Arbor FF #25- Phoenix Stout

Brewed by Arbor
Style: Stout
Bristol, England

Serve in English pint, Shaker, Snifter

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Bottle from Tomlinsons, Inverness [300313]
Black, bit of a gusher, massive tan small bubbly tan head
Aroma - Dark roasted malts, bit woody, touch of charcoal, soft leaves, dark plum fruits
Taste - Rich roast, some smooth dark malts, some dark fruit like plum or raisin, slight hint of wood, bit yeasty, touch of chocolate, overall taste is pretty good if a bit odd, didn’t get the smoke but that’s fine, it gets better with the drinking
Palate - Medium to high carb and medium body, over carbonated - when settles down (and a bit of a swirl) there is a smooth malty texture. Finish as main flavour, smooth dark quite rich but soft roast malts, some dark fruit late in the linger
Overall - This was spoilt by the over carbonation, but it was rather nice and a little unusual - I liked it more as I drank it. I like these unusual Arbor beers - it’s gettin’ a 15

Bottle at home in London with Chris and Lyoli. Pours brown with a fine, yellow-beige foam head. Subtle ashy roast in the nose, hints of milk chocolate. Light sweet flavor, some milky chocolate, light roast, mild earthy bitterness, suggestions of raisins. Light bodied with high, energetic carbonation. Further ashy roast in the finish, minerals and dirt, mellow bitter cocoa. Pretty basic but easy drinkin’.

Bottle from Cotteridge Wines, Birmingham. Poured a deep crude oil like colour with a slightly reddish hue and a frothy tan head. The aroma is of malt and a little peat. The flavour has lots of hoppy bitterness, with liqourice and dark chocolate. It’s slightly metallic and a little watery for a stout. It’s perhaps more of a porter to be honest.... is anyone could possibly agree on what the difference might be! A super refreshing beer though and great even on a hot day when served slightly cooler.

500ml Bottle - Black with a tan head. Roasted malt, dates and some smoky hints in the aroma. Roasted, chocolatey and fairly sweet taste with dates, smoky malt, roasted malt and raisins all featuring.

Bottle at home ... deep black ... thin tan head ... soft sweet chocolate malt nose ... sweet roast ... ligh fizz ... toffee chocolate malts ... dark sweet roast... and maybe there is a little date in the linger

Bottle conditioned. Patent black with a massive khaki swell of head. Deeply alluring fig, vanilla pod, drinking chocolate, Twiglet, leathery-yet-still-juicy aroma. Thick, serious and bittersweet with a soft lactic tone, cocoa-rolled prune, smoked German streaks, carob and smoke. Astringent burnt paper, charcoal, peaty single malt follows; iron and schwarz. Plenty going on. Memo to my future beer-drinking self: drink more date-infused stout.

Half, cask hand pulled at Microbar in Manchester. Opaque, coal black body. Tiny layer, spotty lacing. Aroma of cocoa powder. Mix of cocoa and chocolate in flavour added by hints of dark fruits. More sweet than bitter to the ending. Decent stout (21.01.2013).

Cask (Euston Tap, London)
Very dark red, small beige head. Soft milky palate, gentle carbonation. Smooth roast, a little like chocolate sponge cake with a chocolate cream layer. Some light citrussy orange notes. A little sweet, but very drinkable. A "glider".

15th January 2013
Cask at the Euston Tap. Almost opaque dark brown beer, residual pale tan head. Light dry palate. Mild dark malts - pretty tangy. Dry malt cream. A ’hardly there’ trace of roast. Mild minerals. Pretty standard stuff and as a consequence somewhat dull, but it’s done well.

Cask conditioned at Far From the Madding Crowd, Oxford. Black with tan head. Plenty of roasty, chocolate malt notes right up front, quite bitter and dry, some hop notes. Palate filling, some coffee husk. Really pretty good.