June 28 was stout day around Melbourne as Red Hill Brewery released its Imperial Stout.

If you try it at the brewery, they have filled some traditional English-style casks with the 8.1% stout, dry hopped it in the casks and will be serving this cask conditioned ale from their beer engine hand pump, lightly carbonated yet with a lasting and beautiful white head. It will be available on tap at the brewery next week.

“We have upped the bitterness level slightly and we have made made lots of the black stuff,” the Red Hill team advise.

“The beer is Jet Black and one to be savoured. The mouth feel is silky smooth, the nose has roasted malt and a touch of caramel. A rich deep mocha and coffee flavour, is accentuated with caramel and smoky flavours.

“Our Willamette and Goldings hops were used in three additions to create an ale with a big bitterness and an assertive hop character.”

Winner of the gold medal at the 2010 Australian International Beer Awards, silver medals in 2011, 09, 08 and 07 plus 4.5 stars in the Winestate magazine winter beer tasting, which declared… ”lovely seamless integration of coffee, chocolate, sweet roast malt and treacle aromas. Yummy chocolate and coffee flavours back by warming alcohol.”

Where to get it:

On Tap: Biero, Local Taphouse, Atticus Finch, Josie Bones, Royston Hotel

Bottled: Blackhearts & Sparrows, Cloudwine, Lower Plenty Cellars, Local Bottlestore, Mayerling Cellars, Mordialloc Cellar Door, Nilumbuk Cellars, Prince Wine & Spirits, Purvis Cellars, Olinda Cellars, Rathdowne Cellars, Slow Beer, Sunshine Creek, Swords, The Valley Cellar Door

Peninsula: Cellar & Pantry (Red Hill Cellars), Majestic Cellars, Ritchies, Tasting Station

To drink: Bar Fred, Blue Diamond, The Courthouse, Deco, Max’s at Red Hill Estate, Lindenderry, Oscars, Paringa Estate, The Point, Royal Mail Hotel, Tasting Station, Two Buoys

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