Lough Gill Imperial Oatmeal Coffee Cream Stout

Origin: Ireland | Date: 2017 | ABV: 11% | On The Beer Nut: February 2017

There have been cans in the stash for a while now but today is the first time I've opened one to see what's happened to it. This was the originator of Lough Gill's short-lived "Rebel Stout" series, a then-limited edition which now lives in their core range under the name Dark Majik with a much more tasteful label.

I think it's a suitable candidate for can-ageing, being a whopping 11% ABV, and it's only had four years or so. What harm? Oatmeal, coffee and cream would probably get this classified as a pastry stout these days, though the name wasn't in use at the time. It doesn't smell sweet, however, coming across dry and boozy, with a touch of sherry-like oxidation.

The creamy chocolate side is still there in the flavour, tasting as fresh as when it was new; as is the dark fruit of Bramling Cross hops. I guess cans really do seal the good stuff in well. I get maybe a faint hint of sweet dark sherry but it's heavily buried under everything else going on.

I think this beer was only just beginning to show the effects of age. I'm guessing that in time it would have dried out into something funky and leathery. After four years it's still in the first flush of easy-drinking youth. The lesson for the stash may be that cans will need more time before the interesting stuff starts happening, if it ever does.