Bristol Beer Factory Stouts

Bristol Beer Factory's Stout Lineup

Bristol Beer Factory is a brewery that's only appeared on my radar within the past 6 months, despite being not far from where I was born and bred. After hearing good things about their beer son twitter I was glad to grab some bottles at West Country Ales after the Cheddar Brewery Beer Festival. I didn't have a chance to drink all of them at home before heading back to Northern Ireland; so decided to save their stouts for a special occasion. It being International stout day on Thursday seemed as good a reason as any!

Bristol Stout

Bristol Stout is the lowest in ABV of the bunch and modelled on a dry Irish style. My bottle was a particularly lively little number as you can see from the picture!  Black brown with caramel head, chocolate aroma, dry and roasted body, very smooth and chocolate malt finish. Its a very quaffable 4% and is certainly a beer for drinking by the pint.

Milk Stout

Milk Stout is a much sweeter interpretation, with added lactose, a sugar that ale yeast is unable to ferment leaving a sweet taste to counteract the bitterness of the chocolate malt and barley. A sweet vanilla icecream aroma from this dark brown beer with gentle carbonation, fairly sweet to taste with a touch of stewed plums and roast barley in the finish.A great beer for pairing with food, especially anything milky, think icecream and cheese (particularly blues); so perfect with sweet and savoury courses.

Ultimate Stout

Ultimate Stout is currently the highest ABV beer BBF produce at a whapping 7.7% ABV. Billed as an imperial stout this seems to me to be more of a foreign export beer, with lower bitterness levels but plenty of complexity and well disguised alcohol. Pours midnight black and aroma of coffee and chocolate. Fairly sweet and thick on the palate.

Bristol Beer Factory are currently in the midst of making their "12 stouts of Christmas" with all manner of exciting sounding combinations, chocolate stout, vanilla stout, chilli stout, raspberry stout, barrel aged stouts. These three beers are also included. They've actually just announced that they are available to pre-order and there are only 150 available. There's less than half left so you'll need to be quick! I've got mine baggsied so watch out for a further stouty blog in the New Year!

For more on Bristol Beer Factory see their blog or this great article from Will Hawkes of the Independent.

Bonus Review! 

Bristol Vintage 2011

BBF have certainly been busy little brewers recently as alongside the enjoyable Factoberfest at the end of last month and the 12 stouts of Christmas they have brewed their 1000th brew and to celebrate made a Vintage Ale which is hopefully to be the first of many. I got a chance to taste it at Cheese School yesterday. Its a complex malty little number which can only get more complex with time as the hungry little yeasty beasts chomp their way through more of the sugar. Its 6.6% and drinks like a 5% so be careful! Why not pick up a case when you order your 12 stouts?

Follow their Head brewer Chris and brewer Brett on Twitter

Update for December 2011:

12 Stouts of Christmas just arrived!

Watch this space for a blog!