The Beer Thread

[Skins4Life6388]

I am a big fan of Samuel Adam's Summer Ale and the Sierra Nevada Stout.

[AsburySkinsFan]

Wow, this is extra stout...honestly this is where the word stout comes from. woof!


B- / 3.5
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | drink: 2.5
Room temp
Bottle to pint glass

Appearance: As I poured the brew came out very smoothly allowing for a nice soft pour, even still once I began pouring down the middle of the glass the almond colored medium density head began to build immediately so much that I had to slow my pour lest I overflow the glass, when I was finished the head was nearly 2 fingers, but faded to about ¼ inch leaving a medium lace that clings to the side.

Smell: I smelled a very strong dark or chocolate malts, there was some caramel sweetness but it was hidden, what I noticed the most was the heavy spice of the hops. The hops was fairly strong but not completely overbearing, I noticed what seemed like another spice in there as well but it might have been just a very heavy hop. I did not smell any alcohol in the brew.

Taste: I really didn't notice much of the sweetness that I smelled initially, there was a very robust malt taste that competed with the bitterness of the hops. The level of bitterness was not offensive in fact it seemed well balanced, but the bitterness held throughout and seems the one constant in this brew, even as I write this almost 15 minutes after finishing I can still feel and taste some of the bitterness in my mouth. There seemed to be some very rich licorice taste which was probably a mixture between the malts and the hops. This is certainly a full bodied brew, but there is a spice in the taste that I simply cannot put my finger on. I also did not notice any alcohol taste.

Mouthfeel: This stout has a thick feel to it but certainly not tarish. The carbonation is about medium as it fizzes on my lips and tongue. There is also a thin layer of diacetyl that is left at finish, but once gone the Extra Stout leaves the mouth dry.

Drinkability: This is where I think this brew suffers, the complexity of this brew means that it is really in my opinion an acquired taste. I cannot honestly say that this stout went down easy, and with the residual bitterness in my mouth now 20 minutes later I don't know if I would want that on a regular basis.

[CooleyRox]

I'm anxious to see what you think of that Left Hand Milk Stout. It sounded horrible to me but I was really surprised when I tried it. I thought it was VERY smooth and drinkable!

[AsburySkinsFan]

I'm anxious to see what you think of that Left Hand Milk Stout. It sounded horrible to me but I was really surprised when I tried it. I thought it was VERY smooth and drinkable!

Yeah I was a bit thrown by the "milk" in it as well, but as I researched it I found that there isn't really any milk in it at all but just lactose:

A sweet stout variation also includes lactose or milk sugar, and often additions of cane or other fermentable sugars for priming, dubbed a Milk Stout. Additions of oatmeal are commonly added to both to induce an even smoother mouthfeel and body.
http://beeradvocate.com/articles/291

Once I saw that I was a bit more open to trying it, odd thing is that apparently there are some regulations out that prevent the use of milk in the naming of food for various reasons, so I was actually surprised to see it in this one so I grabbed it just to try one that apparently passed these regulations.

[matty dread]

Sam Adams has a killer cream stout you should check out, ASF

[AsburySkinsFan]

Sam Adams has a killer cream stout you should check out, ASF

I'm going to but its a Fall brew so I have to wait for it....

[MattFancy]

if you guys are ever in baltimore, check out brewer's art. they brew their own beer and have some really good choices. i would reccomend the ozzy.

http://www.thebrewersart.com/

[AsburySkinsFan]

Sorry, new review last night I was out of town, I'll be trying the Bluegrass Brewing Company (BBC) Bourbon Barrel Stout tonight though, from what I hear its an intense brew.

[AsburySkinsFan]

As promised.

Bluegrass Brewing Company: Jefferson Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout
8.5 ABV....you've been warned.
B+ / 3.85
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | drink: 3.5
Bottle
Room temp

Appearance: not quiet inky black, but extremely dark, it is completely opaque and on the edges you can see some light through it which shows a murky fluid. As the brew settled into the glass I began to notice some almond colored particles floating in the mix which began to settle on the bottom leaving a thin layer of small things that looked like little globs of something. I was wondering if they were a product of aging in the barrels but between the murkiness and the particles it was clear that this was not a heavily filtered brew. The head rose to 1 ¼ fingers and was a dark almond color this gave the stout a very appealing appearance, in a few moments the head dissipated to a thin layer covering the brew, with several carbonation streams visible from the surface. The unfiltered look got me curious but it lacked a polish that I’ve come to expect from quality stouts.

Smell: The strong dark roasted malts are evident to even an amateur beer taster and very pleasant at that, they have a nice deep aroma that is pleasant. There is the hoppy spice that one would expect from a stout but it doesn’t compete with the malty richness. The aroma is made more complex with the sweetness which at first smelled like chocolates or toffee but further in began to remind me of the bourbon. As per the name I really was expecting more of a bourbon touch to the stout.

