Bring the blackness

It's a veritable dark beer jamboree out there at the moment. I'm loving it. Today it's three random selections of the black stuff from the beer fridge.

The new seasonal from Hope is first, their Emmer Stout, named for a heritage variety of wheat used in the grain bill. Much as I love a bit of recipe experimentation, it's a stout, and quite a hoppy one at that. What are the chances of me being able to spot that they've done something fancy with wheat? The aroma is a mild but pleasant blend of dry roast and sweet flowers. Though only 5% ABV it has a lovely full texture, creamy with just a gentle fizz. That roast I picked up in the aroma is very much at the centre of the flavour: no candy with your cream, just burnt toast and coffee grounds. It's an old-fashioned rawness, finishing on a zinc-like metallic tang. I'd like to think the emmer had something to do with that, but I'm not sure it does. "Nutty and fruity" says the label. Nah. Still, I have a lot of time for this sort of dry and bitter stout, even one verging on harshness like this.

Barrel-ageing is almost as commonplace as dark beer these days and the next one does both. Brehon's Oak & Mirrors has been around a while but I didn't encounter it until I took a trip up to Martin's of Fairview in November. Despite being very dark and pouring very thickly, it's only 7.5% ABV, and they've made the questionable decision to call it an "imperial porter". I thought it was another one with little aroma, but inhale deeply and there's a rich and sweet honeyed whiskey quality -- not porter, not even beer, but still delicious. The flavour is much more multifaceted. There's a smooth chocolate sweetness which makes it squarely a modern porter: decent and unfussy, at least to begin. A subtle peaty smoke winds in afterwards, along with dry oak splinters and an almost savoury cola-nut side. It's fun to explore, but the best bit is that every sip brings more of that lovely pot still aroma. I was afraid this would be overdone and difficult, but Brehon aren't new to the barrel game and their experience shows through here. You can age it, but it's damn good right now.

While I was above in Martin's I spotted a few loose cans of Moka Panda from BRÚ. This imperial coffee stout is normally only sold as part of their seasonal mixed eight-pack so it felt a little transgressive to get a single. I have a low thrill threshold. It's a dense black colour and smells of coffee but not in a good way: the hot bitter harshness of spent grounds. 10% ABV gives it a creamy texture and plenty of alcoholic warmth, veering into Irish coffee territory. The dry roasted thing is there on the end, but doesn't interfere with the fun beforehand. There's not much going on beyond that malty strength and its thick lacing of coffee, one which leaves a powerful cold-brew aftertaste, but I liked what it does. The previous Panda Nero extension, Double Panda, did something similar, stripping out the original's busy sweetness to create a purer stout experience. I am in favour.

Much more dark beer still to come, before the days start to lengthen again.