December: Visiting the Dark Side!

Over the last couple of weeks I have tasted 5 excellent darker beers, stouts, porters and Christmas Ales, what you expect to flourish at this time of year. Two of them, sampled a week apart, come from Kent Brewery of Birling in Kent (website), a consistent brewer of fine ales, mostly pale ales provided where I drink regularly, but they can brew excellent darker beers too, as these 2 prove. First, their Comfortably Plum (4.9%), described as a 'plum stout' on the pumpclip, but, although there is a hint of roasted barley in the taste, more like a porter to me. Now I have gone on about the difference between porters and stouts before (eg International Stout Day 2 years ago blog), and some stronger dark milds too, they tend to be interchangeable depending on the brewer. This was a deep dark red colour, dark fruits in the aroma and taste, smooth and velvety with plenty of body, and a nice dry bitter finish; my notes say "pretty damn good!"

Just a couple of days ago I drank the Kent Yule Log, a 4.5% 'chocolate cream stout' and what can I say, other than more of the same, I certainly summed up with a very similar comment to the Comfortably Plum! A big aroma of chocolate with a hint of molasses, a dark dark red colour again, tasting of chocolate and with plenty of body, certainly does what it says on the label!

Before I forget, I mentioned in my last blog that I had a few halves of Harvey's of Lewes, East Sussex, Christmas Ale, a mere 7.5% (I'm sure it used to be stronger?), described as a 'traditional barley wine' (website). A wee bit sweet to begin with, though a nice bitterness is produced by the hops at the finish, a bit of a Christmas Pudding of a beer!

OK, there's a hint of where I'm going with my next blog in this image above, but there are also 2 more excellent darker beers I drank on Wednesday, and both from further away. First, from Goffs Brewery in the Cotswolds (website), Black Night, a 5.3% 'ruby red porter' and it really is a deep dark ruby red colour, okay a hint of roasted barley in the aroma, but Bramling Cross hops provide a dark fruity flavour, plenty of body, rich and flavoursome, another excellent dark ale.

You will also be able to see, at the far right/back in the photograph above, from West Yorkshire's Saltaire Brewery (website), the 4.8% Triple Choc, an 'indulgent chocolate stout.' Brewed with Fuggles hops, and with a hint of chocolate in the aroma which belies the stronger chocolate flavour to the taste, a deep dark, almost black colour, though not as heavy as you would expect, pretty easy to sup actually, another excellent black ale.

Which was best? I'd hate to judge, I loved drinking all 5, particularly the 2 chocolate flavoured beers, maybe the Black Night 'shaded' it, but no, very happy to drink any of the 5, cheers!