It’s beer. Hooray beer! Now there’s a sentiment I can echo with great enthusiasm and gusto (extra points to you if you recall the beer that claimed to possess the latter quality so many years ago). Anyway, the slogan that opened this little exercise is one that is used to great effect by Desnoes and Geddes of Jamaica, brewers of a beer called Red Stripe that you most likely know, or at least have heard of.

Desnoes and Geddes makes another beer, however, one that while a bit less well known is much more flavorful and is, in my estimation, a local classic. The beer in question is called Dragon Stout, and it is truly a shining example of Jamaica at its beer brewing best. As a result, I have selected it to represent this island paradise in my trip Around the World in Eighty Brews, all of them bottled.

Dragon Stout is a beer I have known and loved for some two decades now. Oddly enough, however, it is a beer I’ve rarely seen since moving to Georgia. I never had a problem finding it in my Rhode Island dwelling days, but life can be strange sometimes. So, when I spied a six-pack today at a local liquor store, I pounced upon it for all it was worth.

The beer has certainly become more costly. I paid $9.99 for my little treasure, only to discover the bottles have shrunk, too. Dragon Stout now comes in 9.6 ounce bottles instead of the standard American 12-ouncers. Hooray for beer but please, for $10 a sixer, may I have more, please?

Allusions to Oliver Twist aside, it should be noted that Dragon Stout is a hearty, fortifying dark brew in the tradition of Guinness Foreign Extra Stout , a rare and special brew of which I have only been able to procure one sample in my long and illustrious beer drinking career. Dragon weighs in at 7.5% alcohol by volume, making it half again as strong as your average beer. Unlike FES, however, Dragon is a strong sweet stout rather than a harsh and roasty extra stout.

Dragon Stout pours to a jet black color with a thick creamy tan head forming on a mildly vigorous pour. The nose is soft and sweet with hints of dark malt aromas, fruit, and molasses. Sipping the beer reveals a deep and dark chocolaty base to the beer with undertones of prune and coffee readily apparent.

Those who eschew stouts known for their dark roasty flavors may be surprised to find those qualities absent here; Indeed, this Dragon is a rather tame one, with more sweet fruity character than anything else. Still, the Dragon bites in the finish. The warming alcohol rounds out the brew nicely, imparting a dryness not given by roasted barley or hops. Thus, the beer finishes sweet, but still remains a very drinkable nightcap. I like it, too, to wash down such Caribbean fare as fried plantains and beef patties.

So, Hooray beer! Here’s to a fine example of Jamaica in a bottle. You are now free to move about the bar.



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