The Wild Side Project, Series 1
B.C. Brewery

Appearance:
Like deeply roasted coffee beans: black but with fringes of dark brown. Its head is fine mesh of plush, air-whipped foam the color of browned cream. Like a peaceful weekend, its duration is achingly short-lived. Unlike a weekend, leaves a ring of webbed lacing as it recedes (or at least, my weekends don’t do that. Hopefully yours don’t?)

Bouquet:
Tender figs, dripping with melty chocolate, christened by droplets of cold, oaky bourbon. Hidden within this dark aroma are few, twinkling snowflakes of vanilla and a dapple of sweet cream.

Feel:
A surprisingly lithe, full-bodied stout in a satin overcoat. Its carbonation is very closely tied to its temperature, exhaling undercurrents of fizz while cold but flat-lining when it hits room temp. Carries an abridged linger that’s sweet with a bitter, coffee echo.

Taste:
A soiree of rich milk chocolate, sticky with brown sugar bourbon. This lavish introduction is followed by floral, Ethiopian coffee with notes of breakfast berries. Then comes the distinctive aspects of a strong scotch ale: heavy, amber malts laden with brûléed caramel and oaken bitterness. The aftertaste contains nips of succulent, Majhūl dates and a light, wispy bourbon, topped off by tight fistful of powdered cocoa.

Overall:
Remarkable complexity and balance. Best served cold.