Eighteen months after opening, Brewhouse Margaret River won Best WA Beer and Best Commercial Beer at the 2017 Perth Royal Beer Show awards for its Peter Coupan Barrel Aged Stout. The accolade seemed to catch many, including the Brewhouse team, off guard with the beer selling out in record time from its Karri forest clad home.
This year, just in time for the 2018 awards, they're released a slightly tweaked version that’s spent two months in three whiskey barrels – two ex-Port casks and one sherry cask – before blending. As a result, muted whiskey and rich chocolate aromas tease towards the unexpectedly creamy mouthfeel – yes, the name is a giveaway but this is still a pleasant surprise, with coffee and chocolate undertones creating the effect of a dark chocolate mousse.
Fleeting aniseed and dried dark fruit appear with fortified notes as the back palate alcohol heat builds to a more rounded warmth. Barrel tannins lend complexity and dryness to a beer that recommends you add another log to the fireplace and settle in for the evening.
Guy Southern
Published July 10, 2018 2018-07-10 00:00:00