Saturday Night Stoutfest!  (or just dark beer).  It's about 45 below out so John and I decided to stay in and drink some dark beer.  So here we go!

First up, we are finishing up the beer I brought hom early in the summer from Against the Grain brewery in Louisville.  If you make it anywhere near, I would strongly recommend stopping by as they had some good stuff to go.

Brewer: Against the Grain
Beer Name:  The Brown Note
Beer Style:  Brown Ale
Price:  About $10 or $12 for a 4pack of 16 oz cans.

Aroma:  There really isn't any.  Maybe a slight almond or other nut smell but very feint.

Appearance:  Obviously, it's brown.  Medium in color- foggy but not dense.  It's a real light brown around the edges.  A very nice looking beer.  John says pretty clear, amberish in color.

Mouthfeel:  Light, not much weight to it.  John says it is very smooth.

Taste:  John's first words were, "Man, this is good."  We have both had it before and we both agree it was the best of the beers I brought back.  It is a solid brown ale for sure.  Google the label and read it.  It's worth the 20 seconds.  John gets a little malt taste but not overpowering.

Overall rating:  I put a 4 on untappd when I rated it there and I'm sticking with it  If you like brown ale at all, this is a good one to drink.  John says 4 as well.  We agree that this is worth tracking down a 4pack.

2nd Beer:

Brewer:  Against the Grain
Beer Name:  35K

Beer Style:  Milk Stout

Price:  About $10 or $12 for a 4 pack of 16oz cans

Aroma:  Not much there.  John agrees.

Appearance:  Dark.  A nice, oily look to it.  Great lacing.

Mouthfeel:  Very tingly.  This feels like a regular stout.  I had one of these already and it tastes much more like a regular stout then a milk stout.

Taste:  This is very much like a regular stout.  Licoricey and malty.  John agrees that it is not a traditional milk stout.   He thinks it is good, but not very milky.

Overall Rating:  I'm saying 3.5.  John says 3.75.  It's good but not as good as the brown.

3rd Beer:  

Brewer:  Terrapin
Beer Name:  Moo Hoo

Beer Style:  Chocolate Milk Stout

Price:  $10 for a six pack if memory serves correctly.

Aroma:  Again, not much here.  John smells chocolate.

Appearance:  Dark, clear, and handsome.  Not as oily as the 35K. 

Mouthfeel:  Again, not much going on.  Smooth, light, some tingle as it passes over the tounge.

Taste:  This has a LOT of chocolate in it.  It puts the chocolate milk in chocolate milk stout.  It is delicious.  I have had the other five and I think I drank them colder because I haven't gotten this much taste out yet.  It pays to drink them at the right temperature.  John loves it.  He says you can really taste the chocolate.

Overall Rating:  John says 4.25.  I'm saying a solid 4.  It is way better as it warms up.

Beer #4

Brewer:  4Hands
Beer Name:  2018 Tiki Chocolate Milk Stout (I have a bottle of 2017 in the fridge that I will rate at a later date)
Beer Style:  Chocolate Milk Stout w/ Coffee and coconut.
Price:  You can buy a 12 pack of 6 regular and 6 tiki at Friar Tucks for about $18.

Aroma:  John says it has a sharp coffee smell.  It does have a coffee aroma but I think it smells good.

Appearance:  Also dark in color, opaque.  Has brown lacing.

Mouthfeel:  This has a good tingle to it as it goes down.  light. smooth, more volume then the others. 

Taste:  For a mass produced beer, this is complex.  It starts with the coffee, but quickly changes to the coconut, chocolate, vanilla, licorice, etc found in the rest of the beer.  As much as I love the regular chocloate milk stout, I like this as much or more.  The coffee is not overpowering at all; it does not overpower any of the other flavors.  It's one of the few beers where each flavor is overtly expressed at some point in each drink.  For the record, John doesn't care for it.  Not going to drink my Perennial Sump with him.  (Don't tell him that).

Overall Rating:  John says a 3.25.  He is not enamored by the coffee.  I say 4.75.  I love this stuff.  It is a flavor bomb.

Beer #5

Brewer:  Narrow Gauge
Beer Name:  Old Town Porter
Beer Style:  Porter
Price:  $12 for a 4 pack of 16oz cans

Aroma:  Slight vanilla maybe?  Hazelnut possibly?  None of these beers have an aroma.  I've been drinking so many juicebomb IPA's recently, this is crazy.  John says he gets nothing.  Seems to be a theme.

