One woman's ale journey

A beery boozy journey with delightful snacks along the way and a book in my hand.

Monday 9 January 2023

Brains Dark


Welsh brewers, Brains have been brewing their dark ale since the 1920s.  I think that's pretty impressive that an ale has been in continuous production for so long and I couldn't wait to try it.

It's a very dark brown ale with a semi-tight frothy beige head that disperses slowly to leave a thin layer.

The smell is not what I was expecting at all.  In addition to the malty fragrance that I was expecting, there's also metallic notes of copper coins and a very fragrant, slightly soapy fruit that reminded me of lychee.

The flavour is delicious: malt and sweet dark fruits with hints of treacle, chocolate, liquorice and coffee, followed by a dry, nutty finish.  No flavour takes over and they all work beautifully together.  It has a good medium body and relative soft carbonation to produce a silky smooth mouthfeel.

Although the smell is a bit weird, it makes up for it in the taste.  I loved how the treacle, chocolate, coffee and liquorice flavours developed as I was drinking it and I hardly noticed the slightly odd smell after a few mouthfuls.

I'd be more than happy to have a Brains Dark again so Ale Be Seeing You!

Brewed by Brains Brewery, Cardiff
4.1% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4/5

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