Happy Stout Day

Pin It Now! This is not Arthur's day, though you can certainly enjoy a pint of Guinness if you like as it is Internationality stout day. At first I was jut going to compare a few stouts from different countries and I did, I did it yesterday so I might write about that as well another time but I decided on something different in the end for today. I picked up my supply from drinkstore who had just taken delivery of the new limited edition Shandon Century stout from Franciscan Well in Cork. The well does not bottle but these massive 1 litre swing-top bottles are pretty special. The price is also pretty special at €11.99 but remember, not only is this a litre of beer, it's also 7.5% and you get a fantastic swingtop, half a growler that you can re-use and as a homebrewer this is like winning the lotto..  well not quite but you get what I mean.

I do like the regular Shandon stout but it's served nitrogenated and I always wanted to try a regular co2 version. A bottle conditioned imperial version is even better.

The bottle I am tasting as I write this is #887. I know my good friend VelkyAl on Fuggled will be pretty jealous as this is just the sort of stout he craves. Never fear, I have a second bottle that I will bring to Paris next month and we can share it!

The aroma is quite smokey with chocolate and burnt toffee coming through in droves. A slight hint of booze is present and a hint of coffee.
On tasting I found it very palatable. That is somewhat understating it I think, let me rephrase. I found this to be  possibly the best stout I have ever tasted. And not because I spent €12 on it either. The burnt toffee/caramel is fairly in your face with a light peatiness to it. In the middle it gets a little sour and boozy with a hint of vanilla. The burnt toffee never really goes away, even a minute after taking a mouthful, it is still there refusing to leave my mouth and back of my throat. This is an old man stout, a stout like Wrasslers XXXX only bigger and badder. There is a slight metallic note, sort of coppery but it does not detract from the beer. It's probably from the Goldings and/or Fuggles hops that are used to bitter the beer but it could also be from the peated malt they used, hence the smokey aroma. The taste is not quite so smokey as the aroma due to the burnt toffee domination but it is there nonetheless.
The carbonation is also perfect, opening the swing-top results in a soft hiss rather than the expected pop.

There is no better stout to try for the first time on international stout day. Thank you for brewing this Franciscan Well. This beer is utter perfection. I might have to buy another one or two and keep for a while.
If this post is anything to go by, it is €10 from the brewery direct so if you find yourself in Cork, drop in and get some on tap and buy a bottle to take home.

Oh and by the way, in a little FABPOW, the stout goes very well with a very hot Chilli . The spices mix very well with the peated malt and chocolate. Even though the beer is at room temperature. Take that ice cold pale yellow fizzy stuff with lime in the bottle.