It’s Stout Sunday today, hope everyone has had a good weekend so far! Although we’ve technically got a porter and not a stout. Been a little bit since I’ve had a beer from one of my personal favourite breweries, Northern Monk. I think this has been out for a while now but I picked up ‘Stars & Stripes’ from Tesco when I went to grab the new range. In true American fashion it’s a Peanut Butter and Jelly Porter. Hopefully it will invoke some childhood memories of peanut butter and jam sandwiches!

The beer pours a licorice or raisin colour with a small tanned head. Really good nose on this beer. The added fruit purees certainly come through with nice levels of raspberry and strawberry. A slight nutty aroma pairs well the sweetness. Certainly tastes like a porter with a slight smokiness to the beer. It’s got a jam tartness to it that plays well with the sweetness. However, the peanut flavours go missing for me unfortunately.

A quick note on the can art: As always Northern Monk have another banger of a can. It’s raining peanuts and strawberries. The beige could have been a risky colour choice but it works well with the contrasting red.

Typically consistent from Northern Monk but it was so close to being an exceptional beer but unfortunately fell a bit flat. The lack of peanut in the taste, for me, meant the beer started teetering into the overly sweet category. If those nutty flavours were stronger it would have balanced the tart, sweetness of the added puree very well. On the whole however, it’s smooth and creamy as well as being surprisingly refreshing. Not the nostalgia bomb I wanted but still a solid brew.

Score: 7/10

Thanks for reading! Cheers!

Additional Information:

• Hops: Not Available
• Malt: Not Available
• IBU: Not Available
• ABV: 5.9%
• Gluten Free: No
• Vegan: No
• Purchase Price: £3.00
• Purchase Location: Tesco