Black Buzzard
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Black Buzzard (500ml, 5.8% ABV) Leighton Buzzard I love English place names. From the energetic (Westward Ho!, complete with its exclamation mark) to the oxymoronic (Lower Upham), England is full of settlements both historic and strange. Leighton Buzzard has always struck me as an one of these. How many other town names include a bird of prey? The Leighton Buzzard Brewing Company has fully embraced this, with a feathery pair of wings featuring in the logo of each bottle.
The aroma is hugely enticing, with dark chocolate and roasted coffee beans in abundance. The taste doesn’t disappoint, with that coffee/chocolate double punch reaching an intensity you’d usually only find in a much stronger beer, such as an Imperial stout. It’s a dry rather than a sweet beer, but also maintains a juiciness and creaminess that serves as a perfect match for the flavour. The aftertaste returns to that roasted coffee bean flavour, which manages to be very bold, but stops just short of being too bitter. This is an amazing beer, even more so considering the brewery is only four years old. For those who like a great dollop of flavour in their porter or stout, you’d be missing out if you didn’t let the Black Buzzard enfold you in its dark wings. Written by Richard Salsbury |
