As a brewery in WA’s cooler South West, Rocky Ridge know when it's time for winter releases, here appeasing any locals on the hunt for warming beers to help them navigate the increasingly colder days and nights. They've done so by dropping three stouts at once, of course, with the trio featuring two returning fan favourites and a fresh, fruited milk stout.
Well-seasoned WA craft beer drinkers will be familiar with the large-formatted DB imperial stout, a beer with plenty of clout both in style and reputation. This year's version lands at 12.5 percent ABV and is a blend of barrel-aged imperial stouts from the Rocky Ridge barrel program, with a few adjuncts thrown in for complexity, of course. Rich with a dense, sweet disposition, DB offers up chocolate and dark sugar in spades with vanilla and sweet/sour tannic berry notes also on show.
Chunky Dates is another beer that will pique the interest of those with a sweet tooth: when it comes to liquid desserts, Chunky Dates is in the upper echelon. A longstanding collab with Mane Liquor and Get Chunky, expect maple syrup like thickness – and sweetness – with nutty notes from the pecan. A blend of dates, specialty malts, Belgian candi sugar, caramel, vanilla and rolled oats build a beer that is luscious, complex, and, ultimately, a meal in a glass.
Razzmatazz is the new trick this time out: a 5.5 percent ABV chocolate milk stout with raspberry. The lightest of the three, Razzmatazz still manages to pack a punch in the form of the distinct, vibrant raspberry character that engages the majority of the senses; seen via ruby red highlights, experienced vibrantly on the nose, and delivered via sweet sour berry notes to taste. Raspberry dominates yet still pairs well with the chocolate milk stout base.
Jono Outred
Published June 27, 2023 2023-06-27 00:00:00
