From one of my favorite breweries, St. Klippenstein is an Imperial Stout aged in oak bourbon barrels. I love oak aged beers, and this is no exception. The nose has coffee and cocoa and toast. The middle is dry with roasted grain and bitter dark chocolate. The finish is milky and smooth, with signature oaky vanilla notes. The body is medium and the alcohol is a big 11% ABV, and while you can’t really taste it, you can certainly feel it. A fantastically good beer.
I give it a 4.8 out of 5.
Day of the Serranos. A double stout from Green Flash brewed with Serrano chiles. The nose is malty and sweet. The middle starts as a deliciously sweet imperial stout with chocolate and a bit of coffee, and the coffee remains as it fades to a finish where the spicy hot chile oils creep up on you. I don’t know that “delicately spiced” as the bottle label indicates is exactly accurate…The heat is not subtle at all. It is also not, however, overdone. It’s perfectly balanced between sweetness and spice. The body is medium and the alcohol is a biggish 8.8% ABV. Fantastic beer for those of us who love spicy food and drink.
I give it a 4.8 out of 5.
Lacking in vigor. Very little head, no carbonation to speak of. Nose has some slight cocoa notes. The middle has weak cocoa. There is little else here. The finish is non-existent. My overall impression is that it is flat and flavorless. The body is medium, and the alcohol is a reasonable 5.0% ABV. It may be a bottling issue that the example I got was off, or not sealed properly, but until I know otherwise, there’s nothing here to particularly recommend.
I give it a 2.5 out of 5.
Lovely, Dark and Deep is a winter seasonal oatmeal stout from Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, NY. The nose has coffee, toffee, and a bit of cocoa. The middle is silky smooth as you’d expect from a oatmeal stout, with chocolate, a bit of orange, and oats, of course. The finish is milky and sweet, with a bit of coffee coming back at the end. The body is medium and the alcohol is a pleasant 5.3% ABV. Oatmeal stouts are one of my favorite styles, and this is a lovely example.
I give it a 4.3 out of 5.
Breakfast is the best meal of the day. All of the most delicious foods are served for breakfast, so why not make a beer with them? What could go wrong? In this case, nothing. Dogfish Head’s Beer for Breakfast Stout is not only filled with the flavors of breakfast, and the result is delicious. Coffee, toast, and milk are all in the nose. The middle is rich with cocoa and a dense breadiness that reminds one of pancakes. Speaking of pancakes, the finish is dripping with maple syrup sweetness and a bit of the coffee comes back right at the end, as it should. The body is medium to heavy and the alcohol is a bit hefty for early in the morning at 7.4% ABV. Dogfish Head has an entire stable of very good beers, but in my opinion, this is one of their best.
I give it a 4.7 out of 5.
From 21st Amendment Brewery, Marooned on Hog Island is an oyster stout brewed with Hog Island Sweetwater oyster shells. The thick sticky head hangs around for awhile, and the nose has coffee and light caramel and chocolate notes. The middle is balanced between sweet and salty with milk and chocolate and the salty ocean notes of the oyster shells. Then finish moves back towards the sweet with more chocolate and a bit of caramel returning. A lovely stout with a oceanic touch. The body is medium and the alcohol is a strong-ish 7.9% ABV.
I give it a 4.6 out of 5.
We’ve had a bit of a cold snap here, with lows dipping into the high 20s for the first time this fall. That makes for a lovely excuse to break out a bottle of Xocoveza, a winter-spiced mocha stout from Stone. Being based in San Diego, I’m not sure what Stone actually knows about winter, but they sure do know their way around a winter brew. This particularly recipe includes cocoa, coffee, peppers, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix all that up in a beer, and what comes out is liquid deliciousness. The cinnamon, nutmeg, and cocoa are strongly present in the nose. The head is creamy and hangs around for quite awhile. The middle is pure mocha, milky with notes of chocolate and coffee throughout. The peppers are very understated and there is just a tiny hint of a spicy bit in the finish, muted by vanilla. The body is medium and the alcohol is a relatively strong 8.1% ABV. A fabulously flavorful and wonderfully executed beer that might be my new point of reference for a winter stout.
I give it a 4.8 out of 5.
From Sierra Nevada’s High Altitude series, Chocolate Chili Stout is exactly what it sounds like. The nose is roasty with cocoa and a hint of coffee. The middle is rich and exceptionally dry, with cocoa powder, light molasses, and starchy tannin. The finish is malty and woody, and a bit of heat from the chilies. The body is medium, and the alcoholic is an Imperial-ish 8.2% ABV. I have to admit that I’m slightly disappointed that there isn’t more heat from the chilies, but it is there, and it lingers and grows after the finish, and that aside, this is a really excellent beer, and everything that is here is fantastic. Top notch brew.
I give it a 4.7 out of 5.
Allagash calls Black a Belgian-style stout, brewed with roasted and chocolate malt and caramelized candi sugar. The nose has a bit of coffee and dark fruit. The middle is silky smooth and bready. It’s brown sugary sweet, but only mildly so; not too sweet. Coffee and chocolate rise in the finish. The body is medium to heavy, and the alcohol is high for a stout, but not for a Belgian at 7.5% ABV. A beautifully executed stout, in all, and lovely to drink.
I give it a 4.6 out of 5.
Diamond Head is a traditional Oatmeal Stout from the fine folks of Howe Sound Brewing in beautiful British Columbia, and I love a good Oatmeal Stout. The nose has roasted grain and caramel. The middle is smooth and silky as an Oatmeal Stout should be, and bready and toasty with hints of coffee and oatmeal. The finish is dry, as the oatmeal kicks up and the sweetness in the middle disappears. The body is light to medium and the alcohol level is 5% ABV. A really nice, classic Oatmeal Stout.
I give it a 4 out of 5.
OpenCraftBeer 