Passive English style dark ale contrasts brown coffee roast against burnt caramel sweetness above moderate hop char. Advertised pecan nuttiness stays subtle, registering below oily coffee reminder.
MARSHALL BLACK DOLPHIN IMPERIAL STOUT
Enticing 2015 bourbon-barreled Imperial Stout brings creamy bourbon chocolate sweetness to the fore above brown-sugared dried fruiting, burnt caramel piquancy and oaken vanilla scurry. Boozy sherry propensity crowds mighty dark chocolate, coffee and cocoa contingent. Tertiary marshmallow, molasses and chicory undertones deepen overall intensity.
LAZY MAGNOLIA JEFFERSON CREAM STOUT
Rich moderation succeeds at combining tuberous vegetal adjunct with dark-roasted brown chocolate malts. Milk-sugared sweet potato auxiliary reinforces deep chocolate roast and sour coffee niche over ashen hop char. Sweet potato pie vestige drifts by as mild cola, hazelnut and walnut undertones pick up light molasses creaming at dark cocoa finish.
(WILD ONION) DRAGO BOURBON BARREL AGED RUSSIAN IMPERIAL STOUT
Bodacious bourbon chocolate stout retains creamy mocha molasses richness. Syrupy chocolate-vanilla fudging nudges Jack Daniels whiskey sweetness and dark cherry tartness as well as light smoked oak char, creating heavy dessert luster. Distant burgundy, black grape and raisin illusions bring mild sweet ‘n sour sideswipe to engaging chocolate whiskey finish.
ITHACA SUPER STOUT
On tap at Shepherd & Knucklehead, creamy ‘coffee oatmeal stout’ picks up bittersweet dark chocolate richness to emphasize dry black coffee roast. Smoked nuttiness, mild black peppering and charred hop singe reinforce luxurious coffee bean theme.
STONE AMERICANO STOUT
On tap at Shepherd & Knucklehead, bold espresso-roasted Imperial Stout retains creamy brown chocolate sweetness to contrast resinous hop pining and mild chili burn. Rich mocha malting picks up smoky nuance by the vanilla-daubed chocolate espresso finish.
NEW BELGIUM HOP KITCHEN HOP STOUT
On tap at Shepherd & Knucklehead, brawny Imperial Stout utilizes woody Chinook hop char to heighten the tarry dark-roasted bitterness consuming its coffee-enriched dark chocolate malting and moderate molasses-like sugaring. Beneath the surface, dried cherry tartness contrasts mild bourbon sweetness.
(MAGNIFY) MAGNETIC POINT OF DIVERGENCE – 2016
On tap at Shepherd & Knucklehead, ‘divergent’ stout fermented with Italian red wine yeast happily marries dark ale mocha tendencies to tart grape tannins, oaken bourbon whims and black cherry snips. At the finish, dry cocoa, bittersweet chocolate and molasses oats take charge, leaving dark-fruited aspect to linger behind.
LIFT BRIDGE THE WARDEN MILK STOUT
Dry soy-milked souring affects dark-roasted black chocolate malting, unsweetened cocoa powdering and mild day-old coffee smidge of smoothly creamed moderation. Tertiary hazelnut, cola nut and walnut illusions drift off. Serve to Baltic porter fans.
GUINNESS WEST INDIES PORTER
The difference between waterier Guinness Dublin Porter and bolder West Indies Porter is almost negligible on the surface. West Indies ancient recipe offers a dryer mouthfeel, higher ABV (6%), bitterer coffee affluence and deeper charred hop tarring. Nutty black chocolate malting, reminiscent of Guinness Stout, drops off substantially as chalky cocoa astringency and ashen walnut sear back end bottled moderate-to-medium-bodied mediocity.
GUINNESS DUBLIN PORTER
Mild, smooth and watered down, soapy 3.8% ABV bottled porter (from ancient recipe) lacks distinction as nutty dark-roasted black chocolate malting and charred hop bittering prove insufficient. Sedate coffee, pumpernickel, burnt caramel, raw molasses and black tea illusions receive earthen mineral-grained musk. Disappointing.
ALE SYNDICATE OMEGA MIDNIGHT FOREIGN STYLE STOUT
Uncommon ‘foreign stout’ utilizes Omega, saison and witbier yeast for sour-fruited base bottoming spicy dark chocolate fudging, kilned black patent malt bittering and lactic Blackstrap molasses acridity. Tertiary vanilla, anise and cola nut illusions stay back alongside prune-stewed black cherry sedation.
