ONE of the pleasure of beer drinking is travelling the world through a glass.
No I haven't lost my mind but the fact is you can sample beers from anywhere and try and picture how they came into being.
I have always harboured a soft spot for dark beers and in colder months, they tend to come into their own so when I came across the Welsh Celt Dark-Age, I was more than happy to indulge.
It's an interesting drop, far from being a heavy dark beer, it has the body of an ale.
It has a wonderful dark colour, not midnight black but not far off it with a coffee coloured head and a chocolate/berry/plum aroma.
I know is sounds crazy but if a beer smells good, it adds to the whole tasting experience and the nose on this beer had me salivating long before I tasted it.
It is smooth and slightly creamy across the palate, offering up plenty of flavour around the mouth.
There's a blend of berry and chocolate, which is well-balanced without being overpowering and it leaves the palate with a very subtle bitterness.
Surprisingly for a dark beer, it doesn't sit heavily in the gut and at 4 percent, it is comparatively `light' when compared to other dark beers.
It is extremely moreish and draws you back and hence has good sessionability.
Yes a session on this would make you feel full after a while but this isn't a quaffing lager.
This is a flexible ale - relaxing with a few if front of the fire after a day's work or you could sit and enjoy a couple after a decent red meat dish - such as a roast.
Celt Dark-Age could also be a decent accompaniment to a chocolate dessert.
It doesn't have the bitterness of a stout and the flavours are more `polished' than some of your main stream black beers and might win over some people don't mind character in their dark beer.
MY TIP
Serve cold but not chilled and best in a tulip/balloon glass to appreciate the aroma. At $7 per 500ml bottle it's not too bad a price but is definitely worth tracking down and is available at selected outlets. To find out where or for orders, visit www.europacificliquor.com.au