Dark Alliance
Moor Beer Company

 

330ml can conditioned with live yeast; unfined, unfiltered and unpasteurised. Now 4.5% ABV.
L: Black with two fingers of foaming, taupe-coloured head.
S: Roasted coffee aroma.
T&F: Some coffee (not as much as the in the nose), bitter hops, light body.
O: A hoppy coffee stout. Easy-drinking and refreshingly bitter. I’m tempted to think of this as a summertime stout. It’s light, approachable and thirst-quenching.

Tap @ Moor Brewery, Bristol - Pours dark black with a medium tanned foamy head. Medium carbonation. Nice lacing. Aroma - roasted malts, coffee, dark chocolate, caramel hints. Taste - sweet, roasted salts, coffee, moderate bitter finish. Really well balanced, easy drinking hoppy coffee stout.

 

 

 

500ml bottle purchased from Camperdown Cellars in Stanmore.

Pours a deep, but thin black hue, with a full and rich head of mild pale brown, which works really well. The body is definitely light. For 4.7% ABV, it's not unsurprising. Overall though, it's got a good solid look to it.

Nose is awesome. Big spicy coffee hit mingled with a noticeable hop character that gives it an edgy, herbal tone that works beautifully with the fresh roasted tones from the beans. There's a solid malt behind it: roasty as well, but with enough sweetness to provide some basis. There's a hint of marshmallow and vanilla to it which is extremely pleasant. Overall, I love it—it's great stuff.

Taste is also good. Lighter in body, but with a persistence of roast and a slightly fruity tone to the coffee which gives some berry and stone fruit to the mix. It's a note which works against the straight, solid roast of the base, taking some of the edge off, and somehow softening it into a cohesive whole with the rest of the flavours. It's extremely well done.

Feel is very light: it actually works well enough, but perhaps only because the flavours are so well balanced.

Overall, though, this is yet another cracking beer from Moor. They have impressed me a huge amount with the few beers of theirs I've tried, and this is yet another data-point reinforcing what a fine brewery they are.

Poured from a 660ml bottle into a pint glass and a snifter.

Pours a solid black colour with a tan head.

Smells strongly of coffee, with a hint of resinous hops.

Taste is very heavily centred around the coffee and bitter, burnt malts, with hops adding yet more bitterness, as well as a tad of freshness to balance the beer out. Thin texture but too flavoursome to become watery.

Overall a really nice beer, amazing considering the abv.

Pours black with a small, light tan head.
Nose shows roasted coffee, some piny, spicy hops and mild roasted malt. The coffee note is lovely.
More coffee as a flavour, but not much malt present to back things up. Some piny hops.
Needs a thicker body.

A 660ml bottle with a BB of Sept 2013. Picked up a little while back from Trembling Madness in York. This is a limited collaborative brew between Moor and Arbor Ales - a coffee stout with some hops thrown in for extra flavour. Fusion delight....

Poured into a Duvel tulip. Bottle conditioned. A dark brown hue that looks darker than a starless night. Yields a large head of creamy beige foam that hangs around for a few minutes before reducing to a patchy surface layer. Some lacing. A rich roma of roasted coffee, burnt grain, dark malt, faint chocolate, earthy yeast and some piny hop notes. It smells amazing.

Tastes of coffee, dark malt and hops, with a dry, bitter finish. Notes of intense roasted coffee beans, burnt grain, dark malt, a hint of molasses, faint chocolate, earthy yeast, a whisper of pine resin and mild stewed hops. Well attenuated and slightly acidic. A strident bitterness upon swallowing - both coffee and hops contribute to this. Mouthfeel is smooth, dry and tingly, with a slightly spicy quality. Nice carbonation and decent body. Highly astringent; dries the palate. Aftertaste of bitter roasted coffee/malt and faint yeast.

Boom - this beer packs a ton of flavour yet comes with a restrained ABV. It's a leaner English version of Beer Geek Breakfast. The flavour and aroma are dominated by coffee, but have a nice balance provided by the malt and hops. My only minor complaint is that the body seems too thin for the big flavour, but given the ABV this isn't surprising. A superb coffee stout. If coffee and beer hit your buttons then don't pass this over (should you be lucky enough to see it).