A couple of Fridays back, I attended trade night for St Austell Brewery’s Celtic Beer Festival, and at the end of the evening a quartet of us diehards enjoyed a nightcap at the Pier House Hotel, in Charlestown.
My round, and as I perused the bar I saw an old friend. St Austell’s Mena Dhu is brewed with six malts, including a smoked malt, for a chocolately, slighty fruity experience. I hadn’t had it since my local, The Star at Crowlas, closed, when we used to sell loads of it. Most regulars preferred it to Guinness, and visiting sceptics who’d automatically asked for Guinness were generally converted. It was as great as ever, slightly more fruity — in that dark, rich sense — than a Guinness
In these grey days of what we’ll come to look back as The Great Guinness Crisis of 2024, it’s good to know not only that Mena Dhu’s out there, but that there are so many excellent stout options around the country.
Earlier this year, Beer Today Patreon supporters Anspach & Hobday sent me some cans of London Black, their nitro porter that’s gaining more fans — and accounts — mainly in and around London, all the time. No draught has made it down the A30 to Cornwall yet, but the cans were an excellent substitute and definitely recommended.
“Black with just the faintest hint of red, this Guinness challenger has, of course, a creamy off-white head that stays well,” say my notes, from July. “There’s a very inviting roasty aroma and a beautiful body. Notes of dark chocolate and espresso coffee lead to a gentle bitter finish that leaves one wanting more.”
Meanwhile, in Manchester, Joseph Holt is telling me that it’s relatively new stout, Trailblazer, “trounced” Guinness in a blind taste test. “Brewed with distinct roasted barley, Trailblazer has a smoky, dark roast coffee aroma, with hints of chocolate, treacle, liquorice, and nutty notes,” says the brewer. “With its velveted body and firm creamy head, it also strikes a subtle bittersweet taste with a fine, dry finish.”
For the blind test, drinkers were given unmarked glasses of the two products. After assessing the stouts for their appearance, they then sampled each drink to compare their taste. The result? Eighty-five per cent preferred Trailblazer.
The beer has also proved to be a multi-generational hit, says Holt’s. Since its launch there has been a 63% increase in the number of younger drinkers ordering a glass.
The Campaign for Real Ale has seen an opportunity — and why not? — to promote award-winning stouts from its recent competitions, including Champion Beer of Britain, Champion Bottled Beer of Britain, Champion Winter Beer of Britain, Champion Beer of Scotland, and Champion Beer of Wales. All are available on cask. The 12 Stouts of Christmas, as they are being called, are:
Hop Back Brewery: Entire Stout (4.5% ABV)
A smooth, rich, ruby-black stout with strong roast and malt aromas and flavours. There’s a long bittersweet and malty aftertaste this Christmas.
London Brewing: 100 Oysters Stout (4.6% ABV)
It welcomes a dark chocolate and raisin smell and taste, with roasted notes of liquorice, dark plums, and a hint of sweetness.
Loch Lomand: Silkie Stout (5% ABV)
Filled with chocolate and orange spicy notes; perfect flavours to mix with Christmas.
Siren Craft Brew: Broken Dream Breakfast Stout (6.5% ABV)
A gentle touch of smoke, coffee and chocolate. Judges had commented that Broken Dream stood out for its superb aroma, taste, and finish.
Tudor: Black Mountain Stout (4% ABV)
A traditional stout, with malts and roasted barley brewed into the mix, along with the finest quality hops.
Fixed Wheel Brewery: Blackheath Stout (5% ABV)
A full-bodied fruity cask stout dedicated to the home of their Blackheath Brewery. It is brewed with New Zealand Pacific Gem and English Bramling Cross hops to give an oaky bitterness and dark fruits finish. Roger Protz, once described this cask stout as “a very fine example of a stout” and noted that judges were “very impressed by its rich malty flavour, its fruity hop auroma and the overall flavour of the beer”.
Thurstons Brewery: Milk Stout (4.5% ABV)
A chocolate and sweet malt flavoured milk stout, incredibly smooth, leaving a pleasant sharpness as lactose comes through, with a slightly dry finish.
Dancing Duck: Dark Drake (4.5% ABV)
Malty caramel liquorice flavours combine into a smooth velvety oatmeal stout, with a freshly roasted coffee and tea finish.
Cairngorm’s Brewery: Black Gold (4.4% ABV)
Packed with a roasted malt flavour, with a slight smoky aroma leading to a liquorice and blackcurrant sweetness in the background. It leaves a long, dry and bitter finish.
Incredible Brewing Co: Milk Stout (4.6% ABV)
A chocolate sweetness and a slight vanilla finish. Incredible offers delivery of their cans and bottles, but cask is brewed on demand only so make sure to try a pint if you see it!
Lancaster Brewery: Lancaster Black Stout (4.5% ABV)
Hoppy roast bitterness, coffee and a hint of caramel.
Five Kingdom’s Brewery: Dark Storm Stout (6.9%)
A smooth, rich, and creamy bottled strong stout with a long and dry finish.
