O’Hanlon Brewery
Whimple, England
Imported by: Phoenix Imports
Ellicott City, MD
Available: PA, NJ, MI, NY, MD, CO, IL, OH, TN, KY, NV, LA, WI
Inspired by the traditional Irish “corpse-reviving” splash of port in a pint of stout to banish morning-after blues, this Irish-style dry stout is brewed with ruby port. John and Liz O’Hanlon began brewing in 1995 to supply their London pub, then moved to Devonshire in 2000 to concentrate on brewing.
Alcohol by weight: 3.58
Color: n/a
Bitterness: 48
Gravity: 1044
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What a friendly approach to beer. Lovely to see, pleasing to hear, aromatic to sniff, and a beer one simply must linger over. Best of all: rich taste to delight one’s palate, and all that without the expected wallop of a high calibre alcohol hit. I must say I really can’t detect the port wine, but the 4.5% alcohol tells me I can enjoy another—and soon!
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The beer looks black at first, but red highlights glint from the bottom of the glass. The head is small and lacy, but the aroma is terrific—good coffee and dark fruit. On the palate, it’s crisp and dry, medium-bodied with nice roast bite and flavor following through the middle. The finish is clean and bone-dry. I’m a port aficionado, but I can’t find the port here. No matter—this is a very tasty Irish-style stout. Line up the oysters.
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The head is the color of cappuccino. The liquid looks like strong, oily espresso. The aroma is reminiscent of mocha. The palate is much drier, with lots of flavor development: bitter chocolate, toasted nuts, some burnt tastes, sappy bitterness, sackcloth (reminded me of Brettanomyces; though that seems unlikely), port-like, winey. The last two characteristics add a lively interplay of fruity sweetness to this Irish-style dry stout (made by a Kerryman, whose brewery is in England).
