London Stout - Meantime Brewing Company Limited

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.13/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Tap at BBC in Plymouth, MA.

Big creamy head, lots of lacing, lighter molasses brown lots of light coming through, more brown than black I can hardly call this a stout or even porter, it's more like a brown ale. The head and lacing saves it from being mediocre.

Nose light roasted cocoa powder, light charred biscuit malt, light coffee roast.

Taste light and thin, little coffee and roast, light powdered chocolate water, dry and gritty abrasive, some bitterness, light biscuit. Finish is dry and gritty, t watery and fairly bitter.

Mouth is thin watery, decent carb.

Overall not very good. This is a big step down from their porters IMO, it's more like a watered down version of their porter and yet they call it a stout. I would call it a mild ale almost, which is may be a decent beer in that case, but even then it's very thin and watery, and the flavor profile is muted.

Serving type: on-tap

11-05-2012 14:20:29 | More by jlindros

3.73/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at the Old Brewery Restaurant in Greenwich.

Dark black with a creamy white head. Carbonation is moderate and the texture is creamy, but medium bodied. Flavours include chocolate, coffe, dark fruits and roasted grain with a curious bitter mineral finish.

Serving type: on-tap

01-06-2012 20:34:45 | More by

BlackHaddock

United Kingdom (England)

3.53/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

In 2010 I had a bottle of this and was underwhelmed by the whole thing and scored it fairly low: on 25 Oct 2011 I had a half pint at the Greenwich Union, Meantime Breweries tap house, it’s a different animal on tap.

Deep dark brown, almost black; ruby red hints if held up to sun through the pubs sky light. A rich deep foam head the colour of tanned leather sat proudly on top.

Roasted, singed malts hit the nose, dark chocolate and coffee granules on brown toast followed the initial smells.

The taste was also of almost burnt malts and those coffee, chocolate smells mentioned earlier in the aromas. No sweetness to it at all, is it a hop bitterness, or from the malts? I don’t know.

Certainly better than I remember the bottled version and scored accordingly.

Serving type: on-tap

10-31-2011 14:52:44 | More by BlackHaddock

MrKennedy

Australia

3.63/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

310ml glass at The Local Taphouse.

Pours a black that seems semi porous with the view and a reddish tinge around the edges. Has a quickly receding head of light mocha coloured foam.

Smell is of tobacco, brandy soaked dark fruits, some chocolate and coffee. A lot there, but it does seem a touch thin, as though there is a vacuum inside and.more should be there.

Taste is of dark chocolate, milk chocolate and a touch of dark fruit in the finish.

Mouthfeel has some solid English stickiness to it at the end. Doesn't have the thin feel that the nose leads you to believe is coming.

Overall a nice stout that has more to it than the ABV of 4.5% would have you believe. Prefer the tap version to the bottled version which was tasted about a year ago.

Serving type: on-tap

08-10-2011 09:08:28 | More by MrKennedy

woosterbill

Connecticut

4.18/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

On tap at the Crawford St. Beehive, poured into a half pint.

A: Clear, transparent ruby-black body under a thin ring of tan bubbles. Pretty standard.

S: Fairly forceful for 4.5%, this smells of coffee, dark fruit, milk chocolate, and more coffee. Very nice indeed for the style.

T: Assertive roastiness up front, with wave after wave of coffee really dominating. Some chocolate, prune, vanilla, and marshmallow also show up. Delicious, with a very clean, lightly bittersweet finish. Lovely.

M: Medium body, high carbonation - maybe a bit too high for the style. I wish it were on cask.

O: Percent for percent, this was one of the most flavorful and enjoyable stouts I've had in a long time. Interesting enough to savor, clean enough to quaff, this is a terrific little dark beer.

Cheers!

Serving type: on-tap

06-14-2011 01:16:03 | More by woosterbill

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I had this on tap at Tj's restaurant and drinkery in Paoli, PA. Served chilled in a pint glass.

