Margaret River Beer Co’s Panther Cream is always a hotly anticipated annual release. Since its inception as Peter Coupan some eight years ago, the decadent winter release has garnered much attention, although likely not as much as 2024’s effort. In a move that will please many, MRBCo’s brewers have dropped four variations of their popular imperial stout; an OG unbarreled version plus rum barrel, shiraz barrel and whisky barrel incarnations, all well suited to enduring the South West’s cold, wet winter.
The OG is a good place to start, being an unadulterated imperial stout. Still loaded with specialty malts and enjoying extended conditioning in tank, this version is clean but embodies the rich, luscious profile of an 8 percent ABV stout with caramel, bitter chocolate and a tacky texture that carries big flavours through to the last sip.
A Rum Barrel version – enhanced with coffee and vanilla as well as time in oak – is robust with a bumped ABV of 10.4 percent and supporting sweet vanilla alongside sweetened coffee character, all sitting behind rich rum notes of soft spice, stewed raisins and charred wood. The higher ABV and rum influence boost its warming presence on the nose and coat the palate liberally after each sip.
Similar to its rum barrel counterpart, the Whisky Barrel version offers up a harder edge with a lingering, tannic bitterness cutting through the molasses like sweetness and cola character. Rich and sweet initially but collapsing into a balanced finish and a velvety body with a 10.4 percent ABV that's both present and balancing.
To finish the Panther Cream quartet is a version of Panther Cream that has close ties to the region in which it was created. Aged in spent Shiraz Barrels with just a touch of shiraz left in barrel to blend with the incoming imperial stout. A slightly tart, vinous character is present upfront before malt character quickly dominates. Red berry, earthy notes and bay leaf linger after each sip.
While Panther Cream always impresses, drinkers are surely going to appreciate the effort put forward by MRBCo’s brewers here, with all four variations of the longstanding favourite impressing in their own right.
Jono Outred
Published July 26, 2024 2024-07-26 00:00:00
