Wychwood Black Wych 4.5%

[Sampled in 2004.] Black as the night and aromanotes of coffeechocs. Flavor is similar, but a bit watery in the end. Could be the bottle and I better rerate thisone another day.

Clear bottle, 500 ml, best before 18 JAN 05; eye: black with creamy-espresso-style head, opaque, lacing; nose: faint smell of roasted malt, caramel, really light hops; mouth: nothing for a long time, then roasted malt, acridity, dark chocolate, a bit of hops, finale in mildly acrid roasted malt, surpisingly thin, mildly bitter, medium body, slightly grainy texture, good carbonation; overall: ordinary FRANÇAIS Bouteille transparente, 500 ml, meilleure avant 18 JAN 05; oeil : noire avec mousse crémeuse style espresso, opaque, dentelle; nez : faible odeur de torréfaction, caramel, très léger houblon; bouche : rien pendant un long moment, torréfaction, âcreté, chocolat noir, un peu de houblon, finale en torréfaction moyennement âcre, curieusement mince, moyennement amère, corps moyen, texture légèrement granuleuse, bonne carbonatation; en résumé : ordinaire

Bottle, can’t recall where I picked this up from as its been kicking around for some time now. Pours dark brown/black with a thick light brown coloured head. Aroma of roasted malts and some coffee, taste was roasted and did have some chocolate and reasonable bitterness, but overall I found this to be a tad thin and lacking somewhat.

500 ml bottle - pours a deep brown/black with a decent tan head. Faint notes of cocoa and fruits and very little else. And that’s trying really hard - there’s really nothing distinct in the aroma or taste that stand out. Taste of sour grapes and a hint of roasted malts and some bitterness, but not a hoppy bitter - not much here, thin and watery. There’s nothing, well, stout, about this stout - matter of fact, it’s more like a dark brown ale, and not a very good one at that. I wanted to love this beer, I really did - I like the gimmick and the bottle, but the thing that counts - what’s inside - sadly doesn’t deliver.

Dark ebony body with a tall brown head. Aroma is coffee, slightly smokey. Caramel, licorice and roasted grains; traces of dark chocolate. Bitter finish. Smooth but still a bit too watery. I believe Silktork when he says this tastes more like a Mild than a Stout.