Dark Star Critical Mass

Brewed by Dark Star
Style: English Strong Ale
Horsham, England

Serve in English pint, Trappist glass

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Cask - Planet Thanet Festival 2010, Margate. Poured a dark brown with a mid-sized bubbly beige head. Blackcurrant and liquorice all over the aroma with lovely spice notes and toasty malts. Warming and toasty again on the palate with dark berry tones and liquorice towards the end finishing with a lasting dry bitterness. Medium to full in body with a soft, coating & lingering mouthfeel. Missed this one last so but it was worth the wait, another corker from DS. Can they do any wrong?

Red-black, nice foamy layer of head. Nose of banana, marzipan, touch of coffee roastiness. Flavours similar, but with more mocha, vanilla, pine, raisins and warming boozeyness. Very good indeed.

Cask @ Red Squirrel, Edinburgh 270312
Black, ruby edges, tan head, good lacing
Aroma of rich dark soft roasted malts...liquorice..rich dark fruits..dark caramel malts
Taste of rich dark malts, very soft roasted malts, some liquorice, soft chocolate, dark fruits, tiny hint of aniseed, alcohol very well hidden
Palate - soft carb, medium body, quite sticky texture, very soft, smooth. Finish - more roast comes through then cleans off...hint of vanilla in the tail...slight saltiness
Overall - great tasting stout/old ale hybrid - reminds me a bit of Durham’s Temptation

Cask at Holyrood 9A. Dark reddish mahogany black pour, thin bubbly off-white head. Big rich nose, dark chocolate, treacle, marzipan even. Similar flavours, velvety smooth mouthfeel with some strong roasted malt notes and aa warm sticky finish. Yum!

deep black ... thin light tan head... dark chocolate malts ... sweet dark toffee malts ...light treacle nose ... chewy chocolate ... dark malts ... heavy body ... little treacle ... dark sugers... great... wonderfully sold roast malts

On cask at The Holyrood 9A. Pours a very dark brown colour with a thick tan head. A lovely Christmas pudding aroma with chocolate, roasty malt, alcohol and a little yeast also. Similar flavours with moderate carbonation and an oily mouth-feel. Quite dry and tasty!

21 Jan 2012. Cola color, raisin aroma. Sweet, minimal flavor with brown sugar. Alcohol on the finish.

Cask at Port St. Beer House, Manchester. Pours a deep brown with an off-white head. Really explodes on the tongue with hops, sugar. dark fruits... this seems to have it all. Sticky and a bit viscous. It could’ve been a porter, a black IPA, a Belgian strong ale or anything in between. Really nice.

Cask Gravity at the Green Dragon, Croydon. It pours very dark brown, with a thin beige lace. The nose is coffee liqueur, liquorice, sweet pear and vanilla. The taste is liquorice, clove, roasted malt, tire, tar, alcohol warmth, burnt fruit cake, menthol aspect, spice, coffee, salted caramel and charcoal, with a dry finish. Full body, soft/low carbonation and slightly sticky mouth-feel. An interesting winter brew.

Tasted this barley wine in Blackfriers, Glasgow in December 2007. Cask, handpump dispense. Dull black in colour with a hint of ruby around the edges and a poor creamy buff head which quickly disappeared. Strong seductive whiff of plain chocolate in the long aroma. Smooth velvety mouthfeel and no lacing. Complex dark malts give a strong initial roast grain flavour which leads to a intense rich mocha and Belgian chocolate truffle notes. There is hardly a sign of hop resins being in this as sweetness prevails throughout in a smooth warming chocolate liqueur flavour. An interesting barley wine but might be too sweet for some - two pints over three hours was enough for me. Worth seeking out if your a barley wine aficionado.

One of the best beers I’ve had. Such an explosion of taste that work so well together. Smells of liquorish... it’s there in the taste. Very obvious roasted malts. Looks oily on the surface and goes down very thick. Very strong only at christmas.