Bedow Autumn Porter

Brewery: Mikkeller

Supplier: Luvians Bottle Shop - St Andrews

This is something I got about two years ago and I thought it would be nice to open now as I've just had my birthday and some Exams, and it is the first cold day of Autumn. This beer won an award for its labels as they use photosensitive ink that changes Dandelion seeds to rain drops depending on the temperature.

Appearance: Pitch black with no light coming through and a thick head the colour of milk chocolate that dissipates completely quite quickly.

Aroma: This is one of the most delicious smelling beers I have ever smelt. It smells of rich chocolate liqueur and fresh grapes, very sweet smelling and makes you nose  feel full! Smells very boozy with time.

Flavour: Not much on the front but this is followed by a rich sweet mocha flavour with hints of bourbon. The flavour seems to disappear on some sips but then comes back with vigor on the next. It also develops a sweet fruity taste when it is allowed to breath.

Body: Not too thick but still has a good robustness for this style, a bit too fizzy for my tastes.

Aftertaste: Quite fresh at first but leading into a nice burnt toast flavour, this goes with time and is replaced with the black treacle taste.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 9, raised above 8 purely because of the gorgeous smell; although with the unlocking of flavors when allowed to breath it is closer to a 10. I would definitely allow this to open up in the glass before drinking.

Price Range: .... I bought this a while ago, long before I even thought of starting this blog, so I have forgotten; I think it was about £4 for the 330ml bottle. For that price it was definitely worth it, I might get this again for special occasions but I would definitely recommend people to try it!

Food Pairings: This is such a rich drink that it is well suited to be by itself. If I had to pick a food, keeping with the special occasions theme, I would probably go for a nice slice of fruit cake.