Back in June, I walked into Total Wine in Alpharetta, Georgia (OK, I do this a lot) and went looking for beer. One of the more interesting beers that caught my attention was Fuller’s London Black Cab Stout. I love Fuller’s beers, they’re some of my very favorite of all, and I got this one home and quickly popped it into my refrigerator. And promptly forgot about it.

I don’t know how I did that, because I thought this was a really cool and interesting beer that I wanted to try right away. But I did lose track of it, more a judgment perhaps upon encroaching memory lapse brought on by a stressful work schedule than on the beer itself.

Then one day, I found it while rummaging through bottles of condiments and leftover roast beef in the back of the fridge. “Hey!” I thought, “I remember this!”. And so I drank it, and boy was it good.

Fuller’s London Black Cab Stout takes its name from the iconic and ubiquitous black cabs of London. The label claims the beer is brewed with “the knowledge”, which is a catchy gimmick more than anything else. “The Knowledge”, of course, refers to the fact that London cabbies are required to have almost a photographic memory of every aspect of the city to obtain a license.

Fuller’s London Black Cab Stout is an easy-drinking stout of moderate alcohol content, 4.5% by volume. My bottle says it’s best before January 6^th, 2014. I bought a 16.9 ounce bottle for $4.29, which is a $1.30 more than I paid for the same size of bottle of Fuller’s Bengal Lancer a year and four months ago. That 43% increase on Fuller’s beer is the biggest downside here, but in today’s beer market, it’s not unreasonable.

Fuller’s London Black Cab Stout pours to a jet black color with a thick creamy tan head formation and a palate-awakening licorice and chocolate nose. Taking a sip, this beer just screams all sorts licorice candies with chocolate notes too, if to a lesser degree. Indeed, sipping this beer is like a box of All Sorts exploding in my mouth. The beer becomes quite roasty in the dry chocolate finish, and has a drinkable medium body overall.

I just loved this beer. It’s one of those beers that you could just sip all day and never get tired of. A new classic, I’ll certainly buy it again, and you should too.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft

 

 



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