Caledonian Double Dark (Cask)

Brewed by Caledonian (Heineken UK)
Style: Stout
Edinburgh, Scotland

Serve in English pint

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Cask at the Hope Tap (JDW), Reading, as Double Dark. Dull dark brown with a thin white lacing; aroma of roasted nuts and malts; flavour changes by the mouthful - first, sweet plums - then, well-roasted chocolate malts - then, smoke and licorice; dry finish. Very interesting.

A - coffee and chocolate A - coke with frothy head T - sweet with some sour P - mid and soft O - o.k.

Cask at the Bow Bar, Edinburgh, Scotland.
Dark reddish brown colour with tiny tan head. Roasted malt, chocolate, caramel and mild coffee in aroma. Mild roasted malt, chocolate, caramel and dry hoppy balance in flavour. Very smooth. Dry aftertaste.

ask at the Prince of Wales, Aberdeen. It pours very dark brown, with ruby highlights and thin beige head. The nose is roasted malt, liquorice and some sulphur. The taste is roasted malt, charcoal, meat, liquorice, a touch of tangy dark fruit and some wood, with a dry finish. Medium body and soft carbonation. Not a bad brew from Caledonian.

Cask @ The Falcon, Clapham Junction SW11. Pours a dark ruby almost black color with a small off-white head. Has a fruity roasted malty chocolate and caramel aroma. Fruity roasted malty chocolate and caramel flavor. Has a roasted malty chocolate finish.

Quite light and hoppy for it’s time. Whilst there were some roasted malts to it, it lacked the richness and fullness of flavour I’d want from the style. Quite pleasant if you’re looking for a more easy-going stout.

On tap @ the Sir Walter Scott at Edinburgh Airport. Pours like a coffee with a hint of red. Cloudy with a decent head. The nose initially has a hint of rotten eggs, then dry malt or biscuits. The taste is therefore a bit of a revelation - lovely chocolate digestive biscuits. The palate is medium to full bodied, big and creamy in texture and relatively clean on the end. After a poor start, this was a surprisingly good beer.

Cask @ JDW Inverness
Appearance Black with ruby light edges, thin white head.
Aroma Butter popcorn malt, chocolate, sweet roasted malts - light aroma for a stout.
Taste Chocloate, sweet dark caramel malts, light roast, bit of burnt crust, bit of Caley popcorn malt showing through. Quite bland for a stout but flavour reasonably good.
Palate Soft carb, thin body. Finish - sweet dark malt, some lingering burnt roast bitterness and slightly metallic.
Overall For a stout (at this abv) this was quite bland. Perhaps it’s more like a bitter-porter hybird, but not a great example of an oatmeal stout. I would say, though, it is better than average and one of the better Caledonian beers.

Cask at Caley Sample Rooms AROMA: chocolate, coffee, bit burnt APPEARANCE: black, minimal brown head TASTE: medium bitterness, light sweetness PALATE: medium body, creamy, average carbonation, nice bitter aftertaste OVERALL: really well balanced stout with coffee vs chocolate, more burnt than roast, slight creaminess adds a nice touch

On cask at The Caley. Pours a dark brown colour with a thick light tan head. Aroma of chocolate, roasted malt and burned toast. Similar roasty malt flavour with chocolate, caramel and yeast. Moderate carbonation and a long chocolatey linger.

UPDATED: DEC 18, 2011 Cask at a pub on Dover Street W1. Looks the part, thin to medium bodied stout, quite smooth, a little buttery, less of the roasted coffee. Pleasant enough, but not memorable.