Sussex Extra Stout
Dark Star Brewing Company Limited

Cask at The Harp, London. Very dark colour, nearly black, reddish in the highlights. Low tan head. Moderate roasty aroma, hints of coffee and dark chocolate. Soft and smooth mouthfeel. The flavour is roasty with coffee notes, medium dry. Decent enough.

 

The beer is hazy dark brown with ruby red tones, has a tan head, leaves little lacing and curtains.

The smell is roasted malt, toast, some dried fruits and sausages.

The taste starts with burned bread crust and brown sugar, then dark forest fruits, smoked sausage ("medvurst") some bitter coffee bean finish.

The carbonation is medium light, a fresh feeling, ended light dry.

A good and well balanced porter. Gravity cask at The Bree Louise.

Lovely pitch-black/ebony beer, quite thick-looking with little flickers of bright ruby red. No head. Nose is characterful and smoky, with a deep roasted coffee aroma and an edge of charcoal smoke. Slight dark chocolate notes and unexpected sweet coconut and vanilla emerge from the darkness as well - sort of reminiscent of a Mounds bar, just more subtle. Pleasantly stout to the taste, maybe a touch light in terms of both flavor and body, but otherwise deliciously dry and strong with plenty of roasted grain sweetness and burnt bitterness to go around. Caramel and dark chocolate preside, although this is not as richly malty and sweet as you might expect. The emphasis is on bitterness and dryness, although this is accomplished with just a wisp of citric hops. Very good, not terribly complex, but robust, smooth, and tasty.