beer blah blog

89 / 100

I keep liking all these stouts as you can see. This one I acquired in a trade from someone on the East Coast. I remember drinking this back in my eastside days. It's pretty damn good.

This combines the best of the Russian Imperial Stout and the Sweet Stout to one particular thick and creamy tasty beer. It's thick and resiny, with a slight cappuccino head. Dark chocolate and espresso dominate the nose. Very full with little subtleties. The taste is quite filling - full of the chocolate and coffee flavors with some roasted malt and even a bite of vanilla.

This has become an East Coast classic. Worth looking for this one.

80 / 100

Young's Double Chocolate Stout is the world's most popular sweet stout. Stout and chocolate just make sense together.

After the pour the most immediate thing you notice is the frothy head. There seems to be a lot of carbonation too. The color is a thick black. The aroma is milk chocolate with some grain. The taste is full of chocolate and a slight hop bite. The taste actually improves as it warms up.

I was drinking the 500mL bottle, I remember it being better in the nitro-can - more creamy.

85 / 100

I just noticed that I haven't reviewed many of Lagunitas Brewing Co's fine beers as of yet. Over the past 2 years I've noticed a steady improvement in their offerings to become one of Northern California's most underrated brewers. Their DIPA, Maximus has become a staple in my 'fridge and their seasonals are quite tasty.

The Cappuccino Stout is brewed with Sebastapole's Own Hard Core Coffee as listed on the label. It pours a medium bodied, medium thickness dark almost opaque color. The aroma is roasted malt, a bit of chocolate and guess what? Cappuccino! Or well, most likely coffee scents. The frothing makes it more cappuccino like even if the head does not hold very long.

The taste is great. Full of flavor - the aforementioned malt, chocolate and coffee with a surprising hop bitterness. The bite of the hops, the sweetness of the chocolate at the acidity of the coffee balance well together. It's has an after dinner quality to it, but I could also see myself drinking this in the morning - after all it does have coffee in it ;-)

84 / 100

As the missus noted this weekend, "Wow, you've really gotten stouty!" So true. Thus begins Stout Week.

To start Stout Week, I thought it fitting to have one of my favorites which happened to had it's 2007 release: Stone Imperial Russian Stout.

The 2006 version was incredible, as were the previous years'. Often big stouts like this are better over time and would expect that to be very true for the version this year. There was a edgey bitterness that I don't remember from past years' offerings. It wasn't all that unpleasant, but this could be better. In that it was slightly disappointing.

The malt character is very well pronounced. It hints at cocoa and caramel but is very much M A L T. The alcohol level is quite high, so be careful. f you're able to find years' past, I'd cozy up to one of those - this year's will be best with some time.

96 / 100

I'm finally getting around to reviewing this beer, my favorite stout.

Certain beers get to me sometimes and it becomes almost all I can think about. Usually with me it's an IPA or a Belgian ale, but every once in awhile it's a fine crafted stout. Speedway Stout is one of those beers.

This special beer works best in a snifter I've found (or perhaps a large red wine glass). The snifter allows the beauty of the deep, viscous blackness as it pours along the curve of the glass, leaving a creamy lace. The espresso frothed head is glorious in the small mouth of the snifter.

The aroma is wonderful - rich coffee, sweet malt and an almost vanilla flavor. It takes awhile to get around the complexities but it's very rewarding. The texture is thick and creamy - exactly what I like in a big stout. You can almost chew it.
Tasting it starts with an espresso flavor that gets a bit bitter before rounding out with a sweet malt backbone. There's a bitterness of dark chocolate with a sweetness of vanilla bean and hint of cherry wood. It's difficult to put a finger on all of the flavors, but it's enjoyable to try.

At 12% ABV, this is not for everyday / all day consumption. At that level it is rather remarkable how easily it does go down. The alcohol warmth makes this perfect for a colder night. Living in Los Angeles, I've enjoyed this just as much at bbqs and even for a nice weekend breakfast sipping. Stouts are not for everyone, but if you ever wanted to crossover this is the best place to start.