UPDATED: FEB 28, 2021 Glass, 1/3 of a pint, casked, drunk at Cloudwater London Taproom, after the 4th International Conference on Administrative Data Research, savoured on 15 December 2019; eye: black, opaque, no effervescence, thin sheet of brown head, no lacing; nose: barely perceptible, cold, coffee, malt, chocolate; mouth: barely perceptible, cold, coffee, malt, chocolate, light bittering hops, finale in dark chocolate with presence of acidity, medium body, lightly below average carbonation, mildly bitter, lightly sweet, lightly raspy texture; in summary: fine

FRANÇAIS
Verre, 1/3 d'une pinte, en fût, bue chez Cloudwater London Taproom, après la 4th International Conference on Administrative Data Research, savourée le 15 décembre 2019; œil : noire, opaque, pas d'effervescence, mince couverture de mousse brune, pas de dentelle; nez : à peine perceptible, froid, café, malt, chocolat; bouche : à peine perceptible, froid, café, malt, chocolat, léger houblon amérisant, finale en chocolat noir avec présence d'acidité, corps moyen, carbonatation légèrement sous la moyenne, moyennement amère, légèrement sucrée, texture légèrement râpeuse; en résumé : bien

UPDATED: MAR 31, 2020 Canned, 440 ml, shared with Max, Miro B and kajser27. Dark brown, tan head. Roasty, chocolate, cocoa, sweetish, bitter finish. Soft carbonation. Bit oily. Medium bodied.

UPDATED: FEB 9, 2020 Tried on tap at Cloudwater Bermondsey. Black colour with a big tan head. Sweet malty and smooth flavour making it very drinkable. Hides the abv well.

UPDATED: FEB 8, 2020 Keg at Cloudwater, Bermondsey. Chocolatey with a hoppy edge. Dark and glossy. Creamy beige head. Chocolate with a spicy prickly hoppy edge. Medium bodied. Creamy. Average carbonation. Slightly astringent finish.

UPDATED: JAN 29, 2020 440ml can brewed in England at 6.2%. Near-black pour, black in the glass. Brown head, decent size, OK duration. Low carbonation. Slight but deep stout aroma, hints of wood. Taste follows, with a particular dry, roasted finish. Very nice stout, and at least going by the label, its flavour is accomplished without actual additions of coffee or cacao - always a plus, especially from a talented organisation like Cloudwater, who really ought to be able to make a killer stout with minimal to no additions. Then again, I just don't know how much of this beer is down to them and how much to Salt. The label is a bit flowery, but 'toasted teacake base' does describe the malt here quite well - at least the none-roast elements. This is a stouty stout, and a good example of what a stout can be that a porter can not - any chocolate flavour here is minimal, and very much on the dark side, and the roast flavour overpowers any out-and-out coffee elements. Sweetness is there, but appears to emanate from the beer, so to speak. The dry, almost ashy finish is the key note of this beer, and quite a welcome taste. Good flavour for the ABV - I wish Cloudwater would add a good stout or two to their core range some time, as they clearly have the ability to make a strong contender in the style if they put their mind to it. Something like this would fit the bill, along with perhaps an Imperial. Just saying!

UPDATED: JAN 15, 2020 Can at home picked up from Cloudwater online. An oily jet black coloured pour with a dense dark tan head. Aroma is dark liquprice, wood, tree sap, cakey malts, dried fruits. Flavour is composed of intense bitter roast that builds into acrid ashy roast, bitter liquorice. Hidden in there is layers of piney hop, burnt fruit cake. After taste is super intense, building towards unbalanced. Palate is medium full bodied, rounded, fine carbonation, oily slick finish. Intense stuff.

UPDATED: DEC 20, 2019 Can. Almost black. Roast, ash and caramel in the aroma and flavor. Sweet. Thinnish, Cigar, nutmeg. Pleasant.

UPDATED: DEC 18, 2019 Aroma: Chocolate, orange, coffee, roasted malt, blueberry. Appearance: Black, very good brownish head. Taste: Dry, strong roasted bitterness. Palate: Smooth, medium-to-full body. Overall: Great export stout. Sufficiently dry, awesome notes of chocolate, coffee and orange.

UPDATED: DEC 8, 2019 can at home. this beer is very good. it has a creaminess with a coffee taste thats not overpowering, then once that has gone you get some bitterness that lingers in your month

UPDATED: DEC 4, 2019 Pours a pitch-black coloration with a large, creamy head. Smells of roasted malt and dark, freshly roasted coffee, with lighter notes of chocolate and just a hint of spice and floral, herbal hops. Taste is very much dominated by the roasted malt and coffee, with lighter notes of chocolate, cardamon and just a hint of quite bitter, herbal and slightly floral hops. Finishes quite dry, with a medium/strong bitterness and some roasted malt and coffee lingering in the aftertaste. Smooth mouthfeel with a medium body and carbonation. A great coffee stout that is really dominated by those roasted, bitter and slightly spicy notes of roasted malt and coffee, with quite a dry character and just a light sweetness and floral hops balancing things out. Very enjoyable if you're a fan of that dry, roasted, bitter flavor profile in a stout.