Boneface have a new (or old, actually) dark beer out for the winter months, with a classic of the old ownership’s core range, The Darkness (5.8% ABV), making a fresh appearance. While the original bore the style of ‘India Stout’ the ever-shifting naming conventions around niche styles now deem it an ‘American Stout’. In either case, what you’ve got is stout with significant aroma (rather than just bittering) hops applied.
Those extra hops are quickly evident on the nose, with a sweet lime marmalade note blending in with the expected array of malt driven chocolate and coffee. Crisp, lively and brisk on the palate, with a surprisingly light body that swiftly delivers it’s mash-up of dark malt flavours and fresh hop fruitiness. The tongue doesn’t have long to contemplate this interesting blend of character before an absolutely roaring bitterness descends on the finish.
Between the sheer intensity of that bitterness, and the generally oddball nature of heavily hopped dark beers, The Darkness won’t be for everyone. But adventurous palates may find plenty to engage with this rare example of a (nearly) no longer seen style.