Kadak
Azadi Brewing Company

 

 

 

Had on tap. Brownish black pour with a large tan head. Aromas of the chai spices with chocolate, coffee, vanilla, and caramel, very inviting indeed. Taste isn't quite as balanced as the roast and spices are somewhat bittering, but the chocolate, vanilla, and caramel round out well enough. Feel is creamy and spiced with good roast, somewhat lighter but the balance works. Really enjoyed some outside the box flavor and texture combos, will try more from azadi in the future

Dark brown mahoghany tone, two fingers of foam with a dimpled meringue surface. Plenty of lace and an unbroken skim across the surface.

Aroma is clove forward, mild roast, cinnamon and nutmeg in the background. Taste is roasty with a lot of clove, some astringency. Nutmeg in the background, maybe cardamom. Mumbai chai traditionally has ginger and cardamom, but it’s hard to pinpoint those here. Medium bodied, lactose gives it a creamy feel without that artificial twang, it’s kind of light for a stout. Overall it’s pretty good though, will finish the 4-pack.

Just an excellent, almost thrilling, find.

First, my reasoning behind my choice of entering this as Foreign/Export Stout.
Reminiscent of American Stouts, Kadak uses hops; but still faintly compared to the mean of the American varietal.
Reminiscent of English Stouts, the malts are gently roasted and blended; but still, Kadak is 8%, 3% above the English norm.
So, I end up in Foreign/Export category in which 8% is near norm and the Chai is, well, conceptually exported from India.

For my review of the brew, I frankly cannot analyze what makes Kadak so good. I like chai, but drink it too rarely to know what it can do to make a stout good.

At any rating, I'm getting Kadak again. And at 8%, I can store it to make next winter's Sunday afternoons better.

As for my micro-micro-brewer review... Pilot Project's strategy is a genius stroke if it can continue to bring-to-market ales like Kadak. Besides going out soon to hunt out at least a 4-pack of Kadak, I want to try their other two ales. And I can't wait for Pilot's open-air cafe to open in April and for me to bring in some mild Indian food for starters.

3/26/22. A year later, I get around to a second copy. I actually changed my review above very little. I don't attempt to describe all the sensations because I think Kadak should remain a mystery to me... much like the Indian culture. But I am keeping count over @ UnTappd.