It's amazing what can change in a few short years. For example, I moved to Dundee in 2019 for work and study. I wasn't making much money, I was living in a really shitty, depressing one bedroom flat above and below heroin addicts, I was in a long distance relationship with a disgruntled woman and I was generally miserable. All of those things have changed now, no more Dundee flat, a better job, a better relationship and a general sense of happiness. That being said, even though the situation I was in at the time was objectively pretty crappy, there are aspects of it I look back at with fondness.
Extra Stout
Style - Stout
Brewer - 71 Brewing
Grist - Roasted barley, flaked oats, dark malts
ABV - 5%
I've got a massive soft spot for 71 Brewing, they are very much something I look back at with fondness from 2019. I used to spend many a long hour in their Dundee taproom, whiling away the hours before I had to go back to my miserable one bedroom flat. It is going to be hard for me to be objective about this one, but similarly, if it fails to hit the mark, I will take it pretty hard.
Unfortunately, my disappointment starts early. This is an extra stout but it pours way thinner than I was expecting. The colour is great though, a deep obsidian black which could hide a multitude of sensory delights. There's no real head on the pour though, but with it being as thin as it is, that's no surprise.
71 XS has a great nose and its all sorts of Christmassy aromas that I need in my life right now. There's chocolate, raisins, winter spices and a slight yeastiness, all very reminiscent of a heavy, dense Christmas cake of some long forgotten recipe. However, there is something vaguely medicinal to the aroma as well - fennel seeds maybe? Which taints the scent a little and detracts from the overall festivity of the smell.
Unfortunately again, the aroma doesn't really carry through to the tongue for me. 71 XS has a taste of thin burnt coffee with a bit too much sugar. I'm not getting much flavour from this can at all other than that. I suspect the body, or distinct lack thereof (this despite the inclusion of oats in the grist which usually signify you're in for some chubbiness), is the main reason for that. 71 XS just isn't holding much flavour, so all that's coming through is bitterness and quite a bit of sweetness. I will be charitable and say there is a coffee note, but it's that bitter and sweet cherry note some coffees have - that may really appeal to some people, but that's not the coffee note I'm looking for.
I can't say I've enjoyed 71 XS very much at all, but thanks to my depressing time living in Dundee, I will always have a soft spot for 71 Brewing, they made my misery bearable. 71 XS, though, wouldn't have helped me much back then.
Score - 2.5/5
Comments