Freeminer Deep Shaft Stout

Formerly brewed at Freeminer
Style: Stout
Cinderford, England

When this beer was poured into my glass, it did not pour a head. There was no carbonation observed and the hue was very black. The lacing with this beer was sparse. The nose was that of coffee and the flavor was bitter tasting and very hoppy. The mouthfeel was fairly smooth.

This is the way stout should taste, rich, chocolatey, very rossty and bitter. Extremely black, wonderful appearance. Some tar and smoke in the aroma, aswell as a huge roastyness, amd rich chocolatyness. Flavour is very rich and full, heaps of smoke, roasted malt, chocolate, charcoal. Mouhfeel is oily, sweet at first, then hugely bitter, with a slight;y drying finish. Some hoppy spicyness, with some acid from the hops. Everything is extremely well balanced. This is how i always wanted a stout to taste like, absolutely delicious!

I can understand why they call it deep shaft because it's literally as black as coal. No head at all. Profound aroma, dark roasted malts, fruity raisins and plums, hints of breakfast oatmeal with port like similarities. Smooth, carbonationless (bottle) palate. Extreme raisin chocolatiness with touches of soil and surpiring citric bitterness not only for the style but also for an English ale. Infact it's really surprisingly bitter in the finish. Roasty, charred, plenty of subtle nuances and complexities. Not only is there a citric bitterness in the finish but also a shot of espresso bitterness. Pretty unique. I'd love to try it on tap because the looks and the palate are the only things that hold this back to a mere 4.0.

This brew poured a very small head of medium sized dark brown bubbles that left a fair lacing for a stout. Its body was an opaque black brown color. The aroma of this brew was that of a mild sweet malt with a hint of coffee in it. It has a very smooth flavor with a slight stout bite and a flat mouthfeel.

Cask conditoned on tap at RFD in DC: Nearly opaque with small rocky tan head, fair lacing, full-bodied. Wonderful aroma of smoke, roasted oats, semi-sweet chocolate, and espresso. Nice hoppy addition of Fuggles hops, fruity. Big flavor of smokey malt and fruity hops, hint of wood, complex. Oily and soft mouthfeel. Light alcohol feel on finish. Wow, a great find, excellent version of an Oatmeal Stout.

I have a feeling that this bottle aged a while at the store before I bought it. Pours a flat oily black with a thin tan lace and a bitter smokey chocolate aroma. Body is incredibly smooth with lots of smokey roasted malt complexity and a dry bitter finish. Body could be a little thicker, but this is still one very good stout.

Head is initially small, frothy, brown, mostly lasting. Body is opaque black, bottle conditioned. Aroma is moderately malty (chocolate, roasted grain, coffee, caramel, nuts), lightly hoppy (flowers), trace yeast (barnyard), with notes of smoke, orange, licorice, vanilla, wood, hint of alcohol. Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly acidic, moderately bitter. Finish is lightly sweet, lightly acidic, heavily bitter. Medium to full body, velvety/creamy texture, lively carbonation. Ok, Freeminer rocks. It's so obvious these guys are masters. A world class IPA and a world class stout. How often does one brewery pull off two totally different styles with this kind of precision? Sure, I would prefer a tiny bit less citrus in the aroma (I'm still undecided about Fuggles overall...as with Cascades, it sometimes works for me, sometimes doesn't), but otherwise the aroma is unbelievable, and packed with subtleties. Virtually an Imperial Stout it's so rich, complex, and thick. Roasted to perfection. The mouthfeel is to die for. Best as it approaches room temp. I could go on and on. A little less Fuggles influence, and this would be 5.0, seriously. But then, this was bottled only two months ago. Laying these down for 6-12 months to let the hops mellow and the yeast do their magic should make this a solid 5.0.

Rich, smokey maltiness. Very smooth, silky mouthfeel, absolutely great! Also some coffee notes. Good accent from the English malts, but the smokiness really shines through. The nose is almost sweet, like brown sugar. Very solid, interesting brew.