Carlow OHaras Celebration Stout

(750ml bottle, thanks wickedpete) Medium tan head that leaves nice lacing, atop black body. Aroma is medium sweet, roast/smoke, light chocolate. Taste is medium sweet, roast/smoke, some earthy. Light-medium body.

Pours a mostly opaque black with dark mahogany edges and a frothy, clumpy-lacing dark tan head. Aroma of sweet toasty dark caramel and chocolate malts with some roasted coffee character. Body starts lightly sweet and earthy roasty with some bitter balance and a drier, lingering roasty finish. Smooth, well-balanced and drinkable a nice stout.

Thanks to wickedpete for sharing a bottle. Soft, quiet, smooth and lacking any harshness, it’s dry, roast-heavy and chocolately, but also comes up a little short both on body and in depth. There’s some milky flavor (not lactic acidity, just milky), some pasty white chocolate and some faint caramel. It’s good for what it is, and I know it’s kind of hard to make a really rich and complex dry stout, but I feel like something is missing. Still, few complaints here, it’s tasty enough.

Bottle. Head is initially large, frothy, brown, mostly lasting. Body is black. Aroma is moderately malty (roasted/burnt grain, husks, chocolate milk), with a light note of minerals. Flavor is lightly to moderately sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly sweet, lightly bot moderately acidic, moderately bitter. Light to medium body, velvety/watery texture, lively carbonation, moderately alcoholic. Crude aroma, unfulfilling in the mouth. Borderline unpleasant.

750 ml swing top bottle. Pours deep black with ruby edges and a huge, 4-finger khaki head and great lacing. Nose of roasty malt, chocoff, mild hops. Tastes malty, slightly rauchy, with notes of dark chocolate, coffee, and bittering hops. Palate stays extremely dry in this, while maintaining a nice roasty flavor. Very good.