Back in August we were privileged to host Dugges to both brew with us, and share a tasting evening with our customers. As discussed on the evening, the beer we brewed was a red-wine inspired stout. During the boil we added black pepper and liquorice root to the kettle. Once fermentation was done, we add blackcurrant juice to the FV, before moving the beer into incredibly fresh red wine barrels (originally these were meant to be Syrah, but the wine maker decided the wine needed to stay in the barrels a little longer, so he sent us Pinot Noir instead!) Despite the fairly long list of ingredients, the beer is all about the balance of flavour. The fruit character from both the blackcurrent and the wine is present up front, with a slight acidity on the palate from the fruit. The liquorice and the pepper play supporting roles, adding a little spice and complexity to the finish.