O'Hara's Leann Folláin
Carlow Brewing Company

 

 

Pours black coloured with a small, dense and long lasting head. Espresso and chocolate notes on the smell with vanilla appeasing slightly in the taste. Full bodied mouthfeel
Dec 2 2022

 

500 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet Madla. ABV is 6.0%. Black colour, moderate tan head. Moderate aroma of roast malts and coffee, hints of chocolate, a whiff of vomit. Medium dry flavour, roast malts and coffee again, also dark bitter chocolate, tar and unsweetened liquorice.

 

 

 

Out of a mixed pack bought at the LCBO in Ontario Canada.
Poured a 2finger head into glass.
Dark color leaving a lace as you drink it
Dark chocolate and mocha or roasted coffee with a medium bitterness level
Bittersweet finish
Overall a good quality stout.
Cheers.

OVERALL: A complex Extra Irish Stout

Appearance: Brown-black opaque colour with a short lasting brown head
Aroma: mellow chocolate, liquorice and vanilla
Taste: Well balanced. Chocolate and vanilla espresso and a hint of liquorice and caramel
Mouthfeel: medium-full and smooth body, with moderate carbonation
Finish: medium, with lingering mocha bitterness and a touch of vanilla sweetness

Serving Style: 500ml bottle
Notes: Leann Folláin is the Gaelic for wholesome stout.

 

Dark with a good head and plenty of lace. Nose is bittersweet chocolate and ash. Chocolate and ash to taste. Thin bodied with a bitter finish. Lingering ash. Ordinary, but passable.

500 mL bottle from the LCBO, one of three from an O'Hara's variety pack that showed up late last year. Best before Jan 28 2022 and served at cellar temperature.

Pours a very dark brown-black colour with crimson red highlights; nearly two fingers of foamy, billowing, cream-coloured head rises from the surface before fading away in a few minutes' time. A lovely band of messy, erratic lacing is imprinted upon the glass, with a tight collar of creamy froth also remaining in place - looks fantastic to me. The nose is malt-forward, offering up notes of both dark and milk chocolate, as well as roasted barley, cocoa and bread as it's being baked; there are also subtler hints of spicy, floral, somewhat pine-y hops.

A very mellow stout for its strength, but the flavours do develop as it warms - take some time to let this one roll across the tastebuds for a while and you'll notice details you missed with the first couple of sips. I'm getting whole wheat bread, cocoa, molasses and baker's chocolate, followed up by notes of coffee and dark fruit - namely, date and raisin. Hints of floral hops, coffee grounds, licorice and vanilla towards the finish, with a touch of hop spiciness lingering only briefly before a relatively dry aftertaste. Medium in body, with very low carbonation that presents little resistance; feels silky smooth on the palate, with superb drinkability (and no sign of that 6% whatsoever). 500 mL was just not enough for me this time.

Final Grade: 4.24, an excellent A-. I haven't had an O'Hara's product in over six years now, but I assure you that's only because I haven't been able to find any - I loved their Irish Stout when I tried it, and Leann Folláin is like they took that beer and turned it up a couple of notches. It's one of the smoothest, more viscerally satisfying dry stouts I have ever had, and I would not hesitate to recommend this to any and all BAs who will bother to listen. Try this beer, and do it now! And to whichever importing agency represents this label in Ontario... for the love of god, keep the O'Hara's coming! I would pay 4 or 5+ (CAD) bucks for this and I'd do it over and over again all year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

From a bottle best by 28.09.2020. Black color with a thin layer of brown head. Rich chocolate malty smell. Light feel. Earthy chocolate and vanilla flavors with a mildly bitter finish. The smell is better than the taste.

Bottle at the Old Storehouse pub in Temple Bar
Black in color with faint garnet at the edges and a huge rocky tan head that persists. Roasty earthy chocolate and dark dried fruits. Very nice.

Thankfully the vanilla is very subtle. It lacks a bit of creaminess but overall is a great stout from the country that invented it.

 

 

From Saveur Biere. In Teku glass. Playing Avernum 2. Fairly pleasant, with soft chocolate notes and a light yet not watery body. Drinks well but lacks something to be memorable. The nose is better than the mouse, with stronger chocolate notes

11.2 oz. Bottle
BB: 28 JUN 2018

Pours a nice dark brown color, nice carbonation, with a nice small thick/creamy light tan head, which leaves some sticky lacing behind. The nose is malty, hoppy, nice touch of chocolate, roasty. The taste is malty, hoppy, with some chocolate, roasty. Medium body, ABV is hidden pretty nicely. Overall, surprised me, pretty tasty.

Absolutely loved this brewery back when I first got into beer 20 years ago. Excited to try this out for St. Patrick's Day.
Looks like a stout- black with ruby highlights, tan head, good retention, some lace
Aroma of licorice, coffee, dark caramel, extra dark chocolate.
Dang, flavor is spot-on. Licorice and espresso, with a bit of burnt sugar. A little earthy and smokey. Really dig it.
Could stand for it to be a bit more full bodied.
I wish stouts that have this much flavor at this ABV were more common.

 

 

 

This beer pours pitch black. Minimal off white head.
The nose has got notes of coffee and whiskey barrels.
Taste - there is a barrel presence in this beer. I do get a slight bitterness on the backside. Some coffee.
Feel is lighter than I would expect. I have a watery hint to it.
Good overall. Pleasing to drink.

 

 

 

From the 330 ml. bottle with a best before 28 Feb 2018 date. Sampled on August 18, 2017.

The pour is an opaque near black with a lingering but modest, silky tan head. It looks exactly like a stout should so I'll give it a 5 out of 5.

The aroma is rich in roasted dark malt sweetness with sensations of coffee and cocoa mixed in. A low to no hop profile.

The body is well above medium and nearly full as well as smooth.

The chocolate or cocoa malt sweetness kicks in quickly in the flavor but it is otherwise sweet. A mild to moderate dry finale. Really a nice Irish Stout. I would easily drink this one again with passion.

This beer is a beast. Incredible coffee smell. Thick and milkshakey on the way down. Hint of vanilla lot's of coffee juuuust enough heat to warm a body in the cold. Not quite sessionable but you can drink more than one. Love it.

 

 

 

330 ml bottle into pint glass, best before 10/28/2017. Pours crystal clear nearly opaque dark brown color with a 2 finger dense and rocky light khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Nice dense soapy lacing clings down the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toasted dark bread, herbal, floral, and grass; with lighter notes of vanilla, molasses, licorice, dark fruit, smoke, char, nuttiness, pepper, yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of roast/bready malt and light-moderate fruity yeast/earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste of big dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toasted dark bread, herbal, floral, and grass; with lighter notes of vanilla, molasses, licorice, dark fruit, smoke, char, nuttiness, pepper, yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate roast/char and herbal/spicy hop bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toasted dark bread, nuttiness, herbal, floral, grass, light pepper, smoke, char, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of roast/bready malt and light-moderate fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; with an awesome roast/hop bitter/sweet balance; and zero acrid/astringent roast/hop flavors after the finish. Light-moderate dryness from roast/hop bitterness, increasing through the glass. Light-medium carbonation and medium-full body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/silky/bready, and fairly sticky/chalky balanced mouthfeel that is great. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 6%. Overall this is an incredible dry stout! All around fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of roast/bready malt and light-moderate fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the modestly bitter/drying finish. Very rich and complex roasted barley flavors; with complementing/balancing earthy hops and yeast in the background. A highly enjoyable offering, and best I’ve had in the style!