Despite the warning of containing yeast sediment on the back label, I didn't seem to get any, but then, with a beer this dark, would it really bother anyone? It's almost black, with rich mahogany tints around the edges when held to the light. A mouthwatering aroma of light, vinous fruit and, for some reason, I kept getting hints of spices like cumin. Taking a mouthful is like having your tongue rubbed with (blue?) velvet; a full and soft mouthfeel. This is a complex beer, no doubt, with lots of dried fruit, blackberries and a dryish coffee-like bitterness. My overall impression was of something verging on a liqueur, possibly something to do with the 10% alcohol. It's sweet, but in a cake-y way and balanced by a warming alcohol. A sipper for sure! A slight cardboardy dryness came out in the finish, but nevertheless, a lovely brew that would make a welcome permanent addition to the Porterhouse fold.Well, I'd like more!
9 comments:
A fantastic beer for sure! Such a shame I will probably only ever have the one bottle Beer Nut gave me.
I fully agree, probably the best Irish beer I ever tasted. They should have launched a series of annual bottle conditioned beers.
Isn't this a winter beer? We have one hiding at the back of the cupboard but we are waiting for colder weather.
As it happens (see post) I did drink this in winter, however, Ron Pattinson and TheBeerNut like a strong stout, chilled, in summer. I have to agree, considering I had the O'Hara's celebration just a couple of weeks ago.
There's no such thing as a winter beer, just personal preference (or per pressure/advertising). Why not try it? :)
I'll do my own test with Guinness Foreign Extra soon.
Al, Knut, I know I will never get the chance to try one of these again, but an annual series would be a bloody great idea!
"per pressure" was supposed to be "peer pressure". My fingers are sticky in this damn heat. I need a cold glass in my hand!
I should probably take my last few bottles of this out of my superheated attic.
And I agree that the Porterhouse need to do more of this kind of thing. We should have more imperialesque stouts in Ireland generally.
A thought just flashed before my eyes, an Imperial Wrasslers XXXX!!!! That would one hell of a monster, and certainly one I would hunt high and low for if they bottled it - any word on when the bottling line is up and running?
Stop teasing my imagination! They do such a good job with Wrasslers and did such a nice job with the Celebration, a Power Ranger-esque combination of the two would blow my socks off!
I read somewhere (probably from the BeerNut and possibly via ICB) that they had sample bottles (maybe just labelled and not yet filled) at a recent foodie event in Dublin, so it looked like things were Moving. I haven't seen a firm date though. So basically, no idea when :D
I can assure you they were empty mock-ups. Expect actual PH bottles when you see them.
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