The Twelve Brewers of Christmas 6: The Format

Heading for the half way mark and bringing us there is the new Dublin client brewer The Format with two special barrel-aged editions.

Their imperial red ale was my least favourite of the first set so I was a little underwhelmed to see they'd done another one. Here's One We Made Earlier is only slightly stronger at 8% ABV despite having been aged in rum barrels. There's barely a hiss when the waxed cap comes off but it pours with plenty of head over a ruby-brown body. The aroma is a rich and sweet mix of toffee, milk chocolate and a slightly sour oak tang. Its flavour is along similar lines, adding a raisin and date dark fruit to the selection-box elements. The barrel contribution is quite mild and, given the hefty €16 price tag, I feel it owed me more mellowness, maturity and warmth. As-is it's a straightforward easy-drinker; decent but not spectacular.

The companion piece has a much shorter name: Theo. This is an imperial milk stout with added vanilla and cacao nibs, aged in bourbon barrels, and brought to 10% ABV. It sounds very involved, but once again it's a fairly simplistic offering. All the elements are there, just about. It's smooth and quite warming without being hot. Chocolate and vanilla provide little more than seasoning for the dark malts, with the bourbon merely sprinkled over the top, like brown sugar on an Irish coffee. Maybe I'm too used to highly involved pastry stouts going, frankly, overboard with the added flavours, and I should be pleased that this one doesn't. Instead it's quiet, gentle and balanced. If that sounds a bit boring, that's on you.

Both of these are very much sharing occasion beers, not for sitting alone in the dark writing notes. That relative you think would welcome an introduction to the more esoteric side of beer might appreciate a glass of one or both.