Anyone who still has nightmares about the Demogorgon from Stranger Things or the Wendigo from Hannibal should keep their eyes off this label. Everyone else should admire it. The monster in the forest stands tall and majestic, with smooth curved horns. This is the perfect embodiment of this beer - it’s powerful and demands your attention, and yet it has a gentle beauty to it.
The Leshy first made its appearance in 2017, and has been haunting us ever since. Newstead Brewing and gypsy outfit Brewtal Brewers wanted to create an imperial stout with layers of complexity that didn't rely on adjuncts, and they succeeded. Earthiness wraps around stewed fruit. Chocolate intertwines with resin. The smoothness of cold brew coffee can’t quite blanket the bite of spice. The bitterness is largely offset by the toffee from the malts, so the lingering rye and coffee aftertaste are all that’s left to remind you of the encounter you just had. Well, apart from the warm flutter in your chest - after all, this silky and shrewd number that just snuck past your defences does contain a bit of booze.
Barrel-aged variations of The Leshy appear on tap from time to time as well, but this beast does just fine sans oak.
Mick Wust
Published July 3, 2019 2019-07-03 00:00:00
