Koutský 18° Tmavý Vánoční Speciál

(Draught) Pours dark brown with red hint. The aroma is fruity with black berries and blue berry jam up front alongside a complex, sweet malt backbone of mild roast/chocolate, toast, sweet liquorice and tar. Some floral hops on the nose. Maybe a touch of smoke. The flavour is fruity with tones of blue and black berries. The finish is of mild roasted and toasted malt. Stable, grassy hop bitterness alongside some alcohol warmth is also present. The mouthfeel is soft and dry. Medium to full bodied. A fantastic beer, very Czech, still very non-Czech at the same time. I love!

Draught at Koutland, Plzen. Black with malty head. Big tarry and sweet beer, again with a seemingly Koutsky herbal note, hard to pin down. Heavy caramalisation with tarty fruits it finishes on a flabby, unbalanced note, but still a good beer.

Draught. Deep ambery brown colour with mediumsized beigeish brown creamy head. Aroma is plum, raisins, red berries, roasted malts as well as mild hints of cooked vegetables. Flavour is red berries, some slight hoppyness, roasted malts. OK and quite balanced. The yeastyness is a bit much though.

On tap at Koutland, Plzen. Deep ruby, thin beige head. Berry beer, bit sweet due to alcohol, but some sweet plum too. Like some kind of sloe gin aroma and then a berry/damson spirity alcohol body and finish. Strong lingering beer.

Draught at Koutland, Plzen. Dark brown colour. Complex, vineous aroma. Lots of berries here. Vineous, calvados-like flavour, but then again the harsh butteriness drags down the score. Still, it’s damn good!