Big Drop: Kinzig Gateaux Stout (England: Low Alcohol: 0.5% ABV)
Visual: Black. Still. A grey/brown to off white head.
Nose: Black cherry to black cherry syrup. Chocolate dust. Black forest gateaux. Chalk touch.
Body: Slightly chalky. Iced tea. Slightly creamy. Charred notes. Slight blackberry.
Finish: Black cherry air. Lightly watery. Chalk touch. Mild cocoa. Slight coriander and ginger. Slight cream. Charring.
Conclusion: This is pretty much the opposite of the Speckled Hen Low Alcohol I had recently. This is all shiny and spectacle, with lots of class but really needs some more mouthfeel and weight.
The flavours are subtle, but the aroma is not. On the nose there are lots of black cherry and black forest gateaux that just floats out of the glass. Very dessert stout like, without being sickly sweet. Very nice.
The body comes in with the same flavours as the aroma promises, just lighter. It definitely needs to be somewhere around room temperature – when chilled down it loses 90% of the flavor. Warmer it has nice, if light flavours – similar gateaux character, with that iced tea like backing that is often a tell of low alcohol beers.
The finish has similar cream and dark fruit notes over a slightly chalky and charred underlying character that works well, but with the lighter body feels like it isn’t 100% needed.
This is reasonable, but definitely needs more body. If they can nail that, give the flavours some more grip, then this would be epic.
As is, it is ok, interesting, but light.
Background: I love Big Drop’s dedication to low abv beers, so have been trying as many of their products as I can. This is one of their seasonal range – coming in a larger can, and at a slightly higher cost, for something a bit different. Grabbed from Independent Spirit, I’ve had this one a few times already before doing these notes, and I put on IDLES: Ultra Mono again for backing music. Some emotionally open yet angry tunes. Kind of a mood recently. Not much else to add. Happy whatever you celebrate, or just a happy day to anyone who doesn’t.
