Are Tennent’s in the dark with Black T?

It appeared whilst I was away. A missed delivery, left with a neighbour, who helpfully perched it on our doorstep before they in turn went off somewhere else, ensuring I’d at least manage to get it. A poly bag, inside which was a matte black box. The only piece of identification, inside or out; a black sticker on the top, with my name on.

Opening up, more shine-free darkness. A matte 330ml bottle, with the only allowance for colour a rather attractive silver thistle cap. Inside, a card, stating one one side #THENEWBLACK, and the other ‘STAY IN THE DARK UNTIL 30.10.14’. I’m not sure how long our neighbours had had it, but that date was long gone. So, time to open, crack the bottle and see what this dark wonder actually is.

I do know, though, kind of. An exchange on Twitter from someone one behalf of Tennent’s had led to this – a new beer they were lauching; ‘Black T’. I’ve long wondered if the Wellpark could support something other than the near-ubiquitous red T, maybe a dunkel or darker lager; with the clocks having just gone back, it could be that kind of thing. So, I signed up and a few days later, via number 14, off came the thistle cap.

It’s not black. It’s clear amber, like Tennent’s lager. Ahh, so it’s one of those.

Black as in ‘premium’, not black as in a black beer from a black bottle. The inferred whisper of classiness, conveyed by describing it in those terms, is something that always totally confuses. Does black mean premium? Not to me; not by any means. But then, you give a new, step-up beer in a black bottle, called Black T, and I would only ever think it was going to pour like a dark lager. Maybe that’s just me. And maybe that confusion is only temporary; the regular packaging for this new line is…green bottles; only the label lettering is black.

So what is it like? Well, the aroma is faintly sweet and slightly grassy, but like dried straw rather than anything a bit more zingy or refreshing. On the palate, the sweetness is much more than faint, and is bracketed with an oatmeal-like grainy-ness. The aftertaste consists of more cereal grains, corn and that honeyed sweetness. I’ve not had regular Tennent’s for some time, but there’s a bit more mouthfeel to this than I remember from the long-standing stablemate; more there to keep you going, even if it doesn’t ultimately keep you that interested.

After a spot of Googling – obviously the packaging told me nothing – it’s a ‘new family member’ (since the Lemon T that appeared towards the start of this year), and is apparently made with 100% Scottish barley. Robbie over at I Might Have a Glass of Beer sums it all up brilliantly, with a rundown of other Scottish ‘premium’ lagers, and how they are doing (spoiler – it’s mostly written in the past tense). Robbie was told this ‘new family member’ is simply Tennent’s Original Export, re-branded. A quick RateBeer check for that beer, and the consensus is very similar to what I’m tasting.

I’m wondering if this is necessarily a bad thing; changing up the brand a little to try and get people to have an interest in something other than the all-conquering Big Red T. Is it a PR-led money-making exercise, pushed on social media, or a(nother) genuine attempt to try and soften the rod they have made over at the Wellpark, in providing that successful alternative to Tennent’s Lager? I’m not sure. But I know that I’m not going to buy Black T in its current form. What I would buy, though, is a genuine dunkel – a bone fide black T. But I think I might have a long wait, for that…

Disclosure – this post was written following receiving a review sample of Tennent’s Black T. (I’m also unaware if it has been lagered for longer than regular Tennent’s).