Hook Norton Double Stout

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

500 ml bottle conditioned, will soon be available at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 4.8%. Black colour, moderate beige head. Pleasant mildly roasty aroma, notes of mild coffee, dark chocolate and woodwork, a hint of liquorice. The medium dry flavour has the same elements as the aroma. I don’t know what makes this a "double" stout, but it is nice enough to drink anyway.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Black, black, black with fine huge frosty light brown foam head, lacing to glass. Aroma is roast, toast and bitter chocolate. Taste is smooth, bitter chocolate, some toast. Aftertaste is quite a lasting bitter. (Moscow, 201302)

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

The sample I got foamed like nobody's business, and left a very thick and rather persistent light tan head. Beer itself is a warm dark opaque brown. Aroma is strongly of molasses and roast malt. Flavor is not strong but pleasant, malty and molasses-ish, slightly sweet with hints of coffee and smoke. Texture is fizzy and smooth.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Bottle: Poured a clear deep back color stout with large light brown foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of light dry black bitter chocolate with some light coffee. Taste is an easy going mix between some light black bitter chocolate, some roasted malt and some very subtle coffee. Body is lacking some creamy texture with great carbonation. Not bad overall but lacking in character.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 10 | Overall: 9

A very nice surprise indeed from a brewery previously unknown to me. I'm a sucker for porters and stouts, so this one came as very well received indeed. A smallish tan head capping a seriously dark body was accompanied by a chocolate aroma, although not strongly. Taste was yes yes yes and yes again. Dark chocolate with perhaps some undertones of burnt coffee and/or some roasted/toasted malts made for a real treat. Mouth was good as was the finish. Gladly have this one again anytime. A plus is the elegant, embossed bottle.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

How refreshing, a double stout that is only 4.8% abv. A reasonable pour produces a three-finger thick, crown of pale brown colored, tan froth. The beer is quite near black in color, but does show a brilliantly clear, deep ruby color when held up to the light. Aromas of dusty cocoa, lightly burnt toast, a touch of roast coffee beans and some bread crust like aromatics are easily pulled out from the nose of this beer. The aroma is clearly roast dominated, but there is a touch of prune like fruitiness that comes through if you really dig for it.

Lightly sweet up front, with a substantially malt mouthfeel. Not sweet with simple sugars, instead the dark malt character provides a rich, complex malt sweetness to this brew that is quite welcome. It drinks a little bit bigger than I would expect for a beer of this strength, but is actually not too surprising given this beers chosen name. Roast flavors are found up front in a supporting role, but as the beer moves across the tongue they become more prominent until they become the dominant note in the finish. The finish has some bitterness as well as a touch of acidity that is contributed by the roast grain notes. The finish leaves lingering flavors of dark chocolate, malt sweetened coffee, and some dry espresso notes.

Well I really was not expecting much from either of the beers from this brewery, I have been pleasantly surprised though. I really like how rich and chewy this beer is for its alcohol level. The aroma is perhaps a bit uncomplicated, but the flavor and texture more than make up for this.

Purchased: Plaza Liquors, Tucson AZ

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Beer looked gorgeous - almost jet black with off whitehead. moderate carbonation andlacing. Smell of roasted malts straight off. Taste of roast barley and Chocolate malt dominate. Lingering bitterness from hops and roasted malts. Very dry stout

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 6

Bottled. Black/dark amber colour, big beige foamy head. Sweet caramellish malt in aroma. Chocolate, roasted malt and caramel in favour. A bit watery, but the flavour is very pleasant.