This is a “Commonwealth Stout”, brewed for the Diamond Jubilee that, for those who care, is happening this year.
Now, I won’t get too involved in talking about the reasons for this beer being brewed as I am a member of Republic and therefore have a definite point of view.
What I will say is that regardless of the reasons for brewing this beer, this is a super and very interesting stout.
Brewed with ingredients from the African subcontinent TreeTops smells earthy and sweet.
The inclusion of roasted yams, coffee and vanilla all play their part to good effect.
The yams add a smoked earthiness that gives me a very personal nostalgic glow as I remember barbecues in our back yard in Jamaica when I was a child, all warm and dry, sweet and fleshy.
Then the coffee hits with a fresh brown zing that’s perky and snappy and really nice.
The vanilla tempers all this with a subtle full bodied sweetness.
You have all the traditional stout things here too of course, with dark secretive malts that sneak around victorian back streets and pimp their sexy hops while tipping their hats to the old bill.
I really do like this stout a lot, brilliantly brewed, it keeps offering a little extra right the way down the glass.
Just don’t get me involved in the reasons for it.