Each year, Cupitt’s release their imperial stout after it’s enjoyed a nice long nap in wine barrels from their winery. Head brewer Liam Jackson told me that, for 2024, they had some fresher, younger oak in the form of malbec and sangiovese barrels, and that he was enjoying berry and cola notes in this vintage of the stout.
Personally, I picked up less barrel influence than last year; for me, this year’s imperial stout was all about the dark chocolate, bitter cocoa and charry roast, perhaps with just a rumour of spiritous fruit, like someone’s opened up a bottle of port in the next room and you can catch a slight whiff of it.
Will your experience be closer to Liam’s or mine? One way to find out: get your hands on a can, pour the beer out into a glass, take a moment to appreciate the foam that looks like it could hold your bodyweight, and take a sip.
Mick Wüst
Published July 17, 2024 2024-07-17 00:00:00
