I bought a couple of growlers from Dave's BrewFarm, one has been sitting in the beer fridge awaiting the most auspicious time to drink it's contents, I decided that tonight was the right time to open and imbibe Mocha Diablo.
I took the growler out of the fridge two hours before I was going to open it. It is after all a stout, dark, silky, smooth and promising to be luscious, so cold is not what I wanted, and being a grumpy old Brit I don't get off on ice cold beer, especially stouts, porters, browns or bitters, I like to taste what I drink, I don't chug my beer, I want to taste all the flavours, the good and the bad. Cold beer does nothing to enhance beer flavours, 50-55F is the ideal temperature for imbibing. (Of course that is my opinion, if you don't agree, so what. I decide what is good beer, I am paying and I am drinking it,or in some cases pouring it into the drain).
So I opened the growler, the swing top cap leapt open, no gushing, just a gentle hiss.
I poured it slowly into a Duvel glass, the tulip is the perfect shape to capture the aromas that I was anticipating. As I poured slowly into the center of the glass I watched the beer flow, black with tinges of dark brown at the edges, the head formed dense, tight bubbles of black coffee coloured foam. Delightful. Enticing.
I watched the head blossom and then like a souffle cooling begin to sink, ever so slightly, again delightful to watch. Beckoning.
The nose; my first thought was cold OXO, (it being British beef stock cube that I would drink hot with hot buttered toast on cold winter nights when I was younger), there was a note of beef stock, pleasant, quickly followed by chocolate, dark, like 90% cocoa solids, black, sultry smooth and sensuous, and malt now I am anticipating the taste like a young man about to taste his first woman, I can't wait!
Oh! I am not disappointed. Smooth, so smooth, full bodied, chocolate, subtle, malt with a slight hint of sweet bitterness and then the pepper. Not hot, not overly spicy, warm and tingly, with chocolate. I want more. Now the sip is a mouthful. Swirling over my tongue, brushing against my cheeks, lashing my mouth with spicy chocolate and malt, and then, then there is the sweetness, the luscious syrupy sweetness, it was there all along just lurking not wanting to be the main attraction, the heat, the sweet and the malt come together, perfectly balanced, no indication of 8.8% ABV. The growler is empty. I enjoyed it all. I want more.
Dave I applaud you. You have created a beautiful thing, it is a glorious beer.
But don't try and drive after imbibing this
