Titanic Chocolate and Vanilla Stout

Cask at the Cask Pub & Kitchen, Pimlico on 14th October 2009. INTENSE dark chocolate and delicate vanilla notes; roasted malts in main kick; highly aromatic with sharp chocolate focus against a backdrop of continuing vanilla/delicate fruits in the finish; pleasant texture in the mouth. Excellent.

Cask Stillage at the Memorial Hall, Northwich Beer Festival 19/09/2008 Strong chocolate aroma. Black and very smooth on the palate with a crisp and bitter lasting finish.

Cask @ Blackfriars. Dark brown colour, tan head. Aroma of roasted malts, vanilla, cream. Flavour of roasted malts, losts of vanilla, coffee.

Cask at the Wellington, Birmingham. Tar black with a ring of cream head; vanilla aroma; flavour starts with sweet vanilla but then develops a big hot of chocolate malts with lingering tobacco and smoke overtones; the finish has more vanilla and chocolate over some strong leafy hops, leaving a rasping ending. I’m not sure I’d have more than one of these.

Cask/gravity at last weekend’s Kingston beer festival. Very dark brown with a beige head. Loads of chocolate on the nose, yet the body is initially dry, then with the vanilla and burnt chocolate coming through, followed by a long roasty bitter finish. Body is just a little bit too cloyingly sweet for my taste, but that clears from the palate quickly enough.

Cask, gravity at Merton Winter Beer Festival 6th and 7th Feb 2009 Pours dark, dark brown with a light beige head, aroma is full in yer face chocolate and vanilla. This beer divided opinion like no other the ’marmite’ beer at this years festival, some people even suggesting that it was the sort of thing that should be poured over a rhubarb crumble and it nodded to the dessert stakes and not the beer arena. Taste was just so chocolatey and the vanilla actually overtook the chocolate with loads of really big streaks of vanila pods and cornish ice cream. I couldn’t drink much of this but what I did drink I liked. A8 A4 F7 P3 OV13 3.5

The Wellington, Brum. Pitch with a collapsing tan collar. Nose intense roast, sulphur, fresh vanilla pod and a hint of clove. Big robust stout with punching burnt toast and cocoa bitterness. Some softening sweetness from the vanilla, but not much. Disappeared in about 5mins.