When I hear Lamington, my mind doesn't immediately go to "jam-filled". Am I in the minority here? I don't know, and I don't know how to find out. I feel like this should be a question on the census.
I bring this up because when I took my first whiff of this Lamington Pastry Stout, I was blown back with surprise. What's that smell?? Did they accidentally put the wrong beer in this can? Lamingtons are chocolate and coconut, but I'm smelling...
And that's when I realised. Jam. Raspberry jam. That's what I was smelling. A freshly-cracked jar of Cottee's. Come back for sniff after sniff, and the chocolate and coconut do show up, but they're more subtle.
I was surprised again by how not-overpowering the flavour is. There's still lovely fruit character – a cherry-like note comes through in the mouth to join the raspberry – but it isn't sticky sweet. It's balanced by stout suaveness: chocolate, a little roast, and light coconut. It's not often a beer called a pastry stout could also be described as "very drinkable", but this beer pulls it off.
Mick Wüst
Published May 15, 2023 2023-05-15 00:00:00
