A glass, please

Galway Bay has been one of the more prolific breweries in 2024, which I very much welcome. Their third new beer of 2024 landed in mid-March, an imperial stout called Obsidian. The name references more than just the colour: it's on a Mexican theme, with chillis and chocolate, plus vanilla and cinnamon for the hot chocolate effect.

That sounds like a lot of novelty but it's worn lightly. At heart it's a dense 12% ABV stout with lots of old-fashioned bitterness, suggesting very high-cocoa dark chocolate rather than a sweetened gimmick. It's rare to encounter vanilla being so understated, detectable only once it's warmed up a bit. I was a little disappointed that the chilli wasn't more prominent: no spiciness on the tongue or afterburn in the belly, only a light sneezy dusting of paprika.

Still, it's not any way bland and has its own delicious character, totally separate from the add-ins. The bitter chocolate taste is enjoyable and the huge chewy texture even more so. That's plenty. This beer is plenty.