The Session: Pitfield Shoreditch Stout

A number of beer bloggers are participating in an event today - The Session - which gave the perfect excuse to quaff a dark beer with lunch. The theme this time is stout. You will find links to the other blogs participating in this event over at Appellation Beer.

Contrary to popular misconception, the origin of stout is English, not Irish. English porter was adopted by Arthur Guinness in Dublin, who added his own dry roasted twist, giving birth to what is now considered a separate style - the Irish dry stout. Restrictions on the roasting of malts in Britain during the Great War led to a decline in production of English porter and stout, leaving much of the market to Irish brewers. Sadly, the ubiquitous nitrokeg Draught Guinness of today is a poor representation of a classic style.

Fortunately, craft brewers in the UK now have a renewed interest in producing stouts, and there are many examples to choose from. As you will have seen from my reviews of their historic range, I'm a fan of English microbrewery Pitfield. You can read more about the brewery here. I like their earthy, uncompromising beers, and Pitfield Shoreditch Stout is no exception.

It's a bottle conditioned ale that pours a deep, dark brown with a smooth tan head. The roasted malt is evident in the aroma, and burnt flavours and coffee dominate the palate. The body is light and fluffy and the low strength (4.0% abv) means this one is suitable for a session. This isn't the most complex of beers, but there's enough to keep you interested.

Cheers.

Information:

You can buy bottled Shoreditch Stout from Pitfield via their online beer shop. Unfortunately they won't ship overseas. In London, it is sold at The City Beverage Company (303 Old Street, London , EC1V 9LA, Tel: 020 7729 2111). It is available from the cask at The Duke of Cambridge in Islington (30 St Peters Street, London, N1 8JT, Tel: 020 7359 9450), where it's a regular beer.