Black Iris The Oracle

Tasting Summary

These comments are the opinion of the individual reviewer and represent what they thought of the beer on a particular day in a particular pub. If a review is less favourable, it may be because the beer suffered somewhere in the supply chain between them and the brewery.

One Inn The Wood, Petts Wood, Greater London

Who	Score	When	Notes
Hogan Sampling		17 Oct 2026	3rd beer of this visit: Presented with very good head and lasting lacing on this old-world potion, ditching standard copper foliage for ancient botanical treats and from the Black Iris Brewery which first got their mucking mash-tuns rattling away back in 2011, initially behind the Flowerpot pub in Derby before in 2014 moving the whole kit and caboodle over to New Basford, Nottingham, dropping anchors on the historic, old Shipstone's Brewery site. A nettle-flavoured first hit. A very good dose of fruitiness rising and with a sharpness coming to the fore and where your common hops have been ditched entirely. The brewers instead tossing a proper country basket into the kettle of Scottish Heather Honey behind its floral sweetness, Spruce Tips dropping a citrusy, pine-needle punch, and Juniper Berries bringing a sharp, peppery, gin-palace woodiness to the concoction. Its Malted Barley lending a bready foundation of crusty baked loaves, its Wheat behind a sharp crispness and its Oats throwing down a velvety oatcake mouthfeel. A tart fruited note prevailing with a herbal-sweet finish lingering from its Juniper-like flavours for me. Served in good form but a very unusual taste and one which would take some getting used to I suspect.