Name: Dhu Stone
ABV: 4.3%
Brewery: Hobsons
Style: Stout
Location: Cleobury Mortimer, Shropshire
Aroma: Distinct notes of coffee, washed down with dark cholocate, liquoriche and vanilla that help give off an intriguing medley of aromas for a dark ale.
Colour: Jet black with a fluffy two finger cream coloured head.
Taste: A strong bittersweet background beset with distinct roasted malts that dominate the flavour proceedings. Hints of coffee, ash and chocolate are detectable through the darkness, counterpointed with some berry fruitiness. A creamy mouthfeel helps evelope and compliment the flavour, while the biscuity dry finish is a tad disconcerting. The lack of boozy strength takes away from the flavours, making it rather flat and one-sided.
Verdict: Defiantly smooth and profoundly bitter, it boldly follows what it claims on the bottle. The rich flavours help give character and strength despite its low sessionable strength. Its no surprise that it has won silver at the Champion Bottle Beer of Britain awards twice, as it ticks all the marks. Though personally I'm generally skeptical with session stouts as they tend to have short-comings in flavour due its lack of strength. And unfortunately this beer does fall into this category.
Rating: 7/10
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