Experiments are the foundation of modern science, and therefore a wonderful thing. But experiments can go horribly wrong. Just ask my A-Level Physics teacher.

Fortunately Brass Castle’s Monsters of the Deep is an unmitigated success.

Along with the promised monsters, the can features windmills, lighthouses, runes and Hull. What does it all mean? It’s part of a series depicting Yorkshire legends. It also forms part of a treasure map, although you’ll have to collect all nine labels to figure out exactly where the ‘serious bounty’ is located. It’s like Pokémon Go with alcohol. What could possibly go wrong?

Brass Castle’s logo is noteworthy: it’s exactly the same upside-down as it is the right way up. Which would be clever if it wasn’t illegible.

Brass Castle Monsters of the DeepMotD is described as a Molé stout. Mole (they’ve added the accent to give you a hand with pronunciation) is a Mexican sauce made from chocolate, chilli and spices. To simulate this, the beer includes lots of dark malts, ancho chillies and cinnamon. Can this possibly work? Oh, yes. It can.

In the glass it’s the colour of black cherries with a generosity of foam on top, and an aroma of booze and liquorice.

The taste is huge – warming dark chocolate and coffee, with the cinnamon and chilli making their presence felt, but not overwhelming the character of the stout. The mouthfeel is creamy, bubbly, velvety and the aftertaste consists of a subtle chilli glow.

It’s vegan, it’s gluten free, and it tastes epic. Monstrous, you might say.

Written by Richard Salsbury

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