A - the color is like black coffee with garnet highlights w/ thin off white head. The head settles to a ring, swirling doesn't revive it - the bead is small, no lace collects

S - The aroma is very plummy with a mild roasted note w/ slight coffee hint and mild tobacco scent

M - the feel is moderately high carbonation w/ subtle sweetness and slight gentle sweetness w/ gentle fruitiness. The body is lighter medium w/ a mild roasted finish

T - A clean dark dried fruit taste w/ slight toased malt flavor w/ mild coffee notes and slightly bitter middle w mild molasses note. A nice woody hop taste w/ smooth caramel finish

D - The drinkability is very good w/ easy sessioning stout qualities, a bit slick feel which has lighter bodied effect but to be expected for a session strength English stout- recommended

Serving type: on-tap

12-06-2009 15:26:18 | More by Slatetank

Jayli

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

Had on tap at Novare Res 6/27/09
This beer pours a deep brown, with a one finger chocolate brown head to it. Very nice head retention, leaving spotty sticky lacing on the glass. Nose is of coffee, chocolate, caramel malts, some toffee and toasted malts. Taste is heavy on the roasted/toasted malts up front, then coffee and bitter dark chocolate hit you, the finish lends to caramel and toffee flavoring, with the tiniest touch of hops for bite. This is lighter bodied, with higher carbonation. I was utterly shocked with just how light this beer was. Crisp on the tongue with a creamier finish. This is a highly sessionable beer.

Serving type: on-tap

06-29-2009 16:40:14 | More by Jayli

FLima

Brazil

3.78/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

Dark black color with an off white three finger thick head with good retention and leaving laces.
Strong espresso coffee aroma with hints of malted cereals and a good presence of hops.
Nice flavor, intense on the roasted malts and fairly hoppy, and not sweet which is good news. Hints of caramel, coffee, wood, tobacco, earth and some dark chocolate. Dry aftertaste with a good residual taste of roasted and smoked malts and hop bitterness.
Medium body, a bit oily, with good carbonation.
This is so much fun than Guinness. Liked the more intense flavor, low sweetness and a hop twist you do not see on the mainstream stouts. I have the impression they intensify this brew comparing to older releases.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2013 00:13:37 | More by FLima

His_Royal_Hoppiness

United Kingdom (England)

3.5/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

A: Deep brown with barely any head.

S: Strong smell of roasted malts and coffee.

T: Burnt coffee, malts, some dark fruit - fairly bitter with minimal sweetness.

M: A bit thin/ lacking in body, though the carbonation level is just right.

A fairly typical, unexciting stout - drinkable, but not one I'd particularly want to have again.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2013 23:02:54 | More by His_Royal_Hoppiness

flyingpig

United Kingdom (Scotland)

3.13/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A deep mahogany colour with black tinges and a thin, off-white coloured head that has some light brown throughout.

Quite a strong coffee and roasted malts aroma with some barely coming through as well. There is some cocoa and darker malts coming together to give a pleasant, but pretty standard, stout smell to the beer.

Much the samea s the smell with the coffee dominating the taste as well, there is some barely and rich, dark malts in the mix along with a sweet, sugary taste. There is a hint of bitterness and the end and again it is a fairly average tasting beer.

Creamy on the palate with a medium body and a slightly bitter end that is quite dry. Carbonation is medium to low.

Nothing outstanding or particularly great about this one I'm afraid, it's not one of the better Meantime beers by any stretch of the imagination but it is drinkable and not too offensive..

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2012 16:13:11 | More by flyingpig

eduardolinhalis

Switzerland

3.9/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500ml bottle served in a snifter glass.

A: Beautiful bottle art. Nice purple cap and label. Pours a deep black color forming a small beige head that dissipates quite quickly. Not much lacings but a small layer remains for a long time

S: Coffee! Delicious. roasted malts, dark chocolate, yeasts and... COFFEE! :)

T: Follows the nose. Roasted malts, dark chocolate. A mild sweet upfront and a bitter roasted end, and... COFFEEE!

M: Watery medium to low body. Mild sweet upfront and a delicious mild roasted bitter aftertaste

O: Very drinkable. Indicated to coffee lovers...

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2012 21:52:24 | More by eduardolinhalis

CwrwAmByth

United Kingdom (Wales)

4.28/5  rDev +17.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 500ml bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a dark opaque black colour with a large bu quickly fading off white head.

Smells of dark, burnt malts, slight coffee too, with a hint of lightness about it too, I think that's the hops.

Tastes oh so drinkable, malty and dark but at the same time not heavy in a hard to describe way. Lip smacking though.

