The Dreadnought
Little Creatures Brewing Company

The DreadnoughtThe Dreadnought
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From:
Little Creatures Brewing Company
 
Australia
Style:
Foreign / Export Stout
ABV:
7.4%
Score:
87
Avg:
3.87 | pDev: 3.88%
Reviews:
16
Ratings:
17
Status:
Retired
Rated:
May 30, 2012
Added:
Aug 18, 2011
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of bylerteck
Reviewed by bylerteck from Canada (ON)

3.78/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5
On tap at Josie Bones. Agred for a year at the venue. From notes.

A - Poured black with two fingers of ultra thick head once it settled. I got jipped on the pour with about 4 fingers initially but I hesitated to speak up. Thick rings of lace and a finger of retention.

S - Coffee and roast with some milk chocolate.

T - A really nice milk chocolate flavour with some strong roast notes.

M - Good carbonation. Medium body. Very creamy and smooth.

O/D - Not overly impressive but worth a try. Nice and tasty but I lost interest after a while. Lacked complexity. Very easy to drink.
May 30, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by danieelol from Australia

Nov 28, 2011
Photo of PolarBear3
Reviewed by PolarBear3 from Australia

3.9/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Drank from my tulip glass

A - Pours a dark brown colour with dark tanned head of two fingers that reduces to one. Looks a little oily with a little lacing.

S - Dominated by coffee with a little chocolate and toffee notes.

T - I get the coffee and some rosted malts with a rather unusual bitterness coming through that is balanced fairly well. Creamy with also a hint of toffee and caramel.

M - Medium to full bodied with a little carbonation.

O - Pleasantly surprised with this one. A good balanced beer that is easy to drink.
Oct 22, 2011
Photo of CrazyDavros
Reviewed by CrazyDavros from Australia

3.74/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours black with a small dark tan head.
Nose shows rich roasted malt, big espresso and cocoa notes along with sweet chocolate liqueur hints.
Flavours are pretty similar, quite bold, with big, dry roasty notes and noticeable coffee. Pretty bitter.
Could use more carbonation.
Very moreish.
Oct 13, 2011
Photo of joecast
Reviewed by joecast from Australia

4.15/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A bit excited for my first try LC single batch. And an FES! Don't get enough of those.

Jet black without being looking too viscous or sludgy. Tiny dark brown bubbles streak the surface of the beer. I must say, this looks inviting.

Pretty sure no wood has touched this beer but I get a serious dose of oakiness here. This mixes with a background of coffee beans and roasted barely. As it warms the edges are rounded with a touch of alcohol.

The beer hits hard with ground coffee bean, dark crystal and roast malt, and a light sweet finish. It all cleans up really well though. Strong bitterness from the hops and also the roasted malt giving it another dimension. Great mouthfeel for this strength and style. Really helps carry the beer.

Well, it doesn't often happen but my high expectations were met easily. Nice to see LC take a bit more of a risk and it's ended up with a real winner.
Sep 15, 2011
Photo of laituegonflable
Reviewed by laituegonflable from Australia

3.98/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Pours a very dark mahogany brown, ochre head, creamy and dense with lovely lace left behind. That's a fine-looking stout.

Smells roasty and stouty. Lots of mild roasted coffee with cocoa, black pepper and licorice root. Mildly done, with a decent overall balance of aroma, nice roasty stout.

Taste is dark, roasty for the most part with plenty of espresso notes but mild, slight sourness with goji berries, unsweetened chocolate and mild black pepper. Caramel on the late-mid before it gets darker and spicier towards the finish with some cedar wood and cumin. Not bad, not bad at all.

Decent body but a bit overcarbonated maybe? Kind of dries up too early.

Good export stout. Big flavours but retains a nice crisp finish for easier drinkability.
Sep 06, 2011
Photo of shambeano
Reviewed by shambeano from Australia

3.85/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
poured into a pint glass and shared with a friend.

A- pours a thick jet black with just a whisper of off brown head. looks pretty much the part.

S- straight up quite roasty and bitter smelling, some sweet malts in there as well.

