A classic, pictured 05/26/23

Original notes 09/26/10

12 oz single from Hop City, Atlanta, GA.

This beer was not available in the USA until relatively recently (last few months) when Atlanta became one of the test markets before a wider launch across the USA in September of 2010.

With all of the various incarnations of this beer being brewed in all parts of the world, I’m pretty sure this review is in the correct place since apparently (according to the bottle at least) this was brewed in Ireland and not the West Indies etc.

Pour as expected is jet black, but the head reminds me of the Guinness my dad used to drink with a really solid, rocky nature to it. Impressive.

This maybe a combination of mind games and tricks, but his version of the classic black stuff seems richer, deeper, darker and sweeter than many others. The mouthfeel seems particularly rich and I even get a splash of smoke in the back end. Some nutty elements too, with peanuts being part of the game.

I really enjoyed this single bottle, but I do question myself as to whether this is all a trick of the mind. Still, good stuff and very drinkable.