Sometimes a beer is so good that it appears in your dreams, and this appropriately named stout is one that will be regularly appearing in mine for the foreseeable.
The fourth instalment of the 'Freaky Franchise' series from Brew York, this one is a fabulous collaboration with Tiny Rebel in Cardiff; creating a rocky road ice cream stout that is perfectly balanced and, somewhat confusingly, not at all spooky.
Still under the spell she was enchanted with in The Ghost Dimension, our heroine is starting to turn the tables on her horrific pursuers, demonstrated by her leap towards Freddy Krueger while wielding what looks to be a shard of biscuit.
The smell is rich and decadent, very chocolatey with a little artificial sweetness there too that is reminiscent of marshmallow. The pour is thick too, like pouring a milkshake, which releases more sweetness in the aroma.
Quite a heavy, dense texture is combined with a creamy and smooth mouthfeel that is very pleasant, with the artificial sweetness the first flavour which later mellows into a milkier chocolate flavour and a little biscuit malt flavour.
Towards the rear of the flavour profile is a touch of bitterness along with a slight burn at the back of the throat, unsurprising given it's 14% proof. The aftertaste is more marshmallow than anything with a sweet, decadent finish that leaves your lip sticky.
The heroine looks to be turning the tables on her tormentors, Freddy looking like the second victim after Michael Myers, who's mask now lays on the nut, chocolate and marshmallow strewn ground.
The vivid pink sky and candy-land terrain are either a side-effect of the trance she is under, or she's slipped into another realm. Either way, with one chapter left to go in the series, you can be sure there's still a twist in the tale.
The can design itself follows the same style as the others with the film-reel edges of the black can a very effective design. The back of the can ratings sees the 'zing' rating from The Ghost Dimension replaced with the chocolate rating, coming in at a solid 4/5. There's loads of info on the can about the beer and a brief bio about the next chapter of the story - a thrilling series that we are looking forward to the conclusion of.
Sadly this cannot be bought individually, at least it shouldn't be able to be, being part of the Freaky Franchise collection. Some enterprising bottle shops may have split them apart though, so worth making enquiries about this one.
