I’d been meaning to have this for ages, and the occasion of KT’s birthday — her being a good friend and fellow stout drinker — provided the perfect excuse, since it’s one of those beers that the brewery made for their own birthday. As if I really need an excuse. But it is awesome, this. Superbly big and smooth, tilting more towards the coffee-ish notes than the chocolatey ones, unless the chocolate you’ve got in mind is the savagely dark bitter yumminess that kinda blurs the difference right out.

Verbatim: O’Hara’s Celebration Stout. 10/1/09 750ml 28$ @ work 6%. Belated birthday drink with KT. And it’s awesome. Super big and smooth. More coffee-ish than chocolate, very nice sideline of yummy dark bitterness. Perfect for the occasion.

Afterthoughts, November 2010: I do like to drink occasion-appropriate beers when I can, and I’d had this in mind for KT’s birthday for weeks after seeing we had this in the fridge. KT is one of those wonderful women I cite as a counter-example when I’m grumping about how people talk about “girly” beers, and seem to have something irrelevantly particular in mind.