Hawkstone Black has been available on draught in person at his Cotswolds pub as well as the Diddly Squat Farm Shop in Chadlington.
The drink is Hawkstone’s take on stout with clear similarities to world-famous Irish drink Guinness and is now available in cans too.
Having tried a variety of the brands drinks including both lagers and ciders, I was eager to put the latest offering to the test.
Queues for The Farmer’s Dog on opening day. (Image: Ben Birchall / PA Wire)
I personally prefer other pints to stouts but I have developed a fondness for Guinness in recent years since leaving university.
Travelling to Mr Clarkson’s pub, The Farmer’s Dog in Asthall near Burford, I decided to see if the newest drink holds a flame to its notable rival and the truth is, it does.
Now before I go any further I think it’s important to say that overall I do prefer Guinness to Hawkstone Black.
The newest challenger in the stout game does not knock the favourite off its pedestal but it certainly gives it a good run for its money.
Its smooth like a good stout should be and it is of course a stronger and heavier drink that the rest of the Hawkstone pints catalogue which provides a good variety to the softer ciders.
It just falls short of Guinness for me on the taste ever so slightly but that is just personal preference and it stands as a good drink in its own right.
Another fun caveat of ordering a pint of Hawkstone Black is attempting to split the H on the glass with the first sip.
The line of the alcohol should intersect the middle of the letter H in Hawkstone printed on the glass with just one sip if the drinker estimates the right volume to drink.
Mr Clarkson himself managed to split the H perfectly on his first go during a viral video posted to Hawkstone’s Instagram account.
As for splitting the H like the 64-year-old, I disappointingly fell short with the line in my pint settling just above the top of the letter.
Another point worth mentioning from my trip to the pub is just how well organised it is and how seamlessly the flow of customers is despite large numbers of fans arriving each weekend.
We waited for around five minutes to get in and were instantly served upon making our way through the doors and even found a place to sit and enjoy our drinks too.
Overall, Hawkstone Black is another excellent addition to the roster but the original Hawkstone Lager and Hedgerow Cider still reign supreme for me.
