Dun Hogs Head Ale - Islay Ale Co. Ltd.

Yabev15

Massachusetts

3.25/5  rDev -12.4%

10-29-2012 23:46:13 | More by Yabev15

wl0307

United Kingdom (England)

4.18/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle-conditioned in a 500ml brown bottle, BB May 08, served cool in a straight pint glass.

A: pours a nearly black hue with a creamy and thick tan froth that lasts extremely well; light in carbonation as far as my eyes and ears can manage. Looking gorgeous.
S: a lightly phenolic, or peat-smokey, hint surrounds the "less unique" roasty note of a stout, very likely as a result of the peat-smoked malts in line with the tradition of making of Islay Whisky; a swirl awakens char, salt, thick oily tar, chocolates, and a surprising blackcurrent as well as flowery edge of hops at the back. Very enticing.
T: the effervescent foretaste gets immediately bitter, then turning increasingly dry and slightly chewy on the texture. Lots of charred wood, roasted barley, licorice, and coffee-ish flavour dominate throughout, while hop bitterness joins force with roast-barley's bitterness in the long but clean finish.
M&D: this is a light-bodied, mildly fizzy (very well bottle-conditioned), super easy-drinking and indeed more-ish stout endowed with a certain degree of complexity and tremendous depth of bitterness. This is more like an Irish Dry Stout to me than any English counterparts, hence this entry as such. Well worth a try!

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2008 20:16:55 | More by wl0307