pot&kettle, batch 2...tasting

It has been a little over a month since the pot&kettle batch 2 has been in the bottles, but I can't wait any longer for the first glimpse, er...taste. The only change I've made from the last iteration was to change the yeast strain. Discussion of that here.

Ok, so that's a huge change, but keeping the remainder of the recipe constant should better allow me to perceive impact.

Pulled from fridge, allowed bomber to stand for 20minutes. Slowly poured down the middle of the imperial pint glass, incrementally, allow the substantive head to form and fall, form and fall. All in all, took about 4 minutes. That's a long time to wait for your first taste, but I know I'll be rewarded with a full glass and a proper head.

A-OK, so I should have started with appearance, but the very second thing I noticed after the streaming black-brown pour was the powerful roast and malty aroma that almost immediately wafted over to entice me. I didn't even get a chance to look down to the bottom of the glass first.

So aside from the distractingly rich and pervasive aroma, you can tell immediately that this beer has great full mouthfeel.

What? ...what's the problem?

Oh, right this is 'appearance' section of the tasting notes...

I mean that you can actually see the fullness in the pour, you can tell this isn't a thin bodied beer in the pour. It just looks full. You'd have to be paying attention, very close attention to your beers as you pour them to know what I mean.

Of course this stout shades just south of black at the edges, a dark brown that appears to have quite a bit of haze to it, which is a bit surprising as I've let it warm a bit, and the Burton ale yeast should have had ample time to floc out. Nice substantial head that forms quickly, props itself up, and forms irregular and large bubbles. Slow to burst. See what I mean? It just looks like its got tons of velvety mouthfeel.

S-Ok, I've already covered this, but seriously, to all whom I give this beer to...take your time pouring this slowly. Let the head form and fall, form and fall. Anticipate. Wait for the aroma to make its way over to you, it is the perfect pre-quel for what's in store. Rich, melted dark chocolate, roasted grains, and a very 'bright' acid french roast coffee. Searching for any hops...nope, nothing but roast/cacao. Pumpernickel?

T-Smooth dark chocolate, french roast coffee, minimal sweetness. Smooth, not biting acridity on the finish. Dominating dark roasted malt. Complexity abounds, but mostly within the range of roasted grain. Hoping that the subtleties of dark prune/raisin flavors from the Special B appear over time, as the roast continues to mature and mellow. British yeast character in the background, not overly apparent, to me. Not overly attenuated, the british yeast left enough body, even with the 150F mash. Just like I hoped. Huge roasty dryness on the palate to finish. Dry, dark chocolate.

M-Velvety, coating mouthfeel. Thank you oatmeal. Thank you Burton ale yeast.

D-If you like stouts that lean toward the outer edges of roast character, then this beer will go down quickly, dangerously. Proper and smooth carbonation, adequately degassed from the slow pour. I have a big glass of beer in my stomach, and yet...I look over, and the imperial pint glass is down to its last mouthful, and I'm seriously considering cracking another. But I won't, I have an interview in the morning.