Black Ash
Lake Arenal Hotel & Brewery

 

according to owner JP, this was the first beer in costa rica to be put on nitro. the pour is gorgeous on this thing, highly nitrogenated, it yields an inch or two of creamy, thick, lasting mocha colored foam and fine lacing as it drinks. sexy on top of an obsidian black base, just a little viscosity. it doesnt smell like a whole lot, roasted barley and coffee, but neither too intense, and just very mellow overall. i often think nitro beers have less aroma than their normal carbonated counterparts. the flavor here is great though, a nice dark roast to the grain, some solid bitterness from that, and very little chocolate and malt sweetness, its pretty committed to the dark side, and i really like that. i do taste some bittering hops in the finish, as well as a slightly tannic thing that comes out of nowhere, a slightly lower ph here than we end up with in a lot of stouts i think, but it makes the beer unique. fuller bodied but not thick or heavy, the nitro stays active the whole time, and keeps it feeling very lively, while also giving it the classic creaminess. from a quality standpoint, this is without a doubt the best beer these guys are making right now, and it was perfect in the morning. definitely the one to get in here if you only have time for one...