Sleight Of Hand Stout

I’m not normally one who judges a book by a cover but when the cover looks as bonkers as this then my expectations are somewhat raised. Sleight of Hand stout, an alcohol-free spiced milk stout brewed by Scottish brewer Tempest found its way to my kitchen table today.

Tempest has been around since 2010, originally creating a variety of alcoholic beers from IPAs and pale ales to pilsners and stouts. Most recent;y they have followed the demand and created a number of alcohol-free beers including a sour pale ale and this stout.

To create this opulent and unique milk stout Tempest has used a clever combination of hops (Columbus), malts (GP, Crystal) and rich ingredients (including vanilla, cinnamon and ginger).

I’ve enjoyed other alcohol-free stouts so was Tempest’s Sleight Of Hand one I recommend? Well, you’ll just need to read the review below to find out.

sleight of hand

Is Sleight of Hand stout any good?

Taste

Oh dear. This wasn’t for me. As a fan of stouts (both alcoholic and alcohol-free) Sleight of Hand didn’t hit the mark. I found the strange milky, sour, spicy flavours too odd for my liking. You can certainly pick out chai, chocolate and ginger flavours but I would prefer them in a bar of Cadbury’s then a beer. The body was also unexpectedly quite thin so overall the tasting experience was far from decadent. 

Aroma & Appearance

Actually the aromas of Sleight of Hand were quite pleasant. Once you open the can you’ll get notes of cinnamon and dark chocolate. In the glass, this stout pours with a very dark colour and a short frothy head. 

Bonus points

Ok, it definitely gets bonus points for the cool design. Really like the eyeball in the palm look, very striking and macabre. Like other alcohol-free milk stouts Sleight of hand is not suitable for vegans (it contains lactose), nor is it suitable for gluten-free drinkers. Availability-wise it isn’t the easiest beer to find but you can find it at online specialists or on Tempest’s own site. 

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sleight of hand stout
Key information

typical serving size – 100ml

BreweryTempest

Country – UK

Alcohol content – 0.5%

Ingredients – HOPS (COLUMBUS), MALTS (GP, CHOCOLATE, CRYSTAL, OATS, LACTOSE), VANILLA, CARDAMOM, FENNEL, CINNAMON, GINGER, PEPPER

Vegan friendly? – no

Gluten-free? – no

Availability – medium/ hard

alcohol-free stout

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