Some beverages from the UK have been surprisingly good.
Others have had some serious issues. I've seen this beer on the shelf the last few times I visited the local distributor, and every time I pass it by, I think that I might be missing something. the label is simple, refined, and effective. The beer inside is a chocolate stout, so they are definitely trying to get me as a drinker.
So dark brown that only a few photons tell me this isn't black, and the head is so thick that you could pour it out and use it as the foundation for a shed. Predictably, lacing is copious and lovely. The aroma is not as overpowering as I expected. I thought this would be like opening a giant bag of chocolate chips and sticking my head inside, but the smell is fairly restrained. In fact, it's not even particularly chocolatey. Instead, it has a sweet kind of chocolate malt that dominates and is curiously smokey.
First sip is watery and weak. I had heard the jokes that were made about English beer, but I figured those were based on a few samplings and did not reflect every individual beer. I still assume that is the case, but this sip is weak sauce. A second sip is slightly better, and there is definitely sweet malt and chocolate surging forward, trying to make some kind of impact, but sipping is definitely not what this beer is about. Let's hope a swig takes us there.
Tip-in is virtually no carbonation and a little bit of sweet malt. Not much else going on. The middle is a little milky and a little nutty. The finish is a little bitter, a little chocolate, and a little more nuts. I just... wow. So disappointing and watery and weak.
Bottom Line: Not a terrible beer, but nothing really motivates me to ever have it again.
1.75/5