500 mL bottle courtesy of finewinemike as part of the 2010 Secret Santa. Delighted to get a beer with a sensible ABV for achange, and to be honest this is becoming a rarer and rarer treat. Shame. Beer pours a fantastic red/tawny port color with a modest head and some sticky lace. With a better head, the beer would be close to perfect in appearance, but out of the bottle a t leas it does not quite deliver. (On draught, I think it may look a bit better). I was expecting a typical, malty...
Notes on beers brewed by
Orkney Brewery
Dark Island
500 mL bottle, $3.99 Cheers, Carrollton, GA, USA. Very nice chocolate colored pour with a nice bubbly head that recedes to give a film on the surface. Very little lacing. Big caramel malts in the nose but there is a lack of sweetness in the aroma that one usually finds. The tastes reflect that in as much as the caramel notes are there, but it is a bit drier and more bitter than some of the style. Not fully malted up. A little thin in the mouth and lacks the sugar overtones that often accompany...
SkullSplitter
Huge malts and lots of alcohol are the overwhelming experience of this beer. Great looking dark amber pour with a substantial head. The large frothy head does disappear quickly, but still leaves some nice spotty creaminess and some significant lacing. Definite aroma and taste of Port and Plums, with plenty of other dark alocoholic fruit in there too. A sharp, dry alcohol finish that doesn't linger but reminds you of the ABV. A lovely sipper, take care with this brew and enjoy in moderation....
Dragonhead Stout
Quite disappointing. Good looker, with a jet black body and nicely formed, frothy head and some lacing. Good nose, with some burnt chocolate overtones. All very promising, but the taste and mouthfeel (especially the mouthfeel) were big letdowns. Much too thin and lacklustre for a stout, and the combination of the lack of body and some nasty prickly carbonation really made a mess of this brew. The carbonation was particularly annoying giving the beer the feel of a fizzy lager rather than a...