It is worth saying at this point that I have reviewed this ale anew as, the following day, it was dispensed with nitro and... well, let's just say this review is out-dated now. You can find the new review by clicking on these words. Do it. Do it now.
Would you like to know more?
It's a collaborative stout so it has the pedigree and the care and attention going for it straight off the bat, this promises much before you even get round to looking at it - it has big shoes to fill. Deep dark aspect, like the depths of a deep sea trench, but calm and placid demeanour. No fuss, no head, no drama. Collected, this chicken is not headless. Aroma is subtle, faint almond and a distant honey echo on the back end. A call from far away to make you strain to hear, the hairs prickle, the night draws in. The chicken is loose. And the initial impression is thus set, this is going to be subtle and without too much in the way of flamboyance. After things like Pit Pony (link) and Urban Pig (link) this is going to have a lot to live up to - a full body of malt and oatmeal, a deep plateau of chocolate, a burn of soft honey...
Smooth cream on the tongue, lighter than a dessert stout but more than a milkshake IPA. Soft, like down but without the drying dusty quality. Slips over the tongue, not too heavy or wet. There's a familiarity there, signature of the Urban Chicken stable but lacking the usual fullness that comes with it, almost like there's a gap in the ale somewhere where the rain gets in. The subtle warm honey gathers at the edges and briefly threatens proper violence before the almond makes itself known on the precipice. Then the cream remains along with the coating of honey to make the throat comfortable after a week of taking lessons.
It's not bad, not bad at all, but the subtle flavours are betrayed a little by the body of the stout itself, it lacks the oomph of what I have come to expect and lacks the thickness that would allow that understated darkness and lack of drama to become a proper player. Like a music video mismatched to the soundtrack the notes are all there but remixed down and away from the original power and the necessary grab to make it all the way to the number one spot. Indeed, the strength of 5.5% ABV is hidden well, so that there is no unwelcome alcohol burn, but, at the same time, the body isn't enough to carry it. Had this been an imperial then maybe that could have built the power needed to let those subtle flavours shine brighter, but at least this isn't going to have me falling asleep when I've finished!
In the background the Cardigans tell me that they can erase and rewind, in a remix stripped down to the bass. It's a solid sentiment. But for the physical distance, the screens and the giving of details, the place is as it always was. As it should be. Happy chatter, good natured drinking. The quiet near the cans a haven as it has always been. The serious business of reviewing ale aside, it is clear that there is still life here and that the lockdown has left scars but not, thankfully, much else in the business.
Unassuming, that is how I like to think of this part of the Crafty One, like the stout. It's not a heavy thick weight like the imperials I've had of late. But it's not watery either. There's a lack of body that I usually associate with the stouts of the Urban Chicken stable, sure, and there's an argument that none of the feature flavours are bold enough to make themselves felt as a consequence. Indeed, were it not for the pump clip I would have been hard pushed to identify any chocolate in this brew - my initial impression was that there wasn't any and even knowing that I was supposed to look for it, it doesn't really pounch above the warmth of the honey. And that, itself, is but a shade. There's a hint it could be bigger but the watery nature does rather dominate as you go for bigger swigs even if the honey rapidly fills in and prevents anything too untoward.
A car starts to careen on a long desert highway. The almond builds sip on sip, an element of biscuit and Battenburg, crowding that honey with a slightly drier taste. No drying of the mouthfeel but less wet. Like a good wetsuit or a lady driving a car with her feet. No, it's the wrong music video for the song, but the games are gone for now: everyone has lost their favourite.
Luckily this stout remains.
A glimmer of an end, a promise of grander things. And a reminder that two brewers can be greater than the sum of their parts. I am glad that I came out to have this one. I am glad that it was brewed and available. It is great to know that collaborations such as this exist. But it does not compare as well as one might hope to the greats that I have had in the past. The almond never really rises to make the grade as it ought, though it is there in the dry nuttiness, and the chocolate is just too subtle to really make a difference. The honey plays its part, trying to cover for the carbonation (or the lack thereof, not a bad thing in and of itself), but, again, never really has the power needed to make the most of the contribution. Someone else opined that maybe it was oats that were missing, something to give that cream something to ride on and surf down, something to let that honey hang around a bit longer and be counted. I don't know, I am no brewer. If you are able, and you feel safe enough, then this is worth venturing to the pub to have, absolutely. As critical as I am, this is still good ale and a decent stout, it won't be around very long!
However, what must last, what must survive: this place. It is good to be back. I didn't realise how much I'd missed it but that is testament to the deliveries during lockdown. Highly welcome, very appreciated, but they could never replace a visit.
And so, as I'm here, I follow up this stout with a DDH IPA from Howling Hops called Top Buzzer. This is a thick hop-forward beast of an ale, still 5.6% ABV and a great fruity follow up to the dry almond aftertaste of the main event. I can heartily recommend it for the citrus power and the bright colour to match the gregarious mouthfeel. That isn't the review though, so I shall leave it at that!
No comments:
Post a Comment