With cold dark weather it is very important to keep those dark beers flowing. This time it is a Mata Black Bru from Aotearoa Breweries from Kawerau. Brewing and beer is definitely a male dominated industry and pastime, so it is great to see that this brewery is run by a woman, along with the help of her family. It is also good to see that they promote sustainable business practices, like converting the cardboard waste from packing to business cards and the leftover grain from mashing going to the pigs. I am sure those are happy pigs.Black Bru says it is a dark ale; it also says it is a stout. It is certainly an interesting take on a stout, but isn't really heavy enough to fit into the category of what you usually expect a stout to be like so dark ale is probably a good approximation. It certainly has the dark thick colour, but then the taste is also fruity which comes as a surprise. If you are on the hunt for something along the lines of a Guinness, then this probably isn't for you, but if you want something slightly different for a cold winter night then the Black Bru is worth a try.
(If the photo background looks a bit different than usual it is because we have had to move out of our house while the kitchen gets re-done. Doesn't mean the beer doesn't get drunk though.)
