Italy has been surprising me lately

Fear - 5.2%

I was pleasantly surprised when I was last in Italy that I could find some local beers that was more than just the lager that we typically see in bars over here.

Brewfist is an Italian craft brewery that produces some interesting looking labels to wrap at least one interesting tasting beer.

I went for Fear, a milk chocolate stout as I do gravitate toward the heavier brews.

Fear is actually not as thick as I was expecting and for a beer with no appreciable head the extreme effervescence on the tongue was quite a surprise.

The chocolate taste is a lot more subtle than I was hoping for.  when something describes itself as milk chocolate I would be expecting a little more sweetness than Fear provides.  I found the chocolate was more in the after taste than as it flows over the taste buds.

I'm not going to make it my mission to hunt it down but I certainly wouldn't turn a bottle down if someone offered it to me.

Narrated by Morgan Freeman

March of the Penguins - 4.9%

They face the long walk across the ice sheet.  Lonely and freeing to make sure their young have enough food.  This March of the Penguins however is far less dramatic and much more liquid.

I've had this one sitting around for a while.   Bought it mostly because of the name.  I've discovered that this is a dangerous method for picking wine but for beer you never know.

The head is a rich creamy colour and there is something of a smoky aroma.  The drink itself is smooth and rich.

I've noticed a habit of stouts to be compared to coffee flavours and smells.  Personally I don't smell or taste it.  So ignoring that little bit of license we're left with a nice but not exeptional stout that I wouldn't pass up if offered but also wouldn't hunt down.

Not by the hairs on my chinny chin chin

Goat Herder - 4.5%

So recently I was married.  I had no input into the wedding gift list so I was delighted when I was presented with three beers from a small independent brewery.

So this is Craddock's episode 1 of 3.  Goat Herder.

As you aught to have figured out by now, Goat Herder is a Stout.  As stouts go it's not as thick and heavy as most.  The colour is a rich red and it has a slightly sharp taste that mellows into a softer dusty after taste.

Personally I like a little more substance to my stouts and a bit less effervescence.  So if you're a lager drinker looking for a gateway stout, hunt this down and give it a go.

Of course it's organic, it's food.

Ignoring for the moment my personal distaste for the misappropriation of the word organic, I have here something from the minimal school of label design.  Or I suppose you could also say, this was clearly not bottled in Belgium.

Chocolate Marble - 5.5%

Marble Beers have possibly the cleanest design of bottle labels out there, backed up by an equally minimal website.  It appears that their brewery is attached to a pub in Manchester called The Marble Arch Inn and that they have certified themselves as "organic" as well as vegetarian.

What we have with Chocolate Marble is a Stout like beer which actually does have a faint chocolate taste.  Delivered in the 500ml bottle it requires the larger glass and is a dark brown colour.

Bottle conditioned mean you have to be a little careful pouring it and while it suggests to ensure it's cooled not chilled, I think it would actually benefit from a little time in the fridge if you lack a suitably cool storage area as I do.

A good inoffensive beer that went down rather well on a chilly evening.