Northumberland McCrorys Irish Stout

A Mes rate: Gravicask at Pigs Ear.
Amazing how hit and miss cask ale is. One mans trash is anothers treasure. It has to be said this was really hitting the sweet spot. Black and opaque with a thin beige head. Nose of coffee. malt and bread with a very slight lick of hops. Not overly complex but it’s a glorious smell. Stunning flavour, brimming with complexity. Beautiful fruit, smoky malt, rubber, ink, car tyres, bitter chocolate and a superb bitter finish. Great condition, awesome mouthfeel. All this from a comparitively low abv beer. Pretty much everything I could want from an English stout. Amazing.

Cask at Pig’s Ear BF 2007. Fine stout, coffee, grain, sweetness, dry finish. Not earth-shattering, but a fine ale.

Cask conditioned at Harbury Beer Fest ’07. Black with slight cream head. Smooth and creamy stout, very deep and chocolatey with dry coffee notes. Quite fruity in the latter, warmer mouth but finishes quite quickly.

500ml bottle. Black beer with thick lasting dark beige head. Beautiful stout aroma of roasted malt. Dry roasted grain. Thick and pungent. Charcoal. Prunes on nose. Then sour in mouth. Prune/damson sourness. Juicier than nose would lead you to believe. It is surprisingly sour, especially in mouth. Roast malts come back at end to balance. Aroma is good. Not keen on sourness and then ok finish.

Cask at the Cellar Bar, St Andrews. As ever, fine pint from here. Good, nice lasting small, creamy, tan head. Heavy ale, very dark. Coffee taste, very malty, but surprisingly smooth. Very heavy, not a good choice on a full stomach!