FOUNDED in 2000, Troubadour brewery is most well-known for its pale beers, its blond and Magma (a heavily hopped tripel). Obscura is its stout which is brewed with a Belgian yeast strain, and weighs in at a respectable 8.2 per cent.

Pouring like black coffee, with a thick foamy off-white head, the most immediate thing to note is that the body looks quite thin for a stout in this bracket. The aroma is bang on for the style though, with plums and raisins playing across vanilla chocolate and malted bread. The Belgian yeast has a role to play here too, adding a touch of banana and redcurrant fruitiness to proceedings.

The first sip confirms the earlier worry – the body is thin, much like the Gjulia Sud I reviewed in February, this drinks much closer to a Belgian dubbel than an imperial or export strength stout.

The flavour is great, however, with raspberry coulis and cocoa powder vying for attention. An element of liquorice and chilli jam lead into a sweet walnut tobacco finish, dry and scattered with black tea leaves.

This is delicious and warming, though a touch more body wouldn’t go amiss – think of it as a Belgian dark ale rather than a stout and you’ll soon find yourself falling for this one’s charms.

Recommended by Michael Bates, Trembling Madness, Stonegate, York