like rolling down a hill

I told you I was going to feverishly hunt down black beers for a while.  Well, I picked up a nice big bottle of English stout for today, St. Austell Mena Dhu stout.  It promises to be flavorsome - oh excuse me, "flavoursome" - so I'm anxiously awaiting what this bottle has in store.  I think it's just going to be months of darkness for me!  The woman at Más Que Cervezas understands too; I asked her about black beers and she went right for some nice ones, although about half of them were barrel aged.  But, it's a little damp and chilly these days, and people who work with beer know you need something to keep you cozy.

While the beer is a rich dark brown, nicely opaque, the head is beigier than I would expect.  It has a good malty smell, a little bit chocolate and a little bit sour.  It has sort of a fruity chocolate flavor, recognizably sweet, but with some underlying bitter, I might go so far as baking chocolate.  The sour does not come out in the flavor, but there's something smoky in it, makes you think of a winter bonfire.  The sweetness remains steady throughout, kindly not developing the stickiness or heaviness that one can find.  It really is well-balanced, having a clear flavor but also being quiet enough that some heavy conversation wouldn't be interrupted by a good gulp.  Even a light conversation wouldn't be thrown off course, and might even be enhanced.  I'm fine at the moment with no snacks, but something lightly salted or slightly sweet would not be going wrong.

Supplier: Más Que Cervezas
Price: €3.40