Beer Review: Schlafly Coffee Stout

I love my stouts….there’s nothing like a nice stout in front of a roaring fire on a cold winter’s day. The smoke of a wood fire complements very well the roasted malt, chocolate and coffee flavors of a good stout. So when I saw Schlafly Coffee Stout at the store, I was eager to give it a try. According to the bottle, “this oatmeal stout with natural flavor added uses locally roasted Kaldi’s coffee.” Let’s give this a try.

The Pour
My usual pour (the first half poured gently in a 45-degree glass, the other half poured vigorously into a glass straight up and down) gives the beer a two finger thick head that is beige in color and consists of dense pillowy foam. It dissipates relatively quickly, leaving a small bit of lacing on the glass. This is a very dark brown brew, with very faint tinges of red noticeable at the very narrowest part of the pint glass, where a tiny bit of light can peek through. This looks quite thick and full-bodied. After a couple of bottles, I noticed some floating particles at the bottom of the glass. Leftover coffee grounds from the brewing process? I’m not sure.

The Nose
There is definitely an oatmeal stout nose present, but with good coffee notes as well. Smells like a glass of freshly ground coffee beans. It has a good roasted scent and a very slight touch of sweetness, like hints of brown sugar or, more closely, molasses.

The Taste
My first taste was overpowering with coffee. It tasted like I was chewing up a bunch of espresso beans, then swigging from an oatmeal stout. It soon mellows, though, and the oatmeal stout flavor and the coffee flavors grow to balance each other. This is a full-bodied brew and starts off quite carbonated, but it mellows somewhat as it warms.

Overall
This is probably not something I’ll pick up quite often but it was definitely interesting. It ended up being better than I thought from my initial sip, but I prefer my stouts to have more subtle coffee flavors. I prefer the depth and character some stouts bring to the table, with a revolving cast of flavors from roasted malt to chocolate to caramel to hints of coffee. This coffee stout really kind of hits you over the head to remind you it is a coffee stout. It’s an aggressive beer, in the way some Rogue brews are aggressive in their flavors.

Recommended: If you like stouts but wish they tasted a LOT more like fresh espresso beans, sure!

Price: $8.29 / 6-pack

ABV: 5.7%

Beer Review: Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

Goose Island was kind enough to send me a sample of their Bourbon County Stout, and I am finally getting around to reviewing it. Goose Island: so sorry for the delay. I truly appreciate each brewery that sends me a beer to review. I’ve just had a hard time finding the time to review lately.

Goose Island is a brewery out of the Windy City, Chicago, Illinois. According to the press release they sent me with the beer (which was packaged in a recyclable and reusable tin container and packed with recycled and recyclable Prairie Eco Pack inside a 100% post consumer recycled box):

Goose Island Brewing Company has been celebrating the annual release of its Bourbon County Stout since it was first created 16 years ago by brewmaster Greg Hall to commemorate the 1000th batch at the original Chicago brewpub…

Apparently this beer was aged for 10 months in 16-year-old bourbon barrels. The press release describes this as “dark and dense”, and with a flavor so intense, “only the most decadent chocolate dessert can stand up to it”.

The Pour
On the pour you can tell this is one thick, thick beer. It pours like a fine motor oil, black and thick and clinging to the glass. There is very little head to speak of, but what is there is caramel brown. The beer is absolutely opaque. As a matter of fact, it looks pitch black.

The Nose
There are definitely roasted malt and deep dark fruit aromas here as well as chocolate and coffee notes. There are hints of bourbon as well. This smells like it will be one strong thick brew, not for the faint of heart!

The Taste
This seems actually thicker than you anticipate, which is difficult to accomplish. The higher alcohol content is definitely noticeable, but it does not distract from the overall flavor profile. You can taste the roasted malt and the oak of the bourbon barrel, and chocolate and coffee notes are there as well in varying degrees that seem to change with each taste. Overall the flavor is intense!

Overall
This beer is one very well suited for aging, and I would definitely like to try this after it ages a couple of years. It’s a little too thick for my tastes, but it is a unique and interesting beer. It would probably be fantastic after aging a while. Something to be savored, as a fine wine.

Recommended: If you’re after a thick, intensely nuanced beer, absolutely. Definitely something to try now and to age, to compare the flavors as they mellow.

Price: This was a sample sent by the brewery/PR folks.

ABV: 13% ABV according to the press release

Beer Review: Highland Brewing Company’s Black Mocha Stout

With it being fairly cold outside, my tastes naturally turn towards stouts and porters. This time around I decided to go for Highland Brewing Co.‘s Black Mocha Porter. I would have loved to have had this outside, in front of my outdoor fireplace, but that would have made it hard to write my tasting notes, now wouldn’t it?

Instead I tried this as I waited for my coconut crusted tilapia with mango and papaya (courtesy of Kroger) to cook.

Here’s what the packaging says about this brew:

Highland’s most robust beer, having a very malty body with a large, roasted chocolate flavor, all achieved solely through the use of special roasted barley grains. It is black in color with a very clean finish and a moderate hop flavor.

The Pour
This poured very dark, really basically black but with reddish tinges around the edges of my pint glass. A vigorous pour results in a nice pillowy mocha-colored head that leaves just a touch of lacing on the glass.

The Nose
There are very nice chocolate notes on the nose, and hints of the roasted goodness to come. It really smells terrific, like a Riesen’s candy or a high-end tootsie roll.

The Taste
This has a nice full body. The chocolate is not that noticeable really, but the roasted flavor is quite strong and wonderful! There is a good amount of carbonation, not too much, and the mouthfeel is , to me, a little thick and oily, in a very good way.

Overall
Highland Brewing Co. seems to produce good products, but I was still surprised at just how good this beer really was. With every swallow I thought, “This is one good beer!” The roasted flavor is terrific and it really just works for me. Excellent brew!
Recommended: Absolutely. I am enchanted with this beer. Terrific stout flavors.

Price: $9.99/6-pack

ABV: 5.3%