Red Rose Paddy OHackers Genuine Irish Stout

Gravicask at The Bricklayers Arms Lancashire Fest, 15th Sept 2007. Murky deep brown colour looks uninviting, which is a pity, as it has an interesting sour, tarry aroma and a good flavour of rich fruit being joined by resinous, wine notes. The palate is rather oily and I would say that it is a lot closer to an old ale like Woodforde’s Norfolk Nip than to most stouts.

Cask @ The Bricklayer’s Arms, Lancashire Beer Festival. Dark with a thin tan ring. Nose of smokey malts and apple. Taste of smokey malt and coffee. Suprisingly fizzy but not much to it overall.

A Mes rate: Gravicask at The Bricklayers Arms Lancashire Fest. Murky deep dark brown colour. Vanillary malt aroma with some nice creamy fruit. Sweet malt and salt sour flavour with a nice note of coffee in the finish. Interesting. More like and old ale than a stout in the mouth.

Bottle conditioned, 500ml. Black with ruby hue, disappearing tan head. The bottle conditioned beer has quite a sourish, yeasty note, quite thin and quite sweetish for an Irish stout. A little flabby almost as if it hadn’t been allowed to brew out fully. There are some coffee and roasted notes fighting their way through to rescue it. Average I’m afraid.

Cask Stillage at the New Century Hall, Manchester 20/01/2007 Rich aroma. Small white head. Black and a little rich on the palate with some bitterness in a crisp and dry oyster roast finish.