Dark Hare
Bath Ales Ltd

 

 

A - Surprisingly, there is really thin foam, almost nothing.. Cola color, medium carbonation.
S - Burned sugar with some dark fruits.
T/M - Coffee aroma, caramalt, low carbonation, decent bitter finish, bread aftertaste. Watery.

O - Really nothing special..

 

 

Served on supposedly craft keg at at the expo lounge on Wilmslow road in Didsbury village, Manchester.
Score slightly altered to reflect difference from bottle which was originally generatinf score
nice roasty, creamy stout

This Bath Ale, (renamed "Darkside"), is marvelous. It is available on-tap in the 'Loungers' lounges across Southern England and Wales and, on each occasion I've tried it, has been stored and served beautifully, at just the right temperature. 'bath ales' are generally rich, clean and fairly complex, and this dark offering is no exception.

Appearance: Dark, nutty brown in colour, but clear and of thin viscosity. The head is small (as it should be) but remains most of the way down the glass. Talking of which, the 'bath ales' pint glass is modern looking, clean and easy to grasp. [4]

Smell: Like other dark ales, initially a wee bit offensive. Subtle notes of coffee soon take over, and the bitterness of the smell is masked by a very smooth... [3.5]

Taste: Coffee notes, shrouding a deeper, oak-ier smokiness. You can taste the malt, but it is the texture and subtle complexity of this beer that stands out. From start to finish each sip is satisfying, balanced and consistent. [4.5]

Mouthfeel: Generally pretty soft, though it leaves a bit of an imprint on the teeth, almost reminiscent of the tannin in certain red wines. [4]

Overall: A current favourite of mine. It is dark without being intrusive, and satisfying without being bloating. Noticeable for its thinness, this beer could perhaps be improved by a stronger nut flavouring. The smell of the thing is perhaps somewhat overly connected to the texture; a little bit 'thin'. However, this texture means that having more than one pint is more than doable.

Dreary, but drinkable stout - watery and slightly tasteless.

 

The bottle version is called Dark Side. But there is a dark hare bounding across the label.

Brought back in our suitcase from Bath, England. Let's see if this one withstood the trip. Poured into a snifter.

A: Blackish with ruby highlights. A tan half finger head that spirits away. SLight lacing.

S: coffee, chocolate.

T: Light chocolate with slight coffee backbeat. Malty. Slightly burnt. Smoother than most stouts. An expresso-like dry finish.

M: Light to medium, thin. Some carbonation.

O: A surprisingly decent stout, even after the shaking it perservered all the way home. A great keepsake bottle.

 

This bottle is called "Dark Side" also at 4%abv., a name I believe is the new label for the same old product so the review is placed here. BB 03/05/2013, served cool in a straight imperial pint glass.

A: pours a deep dark brown colour with a creamy khaki head to last and smooth carbonation.
S: fragrant bitter-chocolaty roast malts combine with refreshing notes of herbal/earthy hops (very much like Fuggles), backed by a touch of saltiness to render an extra dimension. Nice and simple.
T: tasting quite like a dark mild due to the light touch of treacle, otherwise the flavour is generally roasty-bitter with a low level of malt sweetness followed by a deepening flow of earthy, chewy bitterness to linger till the end, where the aroma of sweet cocoa also lasts well; satisfyingly dry-ish in the finish.
M&D: softly carbonated, light bodied, reasonably-flavoursome stout designed to be a session beer, but Bath Ales has a few ales more impressive (in their own classes) than this one for sure.

 

Sorry folks have to do this one from memory, will update though when I get some more:

A tremendously wholesome stout with a great, almost creamy texture, and a flavour reminiscent of burnt hops and burnt sugar or chocolate. It is a very heavy drink, leaving a dry but pleasant in a way aftertaste. The head looked great at first and lasted a good 15 minutes in the way seen in the picture,but it died down after that leaving a small 1cm-ish size head for the rest.

I sampled a bottle of this stout from a case I got from the Beer Club of Britain.

The beer poured into a dimpled pint mug a very dark brown colour with a light brown head, this died completely after a few seconds leaving a stout that reminded me of a pint of cola.

The nose was sweet, dominated by roasted malts, chocolate, treacle and burnt toffee, very pleasant indeed. Appropriate for a stout.

An initial sweet taste of roasted malts hits the taste buds, this is then followed by a hint of liquorice. After a slight delay there is then a bitter hoppy aftertaste and quite a dry feeling in the mouth, this is nice but a little unexpected.

The beer has a heavy body compared to other beers, but not too heavy for a stout. A very smooth mouthfeel and a realistic 4% abv makes this stout highly drinkable, I would love to try this from a keg.