I was always a bit disappointed that Dundalk Bay Brewery had not included a stout in their Brewmaster core range, opting instead for lager, red and IPA. Their special edition imperial stout, Romanov, showed they definitely had the ability in-house. Happily, they have now fully embraced the dark side, with this new pair.First up, the long-awaited straightforward dry stout: the sort of thing foreigners think every Irish brewery makes but very few do. It's a tough sell. Brewmaster Black deserves a fair chance. It gets the visuals spot on, a fine creamy head forming and lasting, without the aid of nasty flavour-killing nitrogen. That translates into a silky texture as soon as it hits the palate. Oily dark-roasted coffee beans and dark chocolate make up the aroma, and that roast is central to the flavour. There's a burnt-toast dryness at its heart, with the chocolate, less dark here, forming a sweeter balance around it. A bonus floral complexity enhances that, bringing hints of rosewater and hibiscus. Before it goes all silly, a harder old-world metallic hop kick finishes things off. Normally this level of complexity takes a bit of backing from the alcohol. DBB achieves it at just 4.2% ABV.
This beer deserves to sell in quantity but I fear that the mainstream stout drinkers are too set in their ways to switch, while the craft-curious have too much choice of other beers in more fashionable styles with arty labels to bother with this oulfellas' stout which isn't even in a can. The difficulty in getting Irish people to drink stouts is our beer scene's principal national tragedy. And if you agree with me to any extent about that, make sure you get yourself some of this.
On to something a bit more involved: Barrel Aged Irish Stout, this one a special edition. The label gives us the standard spiel about the brewery's ethos, and some anodyne tasting notes, but no description of how the beer was actually made, which is disappointing. I can tell you it's 9% ABV and smells a bit vinous but also a bit vinegary, with a sharp balsamic twang that puts me on edge. That settles a little in the flavour, and thankfully it doesn't taste of vinegar. I would hazard, however, that the barrels it was aged in previously held wine, and may have continued to do so when the stout went in. There's lots of red grape here, and it doesn't sit terribly well with the espresso and cocoa powder of the base beer. I also get a slight phenolic aftertaste, which adds nothing positive to the mix of flavours. I'll throw in my usual cop-out criticism here and say that maybe it will improve with age, allowing the different sides to integrate better with each other. Consumed fresh, it's a bit of a clashing mess of fruit, roast and booze.And yet it'll probably sell more than Brewmaster Black. Sigh.