Orkney Dragonhead Stout (Bottle)

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

Bottle. A pleasant enough stout. Pleasant aromas. Nice fluffy coffee coloured head. Nicely roasted. But nothing special.

500mL bottle. Poured clear medium-dark brown with a shorter-lived cap of beige head. The aroma picked up molasses and licorice over a bed of sweeter chocolates.. nice roast to it.. just a hair of smoked peat rounded this out just beautifully. The flavor wasn’t far off, showcasing a blend of chocolates and the aforementioned peat.. charred smoke rolled off the back of the palate.. hops didn’t make too much of an impression (just a bit of herbal character).. finished with a bit of woodsy sourness and more smoked chocolate. Rather lightly-bodied and I wish it had a little more substance on the middle.. sourness was slightly off-putting on the back. Overall a very good stout.

Bottle (500ml). Thanks to Degarth for this one!. Opaque black, lively pour, large fluffy beige head. Oily, nutty, deep roast malt aroma, a little milky with a touch of cherry tartness - very rich and appealing. Taste is very roasty, light nut and tart fruit, some acidity and grassy hops in the finish. Light, still, silky mouthfeel, nice bitter aftertaste - solid stout, would have it again.

This stout pours a deep black color from a 500ml bottle. Large sized white foamy head, long lasting with good lacing. Aroma is chocolate, cocoa powder and dark chocolate. Light to medium bodied stout. Malts are chocolate and coffee. Hops are earthy. Nice balance. Soft mouthfeel with a crisp dry finish. Kind of thin tasting, but that may be due more to the 4% alcohol than any defect in the beer. This is a decent session stout, if such a thing exists. Mouthfeel is a touch thin. Finish is crisp and dry. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.

Bottle. Not a fan dark beer with tan head. Comes out copper oxidized and sour. The rostiness is thin in mouth feel with little etoh to enjoy.

This bottled brew from a bottle shop poured a large sized head of foamy fine to medium sized brown colored bubbles that were mostly diminishing and left behind a opaque no visible carbonation dark black brown colored body and a fair lacing. The aroma was malty brown malt roasted malt and toasted malt. The mouth feel was weakly tingly at the start and at the finish. The flavor contained notes of roasted malt and dark malt. An OK brew just nothing special.

(Bottled) Very dark reddish brown color with a medium, beige head. The aroma has both dry and roasted, as well as a sweetish-malty character. Very malty, quite roasted flavor with some fruitiness. Overall the flavor is on the sweet side. Slightly dull finish is compensated by the long, lingering, roasted aftertaste. Medium-bodied, somewhat carbonated and slightly thin palate with sticky finish. Quite warming despite the low ABV. A pleasant and well-balanced stout, although not quite spectacular. Another quality brew from Orkney.

Bottle: Orgasmic pour ... pitch black with a textbook tan waterfall of a bubbly rising head. The aroma is whiskey and dried dark fruit. This drinks with a robust, dark roasted and smoky peat as the basis. Bit more watery than you’d think for such a big brew. But I could easily see this, at a hair-higher temperature, warming my insides in a dank, damp Scottish pub, instead of my dank, damp Virginia TV room. Excellent stout. Please pass the bangers and mash. (#3173, 11/4/2007)