Well, winter is the season for stouts so, if you're going to release one, why not release four? That's the approach at Fury & Son, who've released a straight take on the style plus three variations on the theme.
Stout starts things off by aiming for pretty much the middle of Stoutland: dark brown more than black, led by cacao more than roast, you'll pick up some toasted nuttiness and figgy dark fruits before a drying, gentle bitterness laced with dark chocolate flavours finishes things off.
Their Imperial Stout hits 10 percent ABV yet remains pretty light-bodied and easy-going. I'd put it very much in traditional English imperial stout territory, with roasted barley, dark chocolate and cola upfront, molasses lying in wait.
The most outlandish of the quartet is Peanut Butter & Jam (as if it wasn't always going to be). It's peanuty AF on nose with some sweet berry jam awaiting you on the palate. Considering there is a 6.5 percent ABV stout in there as the base beer, it’s remarkable how little of that comes through as the PB&J additions run riot.
And, saving the best for last (well, IMHO) comes Vanilla Milk Stout. It's a style of sweeter stout seen every now and then on these shores, one that can veer far into sweeter, dessert realms too. For Fury & Son it's more a case of tiptoeing in that direction; the creamy additions seem to twist the dark fruits from the base stout into something berry like without drowning out the dark choc and roasty elements. It's a bit stickier on palate than its peers – like a dark choc slice with a swirl of berry jus through its midst. Yum.
James Smith
- Style
- The Stout Variations
- ABV
- 6.5%, 10.0%, 6.5% & 6.5%
