I WATCHED an interesting experiment carried out by nutrionist types on the telly a while back. They wanted to find out which liquid was best at rehydrating the body after a bout of exercise.
They tried water, sugar-rammed energy drinks and milk. Even though some of the energy drinks claim to rehydrate you as quickly as getting chucked into Niagra Falls, it was milk that came out on top.
Seems it contains more electrolytes than the other two, which are key to getting you getting you refreshed and revitalised very quickly.
I wasn't banking on that when I picked up Galway Bay's renowned chocolate milk stout Buried at Sea.
My thought process was simple: it's autumn, I want to drink some stout. Yet, like the unseasonable warmth we're having know, this isn't your typical thick heavy stout.
It doesn't lurch out of the bottle, more steadily unfolds itself into the glass and that smoothness is a constant theme. Although it's a chocolate milk stout, I picked some bitter coffee aromas.
But once you dive in, you get a lovely, velvety chocolate hit. It's sweet and smooth and a real milky mouthfeel.
I probably chilled it a bit too long because it look a while for the full flavours open up, but it did lead to a refreshing milky gulp to start with.
The richness of the chocolate came through as it warmed up in the glass and I even got a roasty, peaty taste at the backend.
A tasty and refreshing stout.
I RECENTLY had the pleasure of bumping into intrepid beer blogger Roy Willighan who had just completed a tour of Northern Ireland's 24 breweries in 36 hours on his motorbike.
Roy took up the challenge to raise money for equipment for Ethan, a seven-year-old boy from Ballymena who has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. As well as visiting all the breweries, Roy also came home (courtesy of Fastway Couriers NI) with a haul of beers from kind brewers across Northern Ireland which he also auctioned off for charity (well, I bet he popped open one or two).
You can still make a donation to Roy by going to Gofundme.com/nibrew36hr – and raise glass of some good Irish beer while you're at it.