Appearance:  Dark brown. 

Mouthfeel:  Super tingly.  A lot more alive then the others.

Taste:  Maple and bacon right off the bat.  Anise, maybe some berry as well.  This has a lot of flavor for a porter.  I think it has more of a stout taste to it.  John doesn't think it has much of an extra flavor.  As many of you know, Narrow Gauge is an IPA brewery so darker beers are not their specialty.  That being said, this was an admirable attempt at a porter.  It's not bad- not good.  John says it's roasty and smoky. 

Overall rating:  John says its a 3.5.  I say 3.5 also.  Consistency is the key.  Not my favorite porter but not the worst I've had by any means.

 
Beer #6  (Time for the Big Boys)

Brewer:  Left Hand
Beer Name:  Wake Up Dead Nitro
Beer Style:  Russian Imperial Stout Nitro
Price:  Don't remember but it wasn't that much.  Maybe $3 or $4 for a 16 oz can.

Aroma:  Something going on here finally.  Black licorice, maybe some dates or plums?  A slightly tart aroma for sure. 

Appearance:  Think TLC Waterfalls as the foam gathers its way up the glass.  A beautiful pouring beer.  Gotta love nitro.  Obviously, it has a great head on it.  Creamy as could be and the lacing is not disappearing at all.

Mouthfeel:  Defintely a big boy.  Boozy but with the nitro, it still passes as a regular beer.  John thinks this one could really sneak up on you.

Taste:  John says he likes it but the name is appropriate.  He does not think it tastes like a 10% beer.  He wants another one.  I, on the other hand, don't care for it.  It is too dry to me.  It has a very bitter taste that I don't care for.  I want my stouts sweet and malty.  This one is too bitter and it has a weird fruity/ pruney/ datey thing going on.  Maybe that's the Russian flavor.  Not my thing. 

Overall Rating:  John says 4.0.  I say 2.0.  Give me some chocolate milk in my beer. 

Beer #7

Brewer:  Samuel Smith
Beer Name: Imperial Stout
Beer Style:  Stout
Price:  $4 for a 550 ML (1 pint 2 oz) bottle.  Relatively cheap for 2 almost full glasses.

Aroma:  Fruity.  I'm guessing the yeast? John doesn't smell anything.

Appearance:  Another beautiful pour.  Not the lacing of the nitro but still very nice.  Dark, lacey, clearish for a dark beer.  John just said we have to go to Sam Smith some time.  I'm all for it.  We did try to open a local branch last year but they only franchise in the UK.  For real.  Not making this up.  We actually looked into it.

Mouthfeel:  Very smooth again.  No tingle on this one. 

Taste:  Very pruney as well.  I am a little perplexed by the taste to be sure.  I was expecting a little more.  It is good but very simple.  John says it's light and smooth but definitely has the prune taste. 

Overall Rating:  John says its a 3.5.  I say 3 even.   

Beer #8 (Last One)

Brewer:  Tool
Beer Name:  Don't Cry Over Spilt Milk
Beer Style:  Imperial Milk Porter
Price:  I bought this about 3 years ago.  I have no idea.  We had a similar brew from Tool a few years back and we decided to let the other one wait  for a while.

Aroma:  A slight hint of bourbon followed up with a huge aroma of bourbon.  Besides the bourbon, it has a slight fruit aroma- similar to the stout John and I drank four years ago, it has a fruity undertone.

Appearance:  Very dark- it's about time to make a joke about Brad Owens' women here-  it's a good looking dark beer.

Mouthfeel:  Tart and fruity on the front; followed by the burn of heavy alcohol on the back.  This is a strong beer for sure. 

Taste:  Very raisoney/ pruney, tart for a porter.  This is very similar to the stout we drank 4 years ago.  John says it is very strong and boozy.  I agree.  It's a strong beer.  That being said, we both like it.  John tastes the lactose or milk or whatever it is in there.  John says it probably has mellowed over the last four years it sat in my fridge.  Either way, it didn't hurt to let it sit there; that's for sure.

Overall Rating:  John says 3.75.  I say 3 even.  Not my favorite bourbon barrel aged.  Still ineresting to drink beer from Denmark.