Orkney Dragonhead Stout (Bottle)

Brewed by Orkney (Sinclair Breweries)
Style: Stout
Stromness, Orkney, Highlands & Islands, Scotland

Pours jet black with the deepest mahogany fringes, a nice tan head that leaves dense soapy lace. The nose is of fresh cocoa powder, legumes and some peat. Herbal bitters and roasted bitter chocolates, some freshly picked uncooked green beans, greenery and other legumes in the flavor. The finish is of herbal bitters. Dry mouthfeel alongside a light palate complexity.

A cracker! Typical stout in appearance, good head and nice lines down the glass. Rich roast malt /coffee nose, very smooth palate, perhaps just a touch light, could perhaps do with another % of alcohol to add a bit more body, but never mind it’s lovely and worth seeking out. This came from The Fine Wine Shop on Musselburgh High Street.

looked really nice, a big thick frothy head on top of an onyx liquid, aroma was equally as enticing, with lots of toasted malts, a bit of smoke, coffee and chocolate. unfortunately for this beer, it was downhill from there, flavor was very single faceted - toasted chocolate - and the aftertaste was a bit sour and grassy. body was alot thinner than i think it should be. this could be alot better with some heavier malt content that would boost the flavors and the body to a higher level.

Bottle. Bishops Arms. Järntorget, Gothenburg. Black colour with a small brown head. Roasted malt, coffee, licorice, light sweetness, earthy hops, faint smoke, mildly sour. Light bodied. Good, drinkable session beer.

500 ml. bottle. Pours a mocha colored head of good duration, over an utterly opaque blackish brown body.....nose is heavily roasted malts with coffee chocolate and a bit of molasses.... tastes of dry malts, much less sweetness than the nose would suggest, finishes dry with a bit of lingering vanilla and coffee....mouthfeel is light , but creamy, an interesting brew. An almost perfect example of a dry stout.

Pours with a nice, frothy head and lively carbonation; creosote, chocolate and roasted nose with a hint of cherry noted fruitiness; burnt, chalky front end with dusty maltiness and dry finish; thin palate; meh.

Tasted 14/12/2007. 500ml bottle from Regional Wines and Spirits. Pours black, with a disappearing airy tan head. It’s near perfect from here. Where do I start? Fantastic balance and integration. Splendid entry, sublime exit. Subtle yet quite overt. Everything on the nose, follows through on the palate. Just ripe plums; aged port; dark bitter chocolate; fruity freshly-roasted coffee beans; fruitcake crust - just a touch overcooked; peat; a hint of greenish oak; a mix of dried fruit; a little milk chocolate, toasted grainy bread; sweet nuts. Light-medium weight and medium carbonation. Superb beer, superb brewery. These guys have a magic yeast. Is Orkney the world’s best ’new world’ brewery? The world’s best, bar none? I’d be hard pressed to pick a better one.

Deep black color with a medium sized tan head that lingers. Very nice and strong roasted malt aroma. Medium bodied with a roasted malt flavor with burnt and smokey undertones. Finish is dry and burnt. The burnt taste is not very appealing, kinda like drinking a campfire.