I can't recall exactly why I didn't crack the can of Moo Brew's straight Stout when it arrived as part of their Winter Pack sampler, although it was probably a moment in which the angel on one shoulder won out over the devil on the other: "Do you really need to crack an 8 percent ABV beer on a school night?"
Whatever the cause, it turned out to be rather serendipitous as the can was still in my fridge when its barrel-aged forebear from last year landed, making for a delicious (yes, school night) side-by-side.
And you have to say, when the straight Stout (which, admittedly, could be called imperial without much blowback) is so good to start with – an understated Aussie classic – where is there to go? And the answer is: fatter, fuller, deeper, and more satisying. The year on oak just fills everything out. The chocolate becomes more fudge like. The mouthfeel becomes more fulsome. The oak-derived vanilla character wraps a doona around proceedings. Everything hangs together just as it should.
It's simply delicious. Always has been. Sometimes classics are classics for a reason.
James Smith
Published July 18, 2024 2024-07-18 00:00:00
