It Goes Down Well... (Titanic Stout)

Member Name: tange

Product:	Titanic Stout
Date:	11/01/09 (121 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A good, tasty stout.

Disadvantages: Dark beers are often harder to find.

I am a big fan of dark beers and am really impressed when I find a pub stocks a good stout, porter or mild. When these dark beers turn out to be great tasting and make me want to come back for more this is an extra bonus. So when we were out for a drink at the Britannia, New Tupton (not far from Chesterfield and conveniently placed on a bus route) a couple of weeks ago we found TWO excellent stouts and a mild to sample.

Choices, choices..... I must admit to trying them all and, as I've already reviewed the other two (Sgt. Pepper Stout and Dark Side of the Moon) I decided that it was long overdue to tell you about Titanic Stout!

January and February are also the months when CAMRA (the CAMpaign for Real Ale) tries its best to promote Stouts, Porters and Old Ales - three styles of beer that are often overlooked. For this reason I thought it was doubly important to review a Stout to bring it to people's attentions. The fact that it is a GOOD Stout is, of course, a bonus!

==THE BREWERY.==

Titanic Brewery started its life in 1985. It is based in the Potteries area of Stoke on Trent, in Burslem. The name of the brewery comes the fact that a short distance away is Etruria - the place where Captain Edward John Smith (Captain of the ill fated Titanic) was born. Among the excellent range of beers brewed you will find most have names that relate to this nautical connection. These include Iceberg (a refreshing wheat beer at 4.1% ABV), Wreckage (a strong winter ale at 7.2% ABV) and Nautical Mild (a ruby coloured beer at 4.8% ABV).

==THE BEER.==

==A Bit Of Background==

Titanic Stout is an award winning dark beer. Since it was first produced it has won the following awards nationally:

The Guardian Bottled Beer of Britain 1994 - Gold
CAMRA Northern Ireland Branch 1995 - Stout of the Festival - Bronze
CAMRA Champion Beer of the West Midlands 2003 - Bottles - Gold Crown
CAMRA Champion Bottled Beer of Britain 2004 - Gold
CAMRA Champion Beer of the West Midlands 2004 - Porter/Stout- Silver
CAMRA Champion Bottled Beer of Britain 2005 - Bronze
CAMRA Champion Bottled Beer of Britain 2006 - Bronze
CAMRA West Midlands Beer of the Year 2006 - Stout - Gold
CAMRA Champion Bottled Beer of Britain 2007 - Silver
CAMRA West Midlands Stout of the Year 2007 - 2nd

==Vital Statistics==

Titanic Stout weighs in at 4.5% ABV and is brewed using Maris Otter pale malt, wheat malt, roasted barley. Northdown, Yakima, Galena and Goldings hops.

==Look, Aroma & Texture==

Titanic Stout is an extremely dark brown, almost black beer, with a slight reddish tinge when held to the light. It has a long lasting, slightly frothy milky coffee coloured head. The aroma is predominantly that of roasted malt, but there is also coffee and chocolate present, along with hints of licorice. Texture is smooth and quite light for a stout,

==Tange's Taste Test==

Taste wise, Titanic Stout is well balanced with a strong roasted malt flavour, rather like toasted bread. There is also a moderate amount of hoppiness, giving a slightly resinous, spicy taste. Add to this hints of vanilla, licorice, chocolate and coffee and you get a glimpse of the flavours on offer. It begins quite dry and then gets increasingly sweet towards the reasonably long finish. After taste is dry and also roasty.

==WHAT I THOUGHT==

I really enjoyed my pint of Titanic Stout and soon remembered why I liked it so much when I'd tried it before I was really pleased with the well balanced blend of flavours and the pleasant texture of this classic stout. It is good example of this wonderful beer style and a looks lovely too. The dark body with the creamy head sitting on top is a pleasure - but don't just stop at the appearance because the taste is well worth investigating too! The combination of the dry, the sweet, the roast and the hop give layers of taste that offer the drinker plenty to think about and enjoy.

My pint cost me £2.20 at The Britannia - their price for any beer between 4.5 and 4.8% ABV. Expect to pay anything above £2.00 and up to three for a pint. The good news is that Titanic beers are pretty readily available nationwide, but the bad news is that many pubs don't think that dark beers sell, so you may need to badger your landlord to get the Titanic Stout in. If you do manage to spot it on the bar (the Wetherspoons chain often offer Titanic beers, so are worth a try) I thoroughly recommend that you sample a pint or two.

....sink a few if you get a chance!

==BREWERY DETAILS==


Titanic Brewery
Unit 5 Callender Place,
Lingard Street,
Burslem,
Stoke-On-Trent,
Staffordshire,
ST6 1JL

01782 823447

http://www.titanicbrewery.co.uk/about.html

Summary: An excellent example ofa Stout.