REVIEW: LITTLE CREATURES THE FUGGLE IS REAL

The Dark Side

STATS

I’ve been getting a heap of emails from you guys about reprising ‘The Dark Side’ – so here we are. This is the 2018 Winter Seasonal from Little Creatures; The Fuggle is Real. The craft beer scene is full of great names and this is one of my favourites for a long time.

As the name suggests the beer is hopped with one of the U.K.’s finest hops, Fuggle. This hop is supported by Loral, known as the Super Noble hops – that combines the old world characteristics with the new world aromatics. Loral is a really unique hop that sometimes throws these dark fruit notes that I think should really accentuate the roasty characteristics in a stout.

That’s enough about the beer, it’s time to pour it and drink it! The beer pours with a small tan head initially, maybe a finger and a half high. The head has a number of large bubbles around the edge of the glass but still, somewhat strangely, has good retention with a layer of foam covering the beer throughout drinking. The beer is close to jet black and is completely opaque.

Onto the nose and the aromas are what you’d expect of a 5.8% stout. The dominant aroma is that of roast malt, before some lighter notes of chocolate and coffee come through. There’s some slightly sweet biscuity & caramel notes as well as some dark fruit. I would be lying if I said I could smell the Fuggle, although it’s light floral notes would be susceptible to being hidden beneath the roasty malt notes.

Little Creatures’ The Fuggle is Real is a seriously tasty stout. The roast malt that was dominant on the nose is again the main player come tasting time. It’s ever so slightly sweet from the caramel and biscuity malts. There’s a little cherry accompanying the chocolate, which works ever so well. The finish is dry and short with low carbonation, despite the retention suggesting otherwise. It’s thinner body leads it to being dangerously drinkable and so the can, or sometimes cans, is gone before you know it!

If there is to be one takeaway message from this beer it’s that we need more stouts to be packaged in cans in this country! Everything about this beer is sensational; from the flavour, to the name to the packaging. The only thing that disappoints me about this beer is the small writing under the Little Creatures branding; “seasonal”. Given their recent history with dark beers, I doubt there is any chance of this reappearing beyond this winter. Stock up while you still can!

Remember it’s always Beer O’Clock somewhere in the world!