Hello, and welcome back to the Eternal Hoptimists,
Coral is the local brewery on the Island of Madeira. Doing a little research before I departed for the Island on a recent holiday, I noted that as well as brewing the expected thirst-quenching lagers, they also brewed this stout. Naturally this warranted some investigation, and a bottle was acquired from the local supermarket.
As labels go, this one had probably the least amount of information I’ve ever seen!
A quick look on the website reveals that E150C is added in the brewing process which imparts the caramel flavour and dark colouring.
- Name : Stout (Tónica)
- Brewery: Empresa de Cervejas da Madeira, Madeira
- Hops : Not specified
- Grain : Not specified
- Aroma : Malty, but not as roasted as might be expected, and with a little caramel sweetness also detected
- Appearance : Black, when held to a light had a dark ruby red hue (I only had a highball glass available) cream/brown head
- Body : Full bodied, medium carbonated with a little head retention
- Taste : Rather dry. Malty but there is another flavour in the background giving a coffee earthiness and a hint of liquorice in the finish
- Dietary restrictions : Nothing noted
Not bad at all. Nice to come across a dark beer whilst on holiday even more so that it’s a stout. Perhaps not quite a traditional stout but a very good approximation. Its full bodied with a robustness to it and a satisfying mouthfeel. Quite dry for a stout and with an interesting lingering liquorice flavour to make it stand out.
I was able to sample the ‘cream-flow’ draft version of the beer in the clubhouse when I went to watch CD Nacional play and that was quite pleasant and poured well in a 20cl plastic glass. Not craft beer but a welcome change from lager.
Our overall rating: 3.7/ 5.0
The|Eternal|Hoptimitsts 