Overall a lovely drinkable classic English stout. Love it.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2012 22:50:43 | More by CwrwAmByth

EmperorBevis

United Kingdom (England)

3.6/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into tulip Guinness brand glass

and funnily enough now you mention it, before they sucked the life out Guinness Original... no I can't say that? Can I?

Pours a lovely pint dark and fairly rich just not quite there .
Better head than Linda lovelace, not touching the side of the glass till half way down and then clinging to the side in a lovely lace effect.

A real coffee taste, burnt aftertaste.

Just lacking a little body, I reckon I could down a pint in one and that just isn't a London stout now is it?

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2011 00:08:52 | More by EmperorBevis

Jeffo

Netherlands

3.7/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Got this bottle at De Bierkoning in Amsterdam.

From a 500ml bottle into a nonic pint glass.

APPEARANCE: Pour yields a two finger, loose, thin, fizzy, pot holed, light brown head with half-decent retention. Pretty lousy head really. Dark brown body, clear, with some carbonation penetrating the wisp on top. Head fizzes down to a thin wisp. A bubbly wisp remains until the end leaves no lacing on the glass. Looks quite flat by the end. Poor look.

SMELL: Big nose on this one. Roasted malts, smoky malts, caramel, and a nice dose of cocoa powder. Quite a bit of cocoa and dark chocolate on the nose actually. Enticing.

TASTE: Also pretty solid here. Roasted and smoky malts, then moves into a good dose of sweet caramel and nice cocoa powder flavors. Aftertaste is medium strength yet lingers nicely, and features mostly sweet caramel, toffee and roasted flavors, though a touch of bitter chocolate and cocoa offers some nice balance.

PALATE: Medium body and medium-higher levels of carbonation. Not quite creamy enough, slightly prickly perhaps, yet goes down fine and finishes somewhat dry on the palate. Average at best.

OVERALL: While the look was unappealing, especially the lousy head, and the feel nothing to write home about, the nose and flavor were quite enjoyable. This one shows that you can have lots of nice aroma and flavor while holding to a lower abv. An enjoyable brew I’d definitely pick up again. Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2011 11:13:46 | More by Jeffo

atis

Finland

3.98/5  rDev +9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours very dark brown, almost black with lovely off-white head that slowly fades to a thin layer, no lacing. Aroma is dominated by roasted grain, some coffee.

Taste is roasted bitterness, charcoal, bits or dried plums, very dry finish and long lasting light roasted and bitter chocolate aftertaste. Mouthfeel feels thin, low carbonation.

Overall, although the beer seemed thin and boring in the beginning, it slowly grew and developed its unique flavour, but sadly there was only one bottle. Excellent session beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2011 20:55:55 | More by atis

jazzyjeff13

United Kingdom (England)

3.85/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I like the clock motif that Meantime use for their branding - it attaches the brewery to a particular place.

A 500ml bottle with a BB date of Oct 2011. The label mentions that this is an all-malt ale crafted according to an original recipe for London stout.

Poured into a Sam Smith's pint glass. A black colour that is revealed to be a deep reddish hue when held up to the light. Rather big head; light brown and creamy - remains for a few minutes before subsiding. A rich, bitter aroma with lots of roasted malt and coffee notes - strong and inviting.

The flavour is forceful - burnt malt with distinct coffee notes and rather bitter. No overt hoppy notes. Mouthfeel is slighty thinner than expected and gives the impression of moderate carbonation. Slightly astringent on the palate. Lacks the creamy character that you would associate with Guinness and other stouts/porters, but the taste makes up for it.

Overall, a rather nice stout with a big flavour. Not sure how true it is to an original London stout, but worth seeking out to try.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2011 02:12:16 | More by jazzyjeff13

rarbring

Sweden

3.33/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

The beer is red-brown-black, clear with a rather small tan head that leaves little lacing.

The smell is burnt bread crust, some roasted cocoa bean as well.

The taste is rather sweet, brown candid sugar, raisins, some dark roasted coffee and bread crust.

Rather high carbonation, a bit watery, a dry finish.

