No matter what time of the year it may be, you just can’t turn down a Christmas pudding stout, ever. For whatever reason, these flavours when placed in a can of stout are a heavenly alliance. So much so, it turns someone who can’t stand a real Christmas pudding into an absolute fanboy. The only problem I have with Christmas pudding stouts is that they’re seasonal and you have to wait very patiently for a brewery to release one of these very limited editions.
So, you can imagine my absolute delight when I walked into a very cosy micro-pub, named The Pottle, and discovered they were serving a Christmas pudding imperial stout, in February!🤪
I could not believe my luck and even turned to the barman to ask if he’d just forgotten to scrub it off the board. He’s barely answered my question before I’d got my wallet out demanding he pour me a large glass of this dark temptation. On pouring the beer you could instantly see that this was going to be a gooey, moorish stout with large dollop of festive naughtiness. Part of me wanted to sneak over and remove the beer from the menu, just so I could come back weekend after weekend to slowly drain the barrel. Fortunately, for everyone else, I managed to resist my grinch mentality and decided to sit quietly while savouring every mouthwatering gulp.
After finishing this delicious stout, I went over to thank the barman and possibly persuade him to hide the barrel until I return. As it turned out there was no need, because guess what?! They stock the same beer in cans too!! Wallet out again.
A most successful trip to The Pottle and it made me question why I don’t visit the place more often 🤷♂️ Out of all the local micro-pubs he stocks the wider variety and every time I’ve gone there I’ve always left with something original. I think he may have earned himself another regular patron.
Speaking of original beers, I also left The Pottle with another little monster to take home and enjoy.
After a sticky dessert stout there nothing more refreshing than a west coast IPA. This example was a welcome switch from the stout and saved me from the heavy aftertaste an imperial dessert stout often leaves. Nice and bitter, just how a west coast IPA should be.
As you can see, the artwork is fun and attractive. It tunes into my inner child perfectly. I mean, who doesn’t like dinosaurs??
Compared to the Krampus stout, the Valoci Rapture was quite reasonably priced. But take that statement with a large pinch of salt because I’ve completely lost any normal perspective when it comes to what a reasonable price is for a beer. To be honest, it’s better I don’t spoil my #beersaturday review by revealing the price 🙈
So, with a ho!ho!ho! and a dinosaur roar! I bud you all farewell on this fantastically satisfying #beersaturday. Hope you’ve all had just as much luck 🍀
