The Black Sow
The White Hag Irish Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

This was coffee first, and everything else second. The everything else featured lactose, dark chocolate, roasted malt, molasses, and licorice, while the coffee first element was more like an espresso than americano. Body finishes thin, which always disappoints when the coffee bitterness is not allowed to linger. Smell is the best part of beer, has most balance and complexity.

A 330ml can with a BB of Dec 2018. Acquired recently from the Wine Shop in Knaresborough. Described on the label as a nitro coffee milk stout, brewed with lactose and coffee from Cloudpicker. Named after a spirit that heralds the end of summer and the descent towards winter.

A: Poured into a tulip. Can-conditioned. A very dark brown hue that appears pitch black in the glass. Yields a smallish head of creamy brown foam that lasts for a moment or so before subsiding to a patchy surface layer. I probably should have poured it harder.

S: Aroma of rich roasted coffee with hints of dark malt, chocolate, lactose, mild molasses, ale yeast and subtle earthiness. A faint metallic twang lurks in the background. Lovely.

T: Tastes of intense roasted coffee with notes of dark malt, burnt grain, chocolate/cocoa, lactose, subtle molasses, ale yeast, vague earthiness and faint stewed leaves. Quite sweet, followed by a substantial malt-driven bitterness upon swallowing.

M: Mouthfeel is smooth and lightly tingly, with soft carbonation and decent body. Could be a tad thicker for the style. Somewhat astringent; dries the palate. Aftertaste of bitter roasted coffee, dark malt, chocolate, molasses, lactose and ale yeast.

O: Very nice - a solid coffee/milk stout that goes down a treat. Looks OK; shame about the head retention. Aroma and flavour are a superb blend of coffee, dark malt, lactose and yeast. Body is alright but could be creamier. Perfect for lovers of dark beer and coffee; well worth sampling if you come across it.