Meantime has better beers (their coffee stout), this is a rather ordinary porter, a bit on the sweet side.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2010 19:06:57 | More by rarbring

GBalbin

Brazil

3.53/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass. Dark brown color. Light and watery beer. Flavor and aroma: Smoky and Porto (wine). The formation of foam is low with a short duration. Smooth. It has good drinkability compared to its competitors in this style. I expected more.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2010 17:43:25 | More by GBalbin

eric5bellies

Australia

3.8/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Drank from my Duvel Tulip.

A - Pours a dark ebony colour with a tight off white head that stays the distance.

S - The aroma is very plummy with a mild roasted note w/ slight coffee hint and mild tobacco scent

T - Plenty of coffee and Molassis here with a noice boozy kick at the finish

M - Smooth, low carbonation and full body.

D - A very good exampole of the style.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2010 15:36:44 | More by eric5bellies

mike130

United Kingdom (England)

3.63/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass. Tiny head, dissipates very quickly. Dark brown-black, but very disappointing looks to be honest. No lacing.

Smells quite weakly of coffee, maybe a bit of chocolate. A touch of smokiness as well, a tiny bit of hops. Not great.

Taste is an improvement over the smell. Still quite watery, but the smokiness really gets boosted. Tastes a lot like smoked meat or something, a bit of chocolate, coffee and a dry sort of finishing.

Very watery mouthfeel. Does not feel thick at all, and the carbonation is quite fizzy, soda-like almost.

Quite drinkable since it's watery and not overly flavorful. Not a great brew to be honest, but could settle for worse. The smokiness makes it sort of interesting.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2010 23:58:00 | More by mike130

Trizzle

United Kingdom (England)

3.05/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

Dark, dark brown, but not black, slightly see through, minimal head fades quickly, no lace. Looks like a glass of flat coke.

Smells of sweet malts and some dry yeasty notes, not disimilar to a belgian dark ale.

Pretty bland, subtle coffee roast/toast, slight sweet malts, not getting any hops whatsoever. A hint of the yeast that was in the nose may be the most interesting thing here.. The thin and slightly over carbonated mouthfeel seems to somehow emphasise the bland nature of this stout.

Easy to session, watery, not all that interesting. Probably wouldnt want a session on it.

Bummer.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2010 14:14:03 | More by Trizzle

jrallen34

Illinois

3.05/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

I drank this from the tap into a snifter.

The beer is really a light brown, very ruby red in the light. The head is light tan about a finger high with ok retention but poor watery lacing.

The aroma doesn't exist, can't smell anything.The taste is the same with hardly any flavor and its way to watery. All you can taste is a little hops.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2009 20:33:21 | More by jrallen34

PartyBear

United Kingdom (England)

3.7/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Almost pure black in colour, with a thick creamy tan head.

Aroma: Dark malts, cereal and a slight woody aroma. There is a mild sweetness to it, with a burn sugar. Hints of smoked oak chips.

Taste: Cereal tasting roasted malts, with a darkened woody bitter edge. There is a metallic iron taste, that is balanced with rich coffee flavours. Nutty flavours, cashews, and pine nuts.

Mouthfeel: Heavy and fulled bodied as a good stout should be. Smooth and silky on the palete.

Drinkability: Another good beer from Meantime, heavy and full flavoured even given the low ABV.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2009 22:30:24 | More by PartyBear

crowncapcollect

United Kingdom (England)

3.53/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

500ml bottle into straight pint glass.
Nice head and delicate subtle aroma. Alas, the taste whilst pleasant is nothing special - lacking something in depth and character. I liked it more the first time I tried it, but I have been going off this of late.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2009 21:25:10 | More by crowncapcollect

fullsweep

United Kingdom (England)

3.25/5  rDev -11%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

500 mL dark brown/black bottle poured into a pint glass.

Very nice head of 2 fingers, even on the slowest pour. Foam is chocolate brown, black beer underneath. Looks quite similar to a Mackeson stout but slightly lighter head in color.

Smell is very interesting/unusual. The roasted barley definitely dominates, but with an almost smoky scent.

The smoke doesn't come through in the taste. In fact, I was a little disappointed that this tasted like a pretty generic stout.

Mouthfeel was fine, but nothing spectacular.

Drinkability is average as well, but I do think I want to try it again just to get a better feel for it.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2009 14:49:31 | More by fullsweep