OHanlons Original Port Stout

Bottle BB 7/21/04.. let’s see how some inadvertant aging treats this one... Poured deep mahogany with garnet highlights and a towering cap of fluffy beige head. Nose picked up airy sweet caramel and milk chocolate.. some pruney sweetness, too. Flavor picked up grainy, lightly-roasted chocolate and coffee sweetness, a hint of dark fruit, and a bit of oak.. Thin, sweet, and a bit grainy on the palate.. but felt kinda good. Roasted coffee and sweet, dark fruit on the short finish. Not bad.

A Mes rate: Cask at the White Horse. Perfumed aroma. Portly in colour, a lovely clear dark red. Malt, coffee and caramel with some roasted nuts in the mouth. Something sweet and akin to coca cola in the aroma. In fact its just like cola cube sweets I had as a kid. Lovely smooth palate. Red wine finish with some nice chocolate notes.

Bottle picked up at Morrisons, Bridport, Dorset, 17-11-06. This was a decent dark, rich and full flavoured stout had some bitterness but something missing, but ultimately quite enjoyable.

Tap@Charlie’s Bar, Copenhagen: Aparantly I had so much fun I can only find a rating and no notes. I’ll have to go back...

On tap: Pours dark red/ brown, with a lmedium sized, beige, mostly lasting head . Nose of roasted malt, with tiny notes of port. Rather dry flavour with dark chocolate and roasted malt. Nice bitter finish. Medium bodied. A bit thin palate. I’m a little disappointet.

Bottled as OHanlon’s Ruby Stout. Pours a clear dark brown with red highlights and a tall, lacy tan head. Cherries and chocolate in the aroma. Creamy medium body with medium carbonation. The port shows up in the taste, along with nuts, fruit, vanilla and smoke. Dry hoppy finish.

Bottle, 500ml. A dark reddish black colour with a medium brown head. Aromas of sweet red wine, a little hoppiness, plum and citrus. The port dominates the flavour, with only a little hoppiness and maltiness in the background. The finish is tannic with strong bitterness. Moderate carbonation. This combination doesn’t work for me...

Pours black with deep red tones and tan head that retains until the end. Sweet mildly smoky aroma. Light malt, chocolate and black malt flavors with very mild port wine tone that leaves the palate clean and smooth. A lighter mouthfeel than expected for a stout. Overall, very good and drinkable.