Subluminal Imperial Stout – ABV 10%

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This is just a boisterous, chewy imperial stout with bags of fruit, creamy chocolate and character,  Buxton and Stillwater Artisanal in Baltimore.

Look: Jet back with a small beige head, good amount of lacing and low carbonation.

Aroma: Chocolate and vanilla, creamy coffee plus dark fruits such as blackcurrants and raisins.

Taste: Intense complex layers of bittersweet hops, milk and dark chocolate and more rich sweet fruit. Rich and creamy mouthfeel, super-full-bodied.

Verdict: Another solid gold hit Buxton’s increasing line of stonking imperial stout collabs. Subluminal, yes, but sub-optimal? Goodness, no.

King Slayer DIPA – ABV 8.5%

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Tangy marmalade, creamy sweetness and more subtle on hops compared to some Buxton brews, this Vermont DIPA hides its booziness under layers of tropical fruits.

Look: Pours clear  and yellow-amber in the glass with a small, creamy white head.

Aroma: Tropcial fruit punch stuffed with mango, pineapple and orange with highlights of pine and some grapefruit zest.

Taste: Under the light aroma notes are jammy strawberry and zingy marmelade with some biscuit increasing the body and mouthefeel. Slight boozy warmth but otherwise the alcohol is well hidden with a moderate carbonation and persistent crisp finish.

Verdict: Layers of rich sweet jammy fruits, tropical hints and interludes of hoppy crispness – long live the King Slayer!

Imperial Black IPA – ABV 7.5%

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Fresh hop aromas, pine crispness, orange zest and bitter lime peel taste with lingering forest fruit and candied red fruits – this is a black-belt Black IPA.

Look: Very dark, almost jet-black with a pale tan headthat just clings to the side of the glass, and medium carbonation.

Aroma: Strong starting notes of pine and tropical fruits plus some berries and strawberry jam.

Taste: Red berries move to centre stage accompanied with stone fruits. Still some background orange zing and zest of lemon; long, roasted malt and bitter finish and full bodied.

Verdict: For something so dark this tastes like Mediterranean sunshine.

Extra Porter – ABV 7.4%

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A coffee-lovers dream, this classy Porter is infused with cacao nibs and El Limon Bourbon Guatamalen coffee beans.

Look: Dark brown with a medium beige head.

Aroma: Rich roasted malt and coffee. 

Taste: Deeply roasted malt, dark chocolate, coffee and vanilla balanced out with a little sweetness. 

Verdict: Rich, dark, complex, smooth and sophisticated. That’s enough about me, now drink this beer, because it’s absolutely wonderful.  

Extra Stout – ABV 7.4%

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Brewed to celebrate the arrival of Buxton’s new brewer Colin Stronge. Extra stout has a full rich body with huge proportions of dark malt that lend this traditional stout masses of tar, smoke and leather.