Stout Month 2007

Official descriptions are in normal text.
This year's opinions and impressions are italicized in orange. --Stefan

The Belgian Dip Chocolate Stout continues to top the list year after year. This year, the head is extra thick and so fine that you can't even discern the bubbles with the naked eye. It is all chocolate, no bitterness, and no disapointments. I detected more semi-sweet rather than milky undertones this time around making the first nose-dipping sip that much more intense. Full bodied, and full of chocolate, this stout would go especially well with a slice of the Mountain Sun's Carrot Cake!

Trickster, indeed! If you closed your eyes and took a whiff of this one, the strong floral hoppiness would cause visions of a pale, golden IPA to dance in your head. Open your eyes and... Whoa! It's a stout?! After a few swallows, the only sign that it is a stout (aside from a tiny hint of burnt/roasty character) is the dark color. Hops and bitters prevail in this brew. For a stout, I'd say it only merits one star, but for uniqueness, and to appease the diehard hopheads, I'll give it two.

This stout draws you in with a faint and comforting GUINNESS-esque aroma. The first taste leaves a distinctly burnt, but smooth, first impression. As the comparatively thinner head dissipates, further swallows offer up hints of coffee and barley. Ye Old School Stout is fairly bursting with flavor compared to it's Dry Irish Brethren. A hearty and solid stout for sure. A thicker, more persistent head would easily bump this stout to 3 stars.

Holy Coconut, Batman! This amazingly smooth stout smells just like a fresh coconut macaroon. The coconut on the tongue is a bit more subtle, and extremely pleasing. The combination of the coconut and vanilla perfectly complement the deep chocolate undertones and make this stout a delectable tropical treat without a single hint of the bitterness present in most stouts! I've always been a huge fan of the sweeter, dessert-style, stouts, and the Coconut Cream Stout is no exception. It delivers! With an uber-thick, but darker and grainier head than the Belgian Dip, Boggs' dreamy concoction was absolutely made for the Nitro Tap. The head is so persistent that it takes 3 pours to deliver this pint of perfection. Thank you, Adam Boggs, for this incredible brew! Now, if only there weren't so many other stouts to try, I could just stick to this one for the rest of the month...

Deep, bitter, and smooth Vanilla with an initially thick, but quickly dissipating head. The Stoked Oak is Oaky and Bourbony on the nose, with a distinct vanilla flavor reminiscent of Breckenridge Brewery's Vanilla Porter. Thick, hearty, and satisfying enough for the burly man, yet sweet and smooth enough for the ladies. The burnt, oaky and roasted tones develop even further as you drain your pint. This is destined to be a popular stout!

Big, bold and earthy. Powerful in character and chewy in body. The Yonder Mountain Stout is a manly man's stout. Dark and rich notes of Anise balance the slightly hoppy bitterness. Bitter in the mouth, yet finishes dry and crisp leaving a pleasantly sweet aftertaste on the lips! Oh yeah, and this is one of the few stouts that you can get a growler of to enjoy at the office, er... I mean, at home...

This immensely complex stout has a thin, dark brown head, and smells like freshly picked flowers planted in charcoal. It has a licorice and roasted raisiny mouthfeel, with an immediate, dark, malty alcohol warming of the throat and cheeks. Lingering, persistent "bitterness" that lacks a proper descriptive adjective - burnt, roasted, blackness. This Imperial Stout defines the word "Imperialness". Nicknamed "The U-Sipper" - enjoy this beast s l o w l y !

This fizzy, cidery, stout gave a sour and almost skunked first impression. Maple? Nope. Excess CO2? Yep. Maybe it just didn't age well over the last year? The only way I was able to get some nice flavors out of this brew was to give it a quick and furious stir to purge off some of the carbonation. Then some chocolate and toffee tones came out, but it still left me with an odd, sour aftertaste. General Coconut Cream ought to Court Marshall the Captain! No need for more than 1 of these.

Ahh, fragrant and identifiable by one sniff, this year, the head of the Czar is thicker than usual, with the same coarse, medium reddish-brown tint. The thicker head seems to result in a lower carbonation that almost renders this stout *too* drinkable! So drinkable that this Czar is no longer a sipping beer. Down a star from the last two years.

Inky black velvet! Raisins on the nose, and even more in the mouth - this stout is loaded with sweetness resonating of prunes and currants with no Imperial bitterness! Is it really 10.3% ABV? Malty, not roasty, it reminds me of the Cusquena Malta from Peru. I felt the Backdraft had a completely different character this year than last. With so much caramel and raisiny notes, an 8 oz. glass is just the right size for this unique stout.

I try this one year after year, and yet I am continuously unimpressed. It is a very dark stout, and this year the carbonation was finally decent. A burnt and charred smell wafts up from the thin, dark brown head leading you to believe that this will be a chewy, manly stout. Burnt, bitter, and smoky in the mouth, with plenty of hops to compensate for the burnt barley. Unfortunately, it left me with a very lingering, almost unpleasant aftertaste. Only 1 star again. I just don't understand how this beer can get such high ratings from people (unlike me, I might add) that actually know what they're talking about!

This highly carbonated, odorless stout has a course light brown head. It is absolutely bursting with coffee flavor, and coffee drinkers would probably find this an adequate breakfast substitute. The Java Porter is a touch smoother, but the Big Daddy delivers the caffeine with wonderful burnt caramel undertones. This beer could gain a star just by being moved to a Nitro Tap.

The Storm King starts with mellow hops on the nose and a reddish-brown, medium-thick head. It drinks thick with heavy tones of licorice and cinnamon while achieving an amazing balance between raisiny sweetness, malted barley, and a hoppy bitter finish. Immediate alcohol warming with a caramel malty hoppiness that grows on ya. A supremely balanced Imperial Stout.

Smooth as silk. Sweet, creamy and dreamy. The Young's imparts chocolate like no other. