Saturday, November 20, 2010

Dragonhead Stout

When you think Viking brew the first thing that leaps to mind is mead, a sweet wine fermented from honey. On the opposite side of the Viking drinking spectrum is black stout. I'll admit I'm a sucker for beer that is "5000 years in the making".

The Orkney Brewery, Quoyloo are the artisans behind Dragonhead Stout. Described as "an exceptionally smooth stout with a full malt flavour", it is hand crafted in small batches. It pours out dark and smooth and forms a creamy, oatmeal textured head.


Dragonhead is a legendary stout: dark, intense and fully-flavoured, it is our tribute to the Vikings and their cultural legacy in Orkney.

On the nose, this black stout has a smooth roasted malt aroma giving bitter chocolate, dark roasted coffee and Smokey notes balanced by hints of spicy Goldings hop.
On the palate, the dark roasted malts combine to give a rich, rounded palate with chocolate, toast and nut flavours, with a satisfying spicy hop finish.

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Appearance
A black stout, with a deep copper-brown tint, displaying a tight, smooth, tan-coloured head

Aroma
Bitter chocolate, roast coffee, smokey flavours, moderated by spicy dark fruits

Palate
Dark roast malt flavours with hints of chocolate, coffee and toast; a big, rich, sweet, round mouthfeel balanced by a lasting hop bitterness

Key Ingredients
Roast barley, chocolate malt and wheat give this beer its smooth, full-bodied roasted character; Goldings hops combine with the malt flavours to deliver the lasting almost smokey bitterness

It comes in a generous 500 ml (1pt 0.9oz) bottle that is the same near black color as the beer itself. The taste of bitter chocolate, coffee, and toast predominate but with enough richness to enjoy all the way down. It's full flavor lingers long in the mouth, giving plenty of time to savor. At only 4% ABV, Dragonhead delivers an intense rich flavor that will make you want to put up your feet and just contemplate.

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