T- a touch of sweeter malts straight up but quickly followed by a massive hit of roasted malts, the bitterness is a little more restrained but still powerful. very nice.

M- thick and creamy and delicious. a touch of carbonation, but a good amount for the style, feels really nice.

O- im a fan of this one, easily the best single batch creatures have done. nice one.
Sep 05, 2011
Photo of spicelab
Reviewed by spicelab from Australia

3.77/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pint bottle thanks to Mr Kennedy.

Oily black on the pour. Dark tan head reminiscent of frothed chocolate milk. Recedes relatively fast to a slight ring.

Straight off the bat sweetened dark chocolate with lifted floral ester and mild port notes. Decent amount of less sweet roast character of charcoal and brewed coffee, and also some caramel malts. Holds together very nicely.

Very similar. 70% dark Lindt chocolate just wins out over strong iced coffee notes. Underlying smoky floral backbone. Solid as, albeit rather simple.

Moderately oily and slightly chewy, with well hidden carbonation and a peppery presence on the mid-palate.

Well constructed and moreish. The chocolate is sharp and distinct and underpinned by a nicely clean base stout. Great dessert beer and probably my favourite LC Single Batch to date.
Sep 04, 2011
Photo of juju7
Reviewed by juju7 from Australia

3.88/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pitch black with nice lacing.

A rich and roasty stout. Aromas of tar, burnt coffee and a hint of charcoal. Nice.

Quite upfront on the palate, some slight fruity hop flavours but mostly roasty goodness with some sturdy bitterness. Alcohol is slighty evident but not out of whack.

Enjoying this quite a bit. Good stuff.
Sep 03, 2011
Photo of lacqueredmouse
Reviewed by lacqueredmouse from Australia

3.75/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
I'm on holidays, so this seemed like a suitable breakfast beer. Toasty and robust. Purchased from Slowbeer.

Uncaps without much of a hiss, implying very low or nil carbonation. Indeed, when poured, the head is a filmy ring of nothingness around the edges, although when agitated, it's a lovely dense deep brown colour. Body is solidly opaque. Looks pretty good.

Nose is roasted, but rounded with a pleasant sweet character, perhaps just a grainy bread note, but it's smooth. Slight vanilla notes. It's all pretty pleasant, and not as harsh and roasted as it could have been.

Taste is also quite smooth—the very low carbonation helps here, although the liberally laced black, roasted malt gives it pinpricks of bitterness that almost resemble the tingle of carbonation. Otherwise, it has a pleasant smoothness and rather light body. This aids the drinkability, even though the flavours are not overly complex.

Pretty decent. It's a big enough brew that maintains a rather smooth and light profile. One of the better single release beers I've had from Little Creatures.
Sep 01, 2011
Photo of eric5bellies
Reviewed by eric5bellies from Australia

3.7/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Drank from my Duvel Tulip

A - Pours a nice dark Ebony colour with a two fingered tanned head that reduces quickly. There is no light visible through the glass which is a good sign. Has a nice oily appearance.

S - Small amounts of roast, a little toffee, chocolate and tiny amount citrus.

T - Hey that's not bad ! Nice roasty sweetness in there of chocolate and a little licorice. The finish isn't quite right and is a little woody and green.

M - Not quite a full body and well balanced low carbonation.

O - A big improvement from Alex, This beer is a solid example of a stout and will not disappoint. A little let down by the finish but overall I like it, and it has RIS qualities (which I like), even though its an export stout. Good effort. Something Belgian would go down well for the next brew.
Aug 31, 2011
Photo of heygeebee
Reviewed by heygeebee from Australia

4.1/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Jumping on the review bandwagon here.. good stuff, if only we could review all new releases as quickly.

Pours a one/two finger Black 'n' tan. HEad receds, lacing stays.

Aromas of caramel, chocolate. Nice.

Taste comes n goes. Massive mid palate hole is initally disconcerting, but I got over it, due to ongoing wonderful sweetness/roast flavours. Not too dry.

Mouthfeel medium bodied.

LC on form - good to see.

** edit ** Up a half on overall due to value for money....
Aug 21, 2011
Photo of MrKennedy
Reviewed by MrKennedy from Australia

3.78/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
568ml bottle purchased from Porters Northwood and poured into a Murrays tulip style glass.

