Sometimes fate is said to conspire against you but for once it was my ally. A recent re-routing of my bus dumped me outside The Rutland Arms and so it would be rude not to at least pop in,and purvey, wouldn`t it?
The Ruttie always has an array of Blue Bee beers plus much Marston`s stuff but sometimes it has ale from a higher league. Raw can regularly be found there and also Magic Rock usually seem to occupy a keg or two plus there is cider if you are a lover of that South-West shtuff. Surprisingly, Somerset and Avon in this case was indeed the focus of the brew I chose. It was not alcoholic apple juice but actually a collaboration between powerhouses Arbor and the Moor Beer Company. Weighing in at a mighty 9.2%, Double Dark Alliance cannot be taken lightly though and its ABV is thankfully all it has in common with the loopy juice that usually is sent to us from that part of the country!
The beer pours black but with a tan-tinted head and the waft of coffee greets you aggressively. The clip proclaims this to be a `hoppy coffee imperial stout` and most of that you certainly dare not argue with. However, any hoppiness is readily demolished on my palate by the alcoholic whack you receive. Seeing this on cask is indeed a rare treat and rightly heralded by Steel City beery folk. No tax dodging by trimming this ale down to a safer 7.4%; it is well into the imperious super-heavyweight division. Credit to The Rutland for giving this brute a home. Try if you dare!
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