Ales on the Dark Side...

Apologies for not writing for so long, I've been a bit caught up with my other blog about Hastings, and other stuff, but I have promised to write about darker ales since I wrote about the Milestone Plum Porter and International Stout Day (blog). Since when, I've had a few goodies!

OK, I said "goodies" but actually I meant VERY good darker ales! Staring off with the excellent Black Pig (4.8%) from the 12-barrel plant of Kent brewer Wantsum (website). Described as a "Smooth, Dark Russian Porter", it has a very deep and dark red/brown colour and a hint of liquorice in its aroma, and liquorice and chocolate in the flavour. This is rich, smooth and full bodied, and very drinkable, loved it!

I thought, there's no way I can have any more this year as good as those previous two, but then I had this stout, from Yorkshire brewer Revolutions (website), the excellent stronger Belgian Stout (7%). What can I say, I was only going to have the one pint of it before leaving the pub, but stayed on for a couple more and floated home afterwards! Again, a very deep red/brown colour, a slight liquorice aroma, rich and full bodied, with a hint of roasted malt in the taste. I'll censor how I described it, but suffice to say I thought it was very good... 😉 

Then I found a porter with a difference, from the Sussex brewery Franklins (website), whose pale hoppy ales I regularly enjoy, but this was a very different 'special' from them! Their 5% Smoked Chilli Porter, with beech-smoked malts and chipotle chillies providing the difference, was an amazingly subtle and flavoursome ale. I could taste the chilli, but it was not overpowering, though I can think of a few people who would find it overpowering, no doubt. Actually, it was very easy to drink, so I didn't just have the one pint of this either, VERY nice!

Now, I don't know what you think about chocolate and ale going together, not to everyone's taste I admit, but I have fond memories of eating chocolate fudge cake whilst drinking at the Double Locks (website) on the Exeter Ship Canal, when I lived down there. Also, I used to enjoy drinking Young's Double Chocolate Stout when you could get it on draught from the Ram Brewery in Wandsworth, sadly demised. Anyway, I digress... 

So, my most recent darker ale was from another Sussex brewer, Downlands (website), from whom I had to p..p..p..pick up a Penguin! This 4.7% 'Christmas' ale tasted of chocolate, indeed, with hints of spirit, vanilla and spice, but essentially chocolate+++, rich and smooth, my tasting notes state "gorgeous!" There you have it and, yet again, I drank more than just the one pint...   

Consequently, 5 excellent darker ales were enjoyed recently by Hophead Steve, one of my other nicknames! Quite different, but well worth the change of style from my usual pale hoppy bitters, though I have been drinking many of them recently too, more of very soon, and I will do my best to keep that promise this time. Seasonal greetings and cheers!