Freeminer Deep Shaft Stout

Formerly brewed at Freeminer
Style: Stout
Cinderford, England

500ml bottle from the <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Place/new-york target=blank>Premier Gourmet in Buffalo, New York. Black in colour with a very thin tan coloured head, thick looking, some light lacing. The aroma is quite roasty, lots of bittersweet chocolate, lots of licorice, light smoke, coffee, quite sweet. The flavour is very roasty, good amounts of chocolate and coffee, slightly sweet, cream, licorice. Slightly sweet mouthfeel, medium body, medium carbonation. Finishes lingering with a moderate roasty bitterness. After 3 years in the bottle this is holding up excellently.

Bottled in March 2003.

bottled 18MAR03. comes out of the bottle a flat, and deep, deep black. a vigorous pour creates a small-ish tan head that actually holds on for a bit and leaves nice lace. great nose - sort of a milk-chocolate sweetness mixed with notes of rum and madeira. very lush. very nice flavor - starts with some smooth, creamy chocolate-tinged maltiness, that might almost be too sweet, except a potent roast bite kicks into balance it off. not shy with the finishing hop bitterness either. beer is very well balanced between a creamy sweet-chocolate malt front and a sharp smack of deeply roasted bitter coffee in the finish. too bad it’s pretty flat - the palate could use the liveliness.

Poured black with a mahogany edge and a small dark brown head that disappears quickly. Leaves a brown oily film on the glass. Huge roasted aroma with big smokey notes. Roated malt flavor with a good amount of smoke. Bitter hop finish. The smoke lingers on through the finish. The finish thins out some.

Bottle. Dated Mar 18th 2003. Pours thick and black, like motor oil. No head. Thick molasses aroma with some chocolate and smoky notes. Rather thin mouth feel with a very pronounced smokiness. Chocolate and brown sugar notes as well.

Bottled A very dark beer that has plenty of roasted aroma’s. This is not one of my favourite beers and in fairness I have tried it on a number of occasions now and always feel a bit dissapointed. I find it far to bitter with too much in the way of roasted coffee notes also a bit thin and too dry. I can see why others like this as it is very interesting, its just not my thing at all.

Poured jet black with a large fluffy brown head. Aroma of roasty chocolate, coffee, and a touch of mild acidity. Flavor is a bit surprising. Licorice, peppermint, an extremely strong bitter roasted coffee taste like biting into a roasted espresso bean. Not a whole lot of sweetness, just a tad. Takes roasted coffee flavor in a stout to a whole new level, which surprisingly for me is not the best thing. There just wasn’t enough to back it up. Good body on it, though--thick and lightly carbonated. Overall a decent stout with a lot of good qualities, but somewhat slipping in the flavor department for me.

Courtesy of OhioDad. <P> Bottle <P> Aroma is mild, old coffee and scant else. Deep black with a tiny bubbyly mocha head. Flavor is stale chocolate, cold coffee and some creamy/brown sugar sweetness. Fairly thin, but I expected that from a Brit stout. Just doesn’t strike me right.

Courtesy of Pailhead. Pours almost opaque black with no head. Very muted aroma of coffee and that’s it. Flavor is all coffee up front, fades to some sweet malt and chocolate through middle, finishes rather bland for a stout.