BREWER: Westerham Brewery Co, Kent

STYLE: Double Stout

ABV: 5.1%

VESSEL: 500ml bottle

TWITTER: @WesterhamBrew

INSTAGRAM: westerhambrew

JYMI SAY’S…

Westerham used to be a place that filled me with dread as if I was passing through there it would mean that there was a problem with the South East of the infamous orbital known as the M25. But because of this brew I feel like I would like to visit this Kent  village under better circumstance. Westerham Double Stout hasn’t blown my Christmas socks off by any means but it has given me that warming feeling inside. One of tradition and times gone by. See my initial thoughts on the name made me think that this was going to be a high ABV dark beer as when it comes to the word DOUBLE in today’s world of beer lingo that is what you’re going to get. But no, Westerham’s Double Stout (though still weighing in at 5.1%) is not falling into the high ABV range. Instead this brewery have gone with the slightly older meaning of DOUBLE STOUT as the bottle explains…

The word Stout in the brewer’s lexicon means ‘strong’. In Victorian times ‘Stout Porter’ was a strong porter brewed with pale, brown and patent black malts. ‘Double Stout’ was therefore a stronger type of stout. In the 1920s and 1930s, the Black Eagle Brewery in Westerham brewed ‘Single Stout’, bottled as ‘Family Stout’, and a ‘Double Stout’, sold on draught and in bottles.

This Double Stout is brewed to the same strength as that brewed in 1938. It is brewed with pale malt, chocolate malt and roasted barley. In the copper we use the finest Kent hops and late hop with Kent Goldings. We also use the same yeast as used in Westerham Ales up until the brewery’s closure in 1965.

So although the word double here may be leading the beer drinker down a path they weren’t expecting there is good reason for Westerham Brewing Co. calling their brew by this name.

So to the inside of this most fantastic and traditional looking bottle we go…

WDS is lively in the pour and ends up with a two finger light brown head. It has a malty nose with large notes of coffee and chocolate playing a supporting role. In the sip WDS comes across as quite rich at first but with a light texture. I found this beer very dry I have to say which I was totally fine with but would probably only be able to sink a couple before it became a wrestle. There is a real malty and woody tone to Westerham’s Double Stout which is pleasant enough.

We have a very solid beer on our hands here that I’m sure would disappoint very few.

Jymi’s Rating: 70%

SAMMY SAY’S…

Sammy’s Rating: 80%

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 75%

MOB review next weekend: DARK ARTS by MAGIC ROCK BREWING 

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