Black Dwarf - 8 Wired Brewing Co.

laituegonflable

Australia

4.15/5  rDev +24.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had on tap at the Local Taphouse's 8 Wired Makeover.

Pours a dark, dark brown. Pretty much black, with nice darkish beige head, fluffy and dense with stunning lace. Retains amazingly well. Pretty damn close to looking perfect. In fact, it pretty much does.

Plenty of coffee on the nose, roasty and spicy. Hints of pepper and espresso, some dark chocolate, caramel and vanilla. Good, bold and roasty with a decent spice, yet toned and mellow. Very nice stout.

Taste is also spicy and roasty, with lots of sharp coffee notes, hint of burnt character but nothing too astringent. Plenty of spice mid-to-late that never goes overboard, but a bit dry and has a big flavour of coffee mostly. It's very nice coffee but still lacking other darker flavours, could maybe use a bit more Belgian fruit. Plenty of Belgian spice at the back though, so it finishes well. Good palate.

Fairly dry mouthfeel, but great body to it. Yeah, very nice texture.

Great bold stout, loads of flavour but beautifully reined in. We're witnessing a master at work here.

Serving type: on-tap

01-05-2012 01:05:21 | More by laituegonflable

lacqueredmouse

Australia

4.1/5  rDev +22.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at the Local Taphouse in Darlinghurst.

Pours a solid enough black, with a foamy, mocha-coloured head, which is pretty persistent. Great honeycomb lacing down the inside of the glass. Lightish body when tilted, but still forming fine carbonation. Looks nice.

Fruity coffee on the nose, giving pleasantly, but lightly roasted characters, and a dark berry hint. Slightly green, clipped vegetation quality as well, suggesting gum or resin. It's really very pleasant. Light, but intriguing.

Taste is also good, with blends of fruity coffee beans, clipped grass, and a hint of resin. Clear hoppy bitterness on the back helps extend the palate, making it fuller than the body or ABV suggests. Roast characters provide the flavour framework, but the hops actually provide the basis.

Really nicely put together beer. Interesting, but coherent, and nicely balanced. It reminds me most of all of Mountain Goat's Seedy Goat Coffee IPA: it has the same fruity characters from the coffee, blended nicely and balanced with hops. Good job.

Serving type: on-tap

12-14-2011 03:11:35 | More by lacqueredmouse

danieelol

Australia

2.9/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Sampled at the Taphouse.

Appearance was dark black; indistinguishable from the Hargreaves Hill RIS, again hard to judge overall on their system

Smell I could totally relate to Owen (MrKennedy)'s description. Like the fat and ash from burning rissoles when you panfry them. I can see how this comes from the coffee, but it was almost like I could smell the herbs in the Woolworths rissoles also!

Taste was similarly herbal with a big dose of herbal, cheap and weird tasting coffee.

Not unpleasant, just weird.

Serving type: on-tap

01-03-2012 10:35:19 | More by danieelol

MrKennedy

Australia

2.2/5  rDev -34.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

310ml glass at The Local Taphouse, Darlinghurst.

Pours a solid black with a nice deep beige / light tan head of foam that feel away too abruptly. Some small lacing, but otherwise run of the mill.

Smells sweet and smoky with plenty of char. Does remind me of the smell of charred BBQ. Different, not good.

Taste is almost purely that of frypan runnings after cooking rissoles. Plenty of charred flavour with a smoky oily flavour.

The smoky char of this adds to the finish and the body which suited the ABV. Decent in this regard.

Happy to get these flavours from cooking rather than drinking. Different, but not good. Drinkable, but more for the intrigue factor rather than any other reason.

Serving type: on-tap

12-13-2011 09:26:50 | More by MrKennedy