Taste: Again the rich malts rule the day with this stout accompanied by the sweetness of the caramel and toffee flavors. As with the smell there is some hoppy bitterness but nothing bold or offensive, it is quite well mannered in that regard. I did notice some woody or oak flavors that added a nice mix to the flavors. As I progressed I began to think that the sweetness I was tasting could be in part due to the bourbon barrels but again I couldn’t taste much bourbon in the brew. In all the stout has a dark rich malt flavor with sweetness backed up by the spice of the hops. If they are looking to highlight the malts then they succeeded in providing a nice well behaved full bodied flavor. There is a very mild alcohol taste but it too is tame and in line with what I’ve experienced with other stouts.

Mouthfeel: The first thing I noticed in this brew was the thick smoothness of the liquid which rolls very nicely on the tongue and feels quite pleasant for those wanting a hearty drink. The carbonation doesn’t seem to match what I saw at first at I thought I was going to have a heavily bubbled drink only to find that the fizz was well behaved. I did notice a slight chunkiness or grit as I began to finish the pint which I imagine was from the particles I saw earlier. I have to know what those are all about. The feel in the mouth is thick and creamy, and leaves the mouth with a light buttery film that clears relatively fast.

Drinkability: This is not a session beer in the least, but it is a certainly a pleasant beer that one could enjoy drinking by itself or with a meal although I would suggest a solo run rather than muttle the malty richness with other flavors. The carbonation fizz added to enhance the feel but didn’t leave me feeling bloated as this smooth brew slid down. I actually finished this beer faster than I would have liked because the flavors were just that good. This is certainly going on my repeat list for the time when I want a brew that I can just settle down with and nurse enjoying the dark richness.

[royallypwned]

hey ASF, have you ever tried a Victory Golden Monkey?

[Warpath11]

Those globs you saw might have been yeast (or as you pointed out the barrel aging). Some breweries bottle condition their beers with live yeast for that improved flavor that gas CO2 just can't provide. IMO beer is better if bottle conditioned with live yeast. In some styles, such as a hefeweisen, you drink the yeast by resuspending it before pouring the beer. Other styesl the yeast can be left behind if so prefered. For most stouts you probably want to leave the yeast behind in the bottle so pour more gently and leave a bit of beer at the bottom of the bottle.

[#98QBKiller]

hey ASF, have you ever tried a Victory Golden Monkey?

I drink that once in a while at my local bar. From what I remember it tastes kind of like spices. Pretty good beer.

[AsburySkinsFan]

hey ASF, have you ever tried a Victory Golden Monkey?

No, not yet, what you see as far as reviews here is pretty much the sum total of my beer tasting experience, throw in a couple Sam Adams and you have the full range. One of the reasons I started reviewing is because I'm working my way through the styles to find what I like and don't like, so its pretty much a record of a personal journey which makes it sound a whole lot better than "I take notes so I don't forget."

Those globs you saw might have been yeast (or as you pointed out the barrel aging). Some breweries bottle condition their beers with live yeast for that improved flavor that gas CO2 just can't provide. IMO beer is better if bottle conditioned with live yeast. In some styles, such as a hefeweisen, you drink the yeast by resuspending it before pouring the beer. Other styesl the yeast can be left behind if so prefered. For most stouts you probably want to leave the yeast behind in the bottle so pour more gently and leave a bit of beer at the bottom of the bottle.

Yeah, I had a friend a BA let me know they were probably bits of yeast that end up in the bottle because BBC doesn't filter their beer, instead they use gravity to settle out the sediments while they draw their beer off of the top and siphon in the bottle. The particles didn't affect the taste from what I could tell, but the non-filtered aspect did affect the mouthfeel with a slight dustiness near the end. While it didn't have the polished look of the stouts I've tried so far I like the rougher character of the non-filtered it seemed to give it a touch of character.

[Tut77]

My review of Konings Hoeven Bock. (which I'm writing as I drink it).

This is a trappist ale, and from my limited research, the only trappist single bock in existence.

Pours very dark brown with a nice color reminiscent of real black cherry juice when held to the light. Thick, white head that quickly diminishes to thinness. Scent has heavy notes sweet, dark, sticky fruits---raisin/ plum/prune come across very strongly. I think I smell a bit of honey too.
Very malty--comes forward very strongly in the taste. Easy drinking, the flavor smoothes out on the tongue nicely, with no bite and slight carbonation. Dark fruit flavors come across in the taste too. 7% alcohol. I like.

[AsburySkinsFan]

My review of Konings Hoeven Bock. (which I'm writing as I drink it).

This is a trappist ale, and from my limited research, the only trappist single bock in existence.

Pours very dark brown with a nice color reminiscent of real black cherry juice when held to the light. Thick, white head that quickly diminishes to thinness. Scent has heavy notes sweet, dark, sticky fruits---raisin/ plum/prune come across very strongly. I think I smell a bit of honey too.
Very malty--comes forward very strongly in the taste. Easy drinking, the flavor smoothes out on the tongue nicely, with no bite and slight carbonation. Dark fruit flavors come across in the taste too. 7% alcohol. I like.

Nice that one sounds very appealing to me, its going on my list.