Magic Rock Dark Arts Stout, 12 x 330ml

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We hadn’t planned to brew it for a few more weeks yet but as we had fermenting space available we decided to fit the brew into the schedule so we can offer as much choice as possible to our customers from day 1. I love Stouts and I’ve loved Stu (our head brewers) Stouts in the past so I’m really excited to see how this one turns out. Could it do with being a bit warmer than the three degrees served up by the PerfectDraft? Yes, it probably could. But I wasn't leaving this to stand to find out. It was just too good. Generally, porters, made from malted barley, have more dark fruit to them, while stouts exhibit big, roasted, bitter characteristics, owing to their use of roasted, but unmalted, barley. Either way, they are both fantastic winter beers or drinks to have with hearty roast dinners and meats. Guinness brings sweet, savoury, malty notes with an addictive bitterness,” says chef and restaurateur Robin Gill. Just like Marmite, he says, “people who like it absolutely love it”, and it’s not hard to see why. When deployed in those cakes and stews, Guinness adds a great depth of flavour, which is why Dee Rettali, co-founder of Fortitude Bakehouse in London, includes it in her chocolate cake. “It also helps with the fermentation, because we keep the prepared batter for two days before baking,” she says. “The batter is then bubbly and stouty, which gives the cake a rich, slightly bitter, coffee taste that is beautifully offset by a sweet, creme fraiche icing.”

Stouts and porters have been around for centuries. Porter beers are the older of the two; the dark brews have been around since the early 1700s and their name comes from the fact they were particularly popular with London’s port workers. They were – and still are – robust and warming beers, with big chocolate and coffee aromas and flavours said to give the labourers strength. We brewed our 5th beer today, Dark Arts is a 6% full bodied stout and the 5th and final beer in our core range. We understand that you don’t have time for bland, flavourless or inconsistent beer because neither do we.

The anticipation of Guinness being released on the PerfectDraft has always been there, so for that reason I can understand why BeerHawk didn't big up the release of the Dark Arts stout weeks in advance of it's launch. Any marketing teaser campaign would have resulted in huge speculation and then massive disappointment that it wasn't Guinness. So it wasn't until a few weeks before launch that the ads started to appear. Siren Odyssey 009 | Barrel Aged Sour Stout Blend (Sherry & Bourbon Stouts, Red Wine Saison w/ Brett & Lactic Acid) | 11.7 13.90 Tony’s question is particularly well-timed, because Guinness welcomes winter spices – think cloves, juniper, allspice, cinnamon. A steamed syrup pudding is, Flynn says, an excellent example: “Add Guinness and some maple or golden syrup, and it will be amazing.” As with all good relationships, it’s important to take things slowly, though. “Because of the bitterness, play around with Guinness in moderation at first,” Flynn advises. Do that, he says, and you’ll find a “worthwhile burst of flavour”. We have totally overhauled our pricing, so all cans and bottles are now listed at their new and reduced take out price; roughly 25% less than before. You’re blummin’ welcome. Baghaven Biere Des Champs 2 | Chardonnay Barrel Fermented Citra 7.0 37.0 Farmhouse Ale | DK | 750ml

Evil Twin NY Cinnamon Baked Pear Sour | Cinnamon , Brown Sugar & Pear Sour IPA| US (NY) | 473ml 7.0 10.00 Apologies for not being more explicit recipe wise but we know that it’s early days and the beers may need a tweak here and there.

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The street party will resume, complete with bonfires (it is the dead of winter in Astoria, after all), live music on three stages, and a slew of masters of the unique and curious arts.