Coffee Break! (Dark Star Espresso Stout)

Member Name: tange

Product:	Dark Star Espresso Stout
Date:	29/10/05 (207 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Rich and dark with a coffee flavour.

Disadvantages: Not good if you don't like coffee.

As I am still working through reviews of the beers I sampled at Chesterfield Beer Festival in February this year I thought I should have a bit of a coffee break ~ a coffee break involving beer though. I love trying beers I haven’t had before and I am partial to the odd pint of stout. It was no surprise that my eyes were drawn to a barrel up on the top of the stillage ~ Dark Star Espresso Stout!

~~~THE BREWERY.

The Dark Star Brewing Company is based at Moonhill Farm, Haywards Heath, in West Sussex. Founded back in 1994 (but called Skinners Ales to start with) in the cellar of a pub called The Evening Star in Brighton. They moved on to Moonhill Farm in 2001 and have been brewing there ever since.

Dark Star beers are regularly available in five or six pubs in the local area (Sussex), and also appear at Beer Festivals and as Guest Beers nationwide. They brew a range of regular and seasonal beers including Over the Moon (a nice dark, mild ale at 3.8% ABV), Hophead (a light hoppy beer at 3.8% ABV) and Dark Star (a strong, dark and malty bitter at 5.0% ABV).

~~~THE BEER.

***A Bit of Background***

There is a very good reason why this one is called Espresso Stout. It is a stout that has had ground espresso coffee beans added to it during the brewing process. These are put into the copper brewing vessel, along with some hops during the final stages of brewing. This gives us a dark beer that is very reminiscent of a rich espresso coffee.

***Vital Stats***

Espresso Stout weighs in at 4.2% ABV and is brewed in the style of a traditional stout, with a twist. It has all the trademarks of a stout ~ a slight sweetness, roasted nutty flavour and a dark, almost black colour.

***Look, Aroma & Texture***

Espresso Stout is a deep brown coloured beer with a coffee coloured head. It won’t surprise you to learn that it looks very similar to the colour of a cup of black coffee with the head resembling that slight frothiness you get on the top. The head is slight and doesn’t last long, leaving a small amount of lacing on the glass, but not much to speak of.

Aroma is also that of a roasted coffee, with added elements of malt, chocolate and a slight underlying sweetness. Texture is medium bodied, with a smooth and creamy mouth feel.

***Taste***

It tastes of coffee! Sorry! That would be too simple wouldn’t it? Let me break down the flavours of the Espresso Stout for you. As you drink you will get a nice mixture of chocolate, roasted malt, nuts and coffee. The flavours work well and, although not an especially complex beer, it is rich with a lot of taste. The coffee predominates throughout, leading to an increasing bitter hoppiness and an aftertaste that is quite long and bitter. This is balanced by a slight sweetness that carries on all the way through the drink.

~~~WHAT TANGE THINKS.

I was really pleased to try Dark Star Espresso Stout. We had wanted to try it for some time, but it had run out at a previous beer festival. A friend of ours had recommended it and suggested it was ordered for Chesterfield Beer Festival if possible ~ thankfully, it was!

The first time we tried it was at the staff training session prior to the opening of the festival. Although not quite settled, it was really tasty. I knew by the start of the beer festival it would be ready and perfect. I loved the fresh coffee taste and it was surprising how well it kick started your taste buds and woke you up…just like your first cup of coffee in the morning would! I also like the way the flavours compliment and balance each other well ~ the bitter coffee and sweet flavours go well together and the chocolate and nut elements give a bit of depth too.

At the festival we paid 90 pence for a half (so a pint would be a very reasonable £1.80) ~ bought using beer tokens; this one cost one token. This is a very good price for a 4.2% beer and I had a couple at each session of the festival.

I will certainly be looking out for Espresso Stout in the future and have no hesitation in recommending it to drinkers everywhere. It is a good place to start if you haven’t had a stout before, or were just under the impression that all stouts had the burnt toast taste of things like Guinness! This is a good quality, good tasting beer with an interesting coffee flavour.

Recommended!

~~~BREWERY DETAILS.

Dark Star Brewing Company
Moonhill Farm
Burgess Hill Road
Ansty, Haywards Heath
RH17 5AH
01444 412311

http://www.darkstarbrewing.co.uk/

Summary: A tasty and rich coffee flavoured beer.