Coopers Best Extra Stout

Coopers Brewery Ltd.
Leabrook, South Australia,
Imported by: Preiss Imports, Ramona, CA

Available: AZ, CA, CO, HI, IL, IA, KS, KY, LA, MI, MO, NV, NM, NY, OH, OK, TN, TX, VA, WI

The Coopers have been brewing in Australia since 1862. The brewery uses their own strain of yeast that is at least 85 years old. Their Best Extra Stout derives its texture from the Coopers’ specially roasted black malt.

ABW: 5.4
ABV: 6.3
Color: n/a
Bitterness: n/a
Original gravity: n/a

A grand and aromatic stout topped with a beautiful blond head. The aromatics are an open invitation to fullest enjoyment. Roast black malt is used here, rather than the expected and harsher roast barley, thus yielding an almost porter-like dry mellowness. A very well-made stout that doesn’t attack but rather joins us in our enjoyment. Quite remarkable, indeed. I’ve tasted it before, but never found it so irrepressibly enjoyable. Bottle conditioning is an added delight. This beer needs a good cheese to accompany it. Perhaps a nice bleu cheese or even a fine Stilton could do the job.
- Fred Eckhardt

The beer appears black as it puts up a small tan head that quickly recedes. The aroma is very coffeeish—no chocolate at all. On the palate, both the carbonation and the bitterness are relatively light, supporting a slightly sweet center showing some coffee and caramel flavor. The finish is brisk and clean. Not as aggressive as most American or Irish stouts nor as sweet as some of the British. The roast is restrained and allows invert sugar and caramel flavors to carry the ball. It’s pleasantly balanced and flavorful. I’d call it a porter and then order a porterhouse steak to go with it.
- Garrett Oliver

An old favorite of mine. It is from Adelaide, and dates back beyond my lifetime to the early days of Australian brewing. Mud-colored head. Tar-colored beer. Earthy, fruity aroma. Spicy, fruity, coffeeish, bitter choocolate palate. Quite dry, but bitterness melds well with coffee and chocolate. Faintly smoky. The brewers like to point out that it is not astringent. I agree, but I don’t mind a touch of astringency. Beer-tasting is not for wimps.
- Michael Jackson

Fred Eckhardt
Fred Eckhardt lives, writes about and drinks beer in Portland, OR. He is the author of The Essentials of Beer Style and Saké.

Garrett Oliver
Internationally recognized brewer and expert on traditional beer, Garrett Oliver is the brewmaster of the Brooklyn Brewery and the author of The Brewmaster's Table.

Michael Jackson
Author of Ultimate Beer, the Simon & Schuster Guide to Beer and numerous other works on drinks, Jackson has created legions of converts to fine beer.

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