This was supposed to be published on the 15th, but WordPress wasn’t my friend that day…
I only found out about this on the day, and this was supposed to be a dry evening. But I run a beer blog and it would be rude not to participate, so the evening’s adventure was:
Export India Porter / The Kernel / 6%
Eyes: pitch black, nice beige head
Nose: dark chocolate / smoke
Mouth: dark chocolate / smoke
Notes: First off, I think it’s important to note just how opaque this beer was. No light would pass through it under any circumstances.
I think I’ve reviewed three Kernel beers on here and they’ve all been fantastic. There’s something reassuring about the minimalism and the enigmatic image they have. No illustrations, no blurb, just purely descriptive names and ingredients.
This is very smoky, treacly and forbidding. It’s quite heavy and intimidating, but also incredibly indulgent. It has a very full body (I don’t think I’d manage more than the 330ml bottle I had) and hints of chocolate orange, nuts and toffee. Perfectly balanced and utterly convincing. It’s the only the “heaviness” that stops it getting a top mark, but it’s hard to fault it even for that. Sublime.
9/10
Circle Master 