Coopers Brewery in Australia produces a number of beers which you occasionally see turn up here in the States—usually along the line of their Sparkling Ale and Dark Ale (both of which I’ve had). Their Best Extra Stout you can find, too, and overall they might be revelatory to someone who thinks “Australian beer” means Foster’s.

The Best Extra Stout is an Export Stout style that weighs in at 6.3% alcohol by volume. I received it from my Beer of the Month Club earlier in the year.

Appearance: Dark and inky—very dark brown to black. Chocolate foam head, dense and creamy, built up nicely.

Smell: Coffee and chocolate—cocoa powder, bittersweet chocolate, French roast coffee. Smells delicious.

Taste: Creamy and dry at the same time… mellow. Nice roasted malts (roasted barley) that taste like they may have been stored with coffee beans. Dark chocolate—not sweet at all but like bitter cocoa. Barest hint of a lactic sour tang.

Mouthfeel: Very smooth, and lighter than you’d expect—solid, medium-bodied but well attenuated. Dry.

Overall: Very good, though drier than I’d expect for an Export Stout. Pleasant.

On BeerAdvocate, it scores an overall grade of B+. (RateBeer is still out of commission.)