Is Kronos having an identity crisis? After 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021’s offerings were all strong dark beers, 2022’s is a rich gold colour. What could possibly be the reason for such an outlandish—
Oh, it’s GABS. Yeah, OK, that makes sense.
White Kronos is a white stout, that paradoxical style brewers enjoy messing around with. Lactose, coffee beans, vanilla and cacao have traditionally been adjuncts a playful brewer might add to an imperial stout,† so they can have the effect of bringing a stout-ish vibe to a beer like this decidedly non-dark strong ale.
The pour is quite beautiful, with bubbles struggling through the thick golden liquid and swirling to the surface in slow motion. But this dense giant has a more restrained sweetness than I expected; the lactose and booze simultaneously lift up and hold back the flavours of coffee and cacao, with the result a roast-like bitterness that fills your entire mouth.
White Kronos is available on tap at Helios, while for now the cans are only available at Dan’s and BWS in the GABS Festival eight-pack. Come mid-August and you’ll be able to grab tinnies of Kronos at the brewery as well.
Mick Wüst
†Though in recent years these ingredients have started to seep across the beer style spectrum… surely it won’t be long until we’re getting pastry rauchbiers and nitro milkshake lambics.
Published June 22, 2022 2022-06-22 00:00:00