Pours a thick black with a deep tan coloured head of foam that hollowed out pretty quickly.

Aroma is roasted malt early with a bit of molasses and then chocolate, plenty of chocolate. Not just dark chocolate, belgian chocolate too.

The taste is a thin early, just a touch of plum and then the chocolate builds and builds from there with belgian chocolate being the mainstay.

Mouthfeel is full, slick and coating. The bit of thinness in the taste is reflected in the feel.

Decent winter seasonal from Little Creatures. A tough beer to get through with the chocolate and the way in which it builds. But if you are after something to relax in winter with, this will do the trick.
Aug 20, 2011
Photo of mulder1010
Reviewed by mulder1010 from Australia

3.53/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
568 ML poured into a Mikkeller Tulip

A-- Poured a dark ruby cola color and settled black. No light penetrating this. half finger of dark mocha colored head that went from film to a few brown gurgles in less than a minute. Much better staying power on swirling as got a finger of head but still died quickly. Spotty lacing left while drinking and a slight bit of oily residue.

S-- Sweet dairy milk Carmel chocolate with coffee to back it up. Lots of malt sweetness to this but the smell is quite soft and have to really swirl the glass to bring it out.

T-- Bitter, dark and rich baking chocolate mixed with a bit of Belgian sweet chocolate. Good contrast to the nose and much more pronounced.

M-- At times oily, sweet, and sticky. Big gap in the middle of the palate leaves a big whole but rounded out with sweet chocolate coffee acidity to finish. Medium body and lower medium carbonation.

O-- I think everybody will say this is the best single batch beer by LC to date. Yea, pretty much is. Not bad at all. Good to see LC branch out of the norm and do something different. If given a preference I will take Coopers or Brewboys Version. More rounded and more character than this is.
Aug 19, 2011
Photo of ADZA
Reviewed by ADZA from Australia

3.86/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Pours a beautiful dark as night black hue with beautiful carbonation that leaves behind a caramel laced two finger head that stays and leaves heaps of lacing,the smell is dark belgian chocolate,roasted malts,dark coffee and dark fruits,the mouthfeel is only medium bodied and not as thick as id like it to be with tastes of chocolate covered liquorice,dark expresso coffee,figs,vanilla and finished with a dark belgian chocolate bittersweetness and overall i like it and yes it is definately one of their better Single Batches of late but in saying that this hasnt had much competition of late with their poor single batches of recent times but this is promising as i hope their Single batches can get back to the quality of when they produced their brown ale cheers.
Aug 19, 2011
Photo of dansmcd
Reviewed by dansmcd from Australia

4.05/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A - Pitch black with a thin one finger tan head, followed by flecks of lace.

S - Smoky burnt coffee, hint of whisky.

T - Quite dry, roasted/charred malts and dark powdered chocolate, touch of coffee. Alcohol well hidden. For the apparent 60 IBU the hops are not prominent. The chocolate lingers.

M - Nice and smooth, glides down your throat. Moderate body.

O - Great stout. I paired mine with roast pork and veggies, which was a delicious combination. I missed the other single batches from LC but from the sounds of things, this one will easily eclipse its predecessors. A ripper.
Aug 19, 2011
Photo of dgilks
Reviewed by dgilks from Australia

3.91/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pitch black with a creamy tan head with good head retention. Nice lacing.

Burnt roasted malts with a slightly tart edge which comes from high levels of roasted barley. A touch earthy and with very little sweetness.

Robust roasted malt flavour with some light malt sweetness and mild fruity esters. Mild burnt coffee. Earthy hop bitterness that lingers a little bit. I'm not getting any real caramel notes or chocolate either, just a big, roasty stout.

Medium body with moderate carbonation. It suits the beer well.

This is probably the best of the Single Batch beers yet. The robust roasted character is nice and is appropriate to style. At times the flavour feels a little bit thin, particularly through the midpalate, but that is more due to a lack of malt sweetness than anything else.
Aug 18, 2011
The Dreadnought from Little Creatures Brewing Company
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 17 ratings