red ale

Who likes an imperial stout on a steamy summer night? Me, of course! You’ll never change my mind. While I’m open to new possibilities, I do like to have a good stout as much as I can, so certain names are go-tos. Laugar is one of those names. But what’s this? Cerberus is not a stout, but a double red ale! Whisky barrel aged at that. Will it measure up to the standards the stouts have set?

It’s more whisky brown, old, old whisky brown, than red, and the spirits (hah) of the harder stuff make themselves known to the nose immediately. Head is fizzy, and quick to disappear. It’s an odd bouncy ball of flavors – rubbery, woody, syrupy and smoky. The beer as a liquid is fairly easy to drink, smooth and only a little sticky. After the first impression, the taste seems to die down a little, becoming less complex and highlighting the woodiness more than the other notes. It probably shouldn’t be a surprise that the texture gets rougher as the beer sits and warms up, but it’s not as throat grabbing as some whisky barrel aged beers can be. On the heavy side for some certainly, given the weather. But I am impressed with Laugar’s flexibility.

Supplier: Labirratorium
Price: €5.95