Epic Epicurean Coffee and Fig 2013 Imperial Oatmeal Stout

Last night I opened this wonderful bottle that I acquired on Friday (the only reason I didn’t open it then was the 10k Melbourne Marathon even I ran on early Sunday morning).

Epic Epicurean Coffee and Fig 2013

It was delicious. The fig really came through and lent a nice sweetness to contrast with the bitterness. I’m now wondering why I don’t make things with figs more often….

Sierra Nevada Beer Camp 2012 Oatmeal Stout

This, my friends, was good. Supremely drinkable with great flavour, colour and body. I want more of them. We have a bit of a saying around here that the Sierra Nevada brew of any style of beer is a rather good definition of that style – and this is no exception. If you feel like a good oatmeal stout, go grab one of these and you won’t be disappointed.

Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout

Another Vegan beer from Samuel Smith with the nice Vegan symbol on the back and everything. This isn’t a heavy stout, it’s quite lite and consuming more than one pint wouldn’t be taxing at all. The oatmeal part is not overwhelming, providing a subtle flavour more than overpowering the rest of the beer. A quite nice midweek beer.

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Brasserie Dieu due Ciel! Peche Mortel

It’s from Canada, not France. Although it’s certainly from a more French part of Canada. This was a nice imperial coffee stout. The coffee flavour was not overwhelming in any way, it was this nice pervasive hint . At 9.5% it’s strong in alcohol and the flavour is also nice and strong, although not overwhelming. I’d certainly have this one again.

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Kiuchi Brewery’s Espresso Stout

My first beer from Japan! This pours nice and thick. This Espresso Stout is black like my heart and is thick like the phrase “Guinness is a meal” would lead you to believe (rather than the sad reality that is Guinness these days).

While I can’t really detect the espresso in the smell of this one (although once it warmed up a bit I could), I can in the taste. Halfway through a mouthful you’re certainly going “mmm… espresso-y”.

This was quite enjoyable. I’m not sure if I could drink more than one (I probably couldn’t), and it doesn’t match the whatever it was I had through a coffee bean filled Randy at Mountain Goat a while ago, but it’s certainly nice.

Yes folks, there can be good beer come out of Japan.

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