Irish Wolfhound
English Setter Brewing Company

the better of the two beers i had time to drink in here. its a pretty classic example of the style, maybe a touch sweeter than some of the classic examples of it, but proficiently made and nice for the fall, even if its a little less lively than i want one of these to be. the roast leads the way, as it should, and there are notes of earthy dark chocolate and extinguished fire here, bitter enough for it to be balanced even with the grain sweetness that lingers. i like that the irish ale yeast can also be tasted in this, its not overly developed, and its work seems a touch incomplete, but the flavor is right, and there is a nice relationship between the grain and the yeast in this. its got a smooth feel, but seems just a little tired. i like the low alcohol content and the lingering roasted barley on the tongue. this has a little european flare to it, and overall is pretty good. a little refinement would really take this to the next level, but american brewers seem to get the irish dry stout wrong more often than not, so i appreciated this one for being pretty true to style, at least comparatively.