Don't Mention The Chair
Refined Fool Brewing Co.

Unlabelled 650 mL bottle purchased at the brewery in early February. Described as a sweet "chai stout" brewed with masala chai spices, including cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, coriander, ginger and black pepper. Served slightly chilled.

Pours a deep black colour - almost impenetrable to the light, save for some thin mahogany brown highlights. A lofty two fingers of foamy, beige-coloured head is gradually reduced to a spongy, centimetre-high cap and collar, accompanied by a modest ring of sticky lace. Looks good visually. The cardamom and cinnamon are what stick out the most, at least by my nose's judgment, with hints of ginger, coriander and clove playing more of a supporting role. These all overlap with the underlying stout, which smells of cocoa and coffee grounds.

Mmmm... this is a yummy one. Once again, of the six spices included, it's the cinnamon and cardamom that make their presence known most strongly, mingling together with notes of baker's chocolate, brown sugar, ginger snap and a faint hint of coffee. Finishes roasty, with a brief flash of black pepper prior to the surprisingly bitter aftertaste, which features lingering cinnamon, clove and coriander, as well as an herbal licorice flavour. Very flavourful, with the marked spiciness of the profile leaving a kind of powdery, chalky sensation on the palate after each sip. Medium in body, perhaps leaning towards the fuller side of that category; meanwhile the bite from the moderately-low carbonation is detectable, but slight in intensity. Fairly drinkable for a spiced beer, but most folks would probably be best served splitting this bomber with a buddy.

Final Grade: 3.98, a worthy B+. Don't Mention the Chair was a nifty brew to try - I enjoyed it to the extent that I'd consider picking up another bottle, if there were any left (there aren't - I checked). I am admittedly not a huge fan of "spiced stouts" - mostly because I often find that the spices end up exhausting the taste buds, whilst also distracting from the base stout flavours themselves (if not smothering them outright). Although this one does suffer slightly from the first problem, the chocolate flavours and caramelized sugar sweetness of the stout still manage to shine through with confidence. A strong effort.