Showing posts with label Stout. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stout. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Murphy's Draught Style Stout

Murphy's Draught Style Stout is an Irish style Dry Stout that comes in a can with a widget.
4.0% ABV

Review:
Murphy's is an exciting beer to pour. Because it is nitrogenated and has a widget, the tiny bubbles are slow to float to the surface and as a result the beer goes from foamy, to brown and thick with bubbles, to dark black with a tan head. It is also fun because the guys at Murphy's have trained the bubbles to creep up to the top of the glass and create a foam-dome but to never overflow. 
Well played, lads!
Anyway, that nice thick head that is pictured above does reduce a bit as you are drinking this beer, but never really goes away. Honestly, it lasts throughout the glass. I've said before that I don't put much stock into the importance of the head retention, but still, I've gotta say that this is pretty impressive. The aroma is dominated by sweet roasted malts and not much else -- which is appropriate. As for the taste, well, it tastes like slightly chalky roasted malts. That's it. Can we go back to talking about the impressive foam now? 

Oh, mouthfeel is very nice. Kinda like a pillow of nitrogen foam landed on your tongue and dissolved into light flavored beer.

(Side note: This page has a nice writeup about a taste-off between Murphy's and Guiness.)

Overall:
Meh. 
Did I mention the foam...?

Grade: C
(Can Purchased at Liquor Collection)

Friday, April 1, 2011

Mad River Brewing Co -- Steelhead Extra Stout


Mad River Brewing Co.'s Steelhead Extra Stout is, "a black opaque ale with rich creamy roasted malt character and a very mild hop compliment.  Dessert beer."
 6.5% ABV

Review:
It is 7:48am and I'm already daydreaming about having a Steelhead Extra Stout tonight.
This ale pours BLACK! There are not even any highlights... just infinite darkness. The head pours to 3/8" and stands for about 2 minutes before settling into a ring around the edge of the glass. The aroma is very complex with hints of coffee, vanilla, plum, roasted chocolate, and a hint of cinnamon. When cold, the flavor starts with a cherry cola note and fades to chocolate covered currants. The hop character is light and grassy and only comes into play late but lingers on the tongue after swallowing. The mouthfeel is fairly effervescent and despite the obvious amount of malts used, does not feel thick or syrupy.
(Side Note: Steelhead Brewing uses the original mash tun that Sierra Nevada brewing Co. started with. That means that this beer has been filtered through the thousands of holes that Ken Grossman drilled by hand in the false bottom.)

Overall Impression
For something this black, the expectation might be to have the roast dominate the palate. Not so with this ale. Instead, in the balance between roasty character and sweetness, the sweetness from the caramel/crystal and specialty malts slightly beats out the roasted backbone. This is not necessarily a bad thing, and indeed, this tipping of the scales was the intended effect that the brewmaster was looking for in formulating this "dessert beer."
If you're looking for a roast forward, bitter, coffee tasting ale, this isn't it.
If you are looking for a complex, lovely, slightly sweet stout, this is for you.
I plan to take the brewery's advice and make a stout and vanilla ice cream float tonight!

Grade: A-
Barrel Man Says,
"they should barrel age this."
(bottle purchased at Tamura's)

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Guinness Foreign Extra


Guinness Brewing Co.'s Foreign Extra Stout is "the fullest in flavor of the Guinness brand variants" and has only been available in the US since 2010.
Strong for a Guinness -- 7.5% ABV.

Review:

A picture is worth a thousand words. So, look at the picture! That is a very dark beer with a very tan head. And you can trust me, that head never goes away. 'Nuff said about the appearance. The Aroma has wonderful vanilla, roast, and semi-sweet chocolate notes. The taste is creamy and roasty but not heavy. I would classify this as a medium bodied beer. Mouthfeel, and aftertaste are smooth and smoother respectively.

(Side Note: This beer was available in the US from 1817 until prohibition. It has been 45% of Guinness' beer sales around the world, but has only just returned to the US. Welcome back! Check out this link for more info.)

Overall Impression: Smooth! Tasty! Best Guinness ever! Where has this beer been for the last 78 years or so?

Grade: A




(This beer was purchased at the Liquor Collection)