Doris gets her Oats (The Wee Beer Shop) by @Spectreuk

I like to try and take it easy. I'd like to say it's because I'm lazy, but I exercise way too much for that. I have finished at my local gym, which had a decent sauna and steam room, but has become too expensive for the service provided, which was minimal due to lack of cleanliness. That's probably why it's often nice to stay away for a night, and a spa hotel is more my speed of holiday these days.

The last minute deal we had on a night away this week at a super gorgeous spa hotel not too far away was bliss for a night and a day. We hadn't been to Ragdale Hall for more than five years. I hadn't been able to drive that far due to my last knee operation, so it's testimony to my hard work on rehabilitation that we arrived and also returned in good time, even for a sneaky weights session on the evening.

On the evening at Ragdale Hall I had a succulent steak and chips, followed by a cheese board and a glass of port for afters. We played Othello in the lounge and then played more games in the room. I had brought along this can of Doris gets her Oats Imperial chocolate and cardamom stout, and drank it whilst playing dominoes and various card games, such as Pontoon, UNO and Dinosaur Top Trumps.

Doris looks like a ghost on the front of the can. I am not sure if she had gotten her oats by then, because it looks more like she needs some. This 11% in volume Imperial Stout made for a good late evening pudding beer. There was lactose in ingredients, as well as barley, oats and wheat. Brewed by Pomona Island Brew Company, Doris gets her Oats was produced to celebrate their fifth birthday.

This stout didn't blow up when I opened the can, and smelt amazing. Almost black in colour with a dark frothy head, Doris gets her Oats smelt of deep rich malted and roasted chocolate barley. There was a fruitiness behind the chocolate malt and a strong alcohol aroma with a creaminess to finish. On taste this Imperial stout had a milky creaminess to start with, velvet smooth dark chocolate malt, with a winter fruitiness, stong in alcohol and then a roasted chocolate flavour with a touch of coffee running into the aftertaste.

This was a purely indulgent chocolate Imperial stout treat of a pudding beer, with mild warming cardamom which ran into the aftertaste and left me cuddled in the comfort of liquid chocolate cushions. And in a lovely spa hotel it just finished off the evening perfectly.