Mena Dhu Stout
St. Austell Brewery

 

 

Cask conditioned hand pulled at the Great British Beer Festival 2025 at Birmingham(Solihull) NEC centre
pours a mid to dark brown with tight tan head
Aroma is slightly smoky and very oaky
flavour is cocoa nad liquorice

From notes.
Poured from a 500ml bottle .
Pours black with a whisper of dark red catching the light at the edge of the glass . Finger think mocha head . The aroma is of burnt malt and cream and the taste follows suit with coffee, a slight astringent note and a mellow liquorice sweetness balance everything nicely whilst a vague acidic tang lingers in the background. Creamy and somehow foamy in the mouth , Mena Dhu is full flavoured, the bitterness that lay atop the liquorice sweetness whilst the hops vie for attention all works rather well.

 

L- Appears inky black. Head slow to form but with a bit of height in the pour in the finish it's there and quite dark tan. Holds very well, forms lacing on the way down.
S- Deeply roasted with a slight charring to it.
T- Follows the smell^. Notably deep roast and prominent charring comes in afterwards in parallel with a dry lick of hops. A few sips later as my palate has adjusted to the bold hops I begin to register the malts... nice.
F- The taste leans it to the heavy side, the materially bright hops leaven it back into balance. I'm not a fan of OTT/contemporary hop levels/types but this is trad and is balanced. For a lowly 4.5% this packs a lot on oomph.
O- Very good brewing here and zero facets to less than like. I'm not even a fan of black beer (except some of the hefty foreign brews from Iceland, Estonia etc). Very good. First time I've seen this beer in a shop, in fact first time I've seen it anywhere. This is a beer every fan of 'factory-stout' should be encouraged to try.
500ml BBE: 05/24 Bought from Asda £2.10

 

L: Almost pitch black in colour, not much head
S: Dark chocolate, dark fruits, roasted malts
T: Syrup, toast, toffee
F: Medium-to-well bodied, balanced carbonation

O: 4.5

500 ml bottle conditioned, from Det Gode Brygg, Sandnes. ABV is 4.5%. Black colour, large beige head. Aroma of moderately roasted malts and smoked malts, hints of coffee and dust. Dry flavour, a hint of acidity, notes of roast malts and smoked malts again, hints of prunes and chocolate, also some coffee, a little liquorice in the finish, moderate hops.

Pint in The Salamander, Bath (£5):
Jet black, opaque & a creamy, off white to tan head that's about 1cm tall & holds really well. It's a light, mellow nose with barley, roasted malts & a little smoky bitterness. The taste is mainly roasted malts & a coffee bitterness, earthy malts & a touch of lactose/milky chocolate towards the end. It's a smooth beer, medium to full body & softly carbonated with a subtle bitterness at the end.

 

 

Black, light brown foam, not too long lasting.
Classic stout smell, toasted, cocoa, a sweet hint, cappuccino-like.
At the taste cocoa again, and coffee, almost dusty.
Intense, full, even with some sweetish notes.
After the cocoa in the aftertaste there are toasted notes and liquorice. And a herbal bitterness.
OK.

 

 

 

 

Tried this beer in Cornwall recently. First impression, looks like a real black stout. Taste, chocolatey bitter but very smooth, great after taste. First class stout.