Pete Drinks: Thwaites Very Nutty Black

Name: Thwaites Very Nutty Black

ABV: 3.9

Bottled/ Draft: Bottled, bottle conditioned.

Colour: Black, coke-like.

Head: Almost none; positively flat-looking.

Mouthfeel: Quite watery.

Taste: A strangely light, roasted malt with a slight bitterness at the end.

Comment: This is a confusing beer; in appearance it almost likes like a porter but even in this "export strength" form (it's based on their 'Nutty Black' ale) it manages to be very light at the same time as having a roasted flavour (and nose) from the chocolate malt. When you realise that 'Nutty Black' is just a new marketing name for their old Dark Mild, the lack of 'oomph' starts to make a little more sense.

There's nothing exactly *wrong* with the beer - it's perfectly drinkable and I'm a fan of milds - but at the same time, there's not much to really mark it out as special. Its lack of body isn't balanced out by the dark malts and I'm left wishing that Thwaites either pulled back a little on the roasted blackness, or had the courage of their convictions and gave it more body.