A Love of Dark Beer

A pint of stout

I must admit, my appreciation of dark beers is a relatively new thing. For a long time, I favoured paler hoppy beers, particularly IPAs, but I would also choose other pale ales and also pilsners over darker beers.

Many people are a bit obsessed with great big hop bombs and in a sense I can see why. They deliver huge hits of flavour and can have great tropical fruit and citrus tastes.

Fans of craft beer have been particularly seduced by beers with massive amounts of American hops and you could go as far as saying that IPAs and American pale ales are the defining beers of UK craft brewing at the moment. In many ways though, that is a view that is a bit too easy. 

British breweries produce a huge range of styles, with great diversity occurring within sometimes seemingly small brackets. Thornbridge, who are to my mind one of the top breweries at the moment, brew dazzling array of beers, taking in everything from a Vienna style lager to a red ale and a black IPA and much more besides. 

Camden Ink's pump clip

For me though, some of the most exciting beers being produced in the UK are stouts and porters. Camden Town's brilliantly named Ink is a seductive and highly drinkable stout with a delightful roasty bitterness, notes of red fruits and a big hit of coffee.

The other day, on a trip to Craft Beer Co Brixton, I had a half of Dark Star's full bodied and powerful Imperial Russian Stout. With an ABV of 10% and a huge boozy dark chocolate flavour, its certainly not a beer to drink in large quantities but this complex, balanced and highly enjoyable stout is an excellent addition to their already fine selection of beers. 

To list all the fine dark beers being produced by the most interesting breweries in the UK, would be a laborious and essentially pointless task, but there are many of note which deserve the attention of the discerning drinker. Redemption's awesome Fellowship Porter and Thornbridge's killer St Petersberg stout are two beers that really can't be ignored.

I recently wrote about Harviestoun's dynamic and beautifully crafted porter Old Engine Oil and I was also very happy to learn that Brewdog are to produce their imperial Russian stout Cocoa Psycho throughout this year. 

Kernel Export Stout

Right now, I couldn't write a piece about dark beers without mentioning The Kernel's Export Stout. It has a smoky, roasty quality coupled hints of dark fruitiness, a sweetness from the malts and bags espresso and dark chocolate bitterness. Every beer I have tasted from The Kernel has been brilliant, but in many ways this is my favourite. Like with many craft breweries, when people write about them, they focus mainly on their pale beers and big hop bombs. In many ways, their Export Stout defines their creativity and their commitment to producing flavoursome, interesting beers that make you want to come back for more.

The more I drink dark beers, the more I grow to love them. They can be comforting, particularly in the winter, as well as being complex, bold and having flavour profiles that seem to change with each gulp. 

Our dark beers are one of the (many) things that make the UK beer scene interesting, so lets celebrate them. In some ways, getting into pale ales and appreciating a decent hoppy IPA is easy but dark beers do require a bit more consideration. Personally, I feel like I've only scratched the surface of the brilliant range of stouts and porters that are available and I can't wait to expand my knowledge!   

Harviestoun Old Engine Oil

Harviestoun - Old Engine Oil

Before Christmas, I was pretty well stocked up on beer but then a number of people (knowing me well) gave me beery presents, meaning that my beer stash grew considerably.

Amongst the varied selection that I had amassed, one beer was really calling out for me to drink it on Christmas day. A beer that I'd heard loads about from other drinkers and bloggers but still hadn't tried; Harviestoun's Old Engine Oil.

As you pour out the beer, the aroma is incredible, a thick scent of caramel with bitter fresh coffee undertones. Colour wise, its the jet black you would expect of a porter, with a small tan head.

The flavour follows on closely from the nose. There is a sweet caramel edge from the malts which is matched by a deep smokiness and the ever present coffee and dark chocolate notes.

It has a rich, indulgent quality to it whilst having a mouthfeel that isn't too thick or heavy. The flavour gives way to an excellent bitter finish.

This is a beer to savour. As you go back in for another sip, you notice other elements coming through, such as the bitterness of the hops and slight fruity undertones. It's deep, dark and indulgent but very drinkable and not too heavy. In essence, it's an excellent beer for over the Christmas period as its flavour compliments the tastes of Christmas but its body is just light enough that you can keep drinking it.

I must admit that I am relative newcomer when it comes to dark beers. For a long time, I drank pretty much exclusively paler beers but since becoming a dark beer convert, I've been trying as many stouts and porters as possible and I have to say, this ranks as one of my favourites.

Scotland's Harviestoun have garnered themselves quite a reputation amongst beer fans and this fantastic, highly drinkable porter is a perfect demonstration of why.