woody-smoky smell in the background. (4)

T:
Taking a drink, it is about what I expected from the smell and the look. Some very light roast, dark bread, a mineral bite and a sweetish woody smoky finish that is as much an aroma as a flavor.  (4.25)

M:
It is fairly light and drinkable and balanced. Nothing really stands in the way and the smoke component (assuming I'm not imagining it*) is just about right for the rest of it. (4.25)

O:
To me it seems like it is probably a smoked porter or brown ale of some sort. It wasn't....
Very enjoyable, well-balanced and tasty.  Sweet-roast balance, looks lovely, drinkable and rich despite ours ABV. Really nice! (4.25)

*- I was, but it did either way.

£ 1.85/500 mL bottle at The Bottle Shop, Inverness, Scotland. Reviewed 6/26/18.
Appearance – 4.
Body – Brown/black and opaque.
Head – Large (Maximum 7.3 cm, controlled center pour), tan, medium density, average retention, diminishing to an irregular four to ten mm ring and complete layer. A few clots of lacing remain after head retraction.
Lacing – Poor. A few clots of bubbles.
First pour – Brown, clear.
Aroma – 4 – Chocolate and roasted malt.
Flavor – 3.75 - Roasted malt without the chocolate from the nose. No alcohol, no diacetyl, no dimethylsulfide.
Palate – 3.5 – Medium, creamy, soft carbonation.
Impression and summation – 3.75 – A decent brew at a decent price. The flavor could have been better if some of the chocolate from the nose came through to the taste and the lacing was poor for a stout. Otherwise, a very passable drink.

Pours black, small tight tan head, ruby brown highlights and bright. Looks as it should.


aroma - coffee, hot chocolate, vanilla and ginger creams on the nose

flavour brings more of the same, with added bitterness and some acidity. dryness comes in on the end.

so many great sub 5% stouts in Scotland at the moment, this exemplifies the type. Good to see Cairngorm are keeping this brand alive.

 

 

 

From BeerAdvocate Magazine #89 (June 2014):

Smooth, Roasty, Balanced, Quaff

This Stout is a thing of beauty, inviting darkness has a perfect level of roastiness throughout. A bit of woodiness from the Admiral hops and a kiss of citrus from the Cascade. Long lingering finish with a seemingly never ending depth. A thing of beauty.

STYLE: Scottish Stout | ABV: 4.5% | AVAILABILITY: Year-round

From the cask, in an imperial pint glass. black in color, the aroma is a touch roasty, nice cocoa notes too. Great flavor and balance. Nice smooth full bodied mouthfeel

 

 

 

Pours opaque black stout with excellent monolith of tan head. Nice retention. Smell - milk, coffee, chocolate, roasted malts. Taste is a bit sour (owing to milk acid?) that causes loss of balance and sweetness, the rest is typical for good stout - coffee, cream, chocolate. Pleasant mouthfeel with notes of tobacco. Moderate carbonation and reasonable drinkability.