Beer Friday! - Emerson's Southern Clam Stout

Hello all, and welcome back. Before I start with the review today, I'd like to put out a special WELCOME TO NEW ZEALAND to Mal, Carson, Pezz and Zak! It'll be nice to have a little bit of Canadiana close by (relatively speaking), and I'm looking forward to your visit (speeding down the coast from CHCH even as I write), and reciprocating that visit with a trip to Queenstown in October. I know you guys will love it here, and best of luck with the job and house hunt in QTown!

Back on track now, and my brew of the week comes from Emerson's Brewery, a wonderful little spot based right here in Dunedin. Emerson's churns out one top-notch beer after the other, winning "Champion Brewery of NZ" in 2009. The brewery itself was started by Food Science graduate Richard Emerson in the early 90's with the first brew, London Porter, getting its first release in 1993. Emerson was looking to expand on the selection available to NZ beer aficionados, and with a brewery that is capable of putting out 1 million litres per annum (I know I've said this before, but that seems to be a lot) and a range of 7 core beers, plus seasonal releases (5 as of RIGHT NOW), he has done exactly that.



Previous to my selection of Southern Clam Stout this week, I'd had two other Emerson's products - Bookbinder, a "classic" bitter English Ale, and 1812, an absolutely delicious Pale Ale. I may have also had a London Porter when I first got here, but to be honest, I don't remember. With the Southern Clam Stout, then, I had very high expectations.

Hint of the Briny! (For best effect, say with pirate accent) 

The SCS is a winter only release, and as it is heavy in nature, is meant to be drunk with one of those hearty, filling mid-winter meals. It's heading into spring here, and I had it with soup and a sandwich, so I missed the memo a little bit, but nevertheless, the beer itself was quite tasty. It is brewed in conjunction with Southern Clams Ltd., and with the label proudly claiming the beer has "A Hint of the Briny", it does indeed have very subtle briny notes. Thankfully, those notes are not at all overpowering, allowing the dark, roasted flavour typical of a good stout to dominate the proceeding. Hints of caramel waft out of the freshly cracked bottle, followed by soft vanilla traces. It pours a deep chocolate colour, with a cream-coloured head, looking just wonderful nestled cozily into a pint glass.

How many beers have that on the label? Also, I was not wearing a
shirt when I took this photo, so that is my belly button in the
reflection. SEX SELLS!

I quite enjoyed this beer, but being quite a fan of stouts and dark beers in general, that, I suppose, is rather unsurprising. Overall, Southern Clam Stout is a solid, if unspectacular brew, but like I've said, I quite enjoyed it. Simple and straightforward is sometimes exactly what I'm after, and this beer certainly fulfilled that. The clam aspect gives it an interesting twist, but at the end of the day, it's a stout's stout, and I like that. HUZZAH!

6 days until All Blacks v. South Africa! Until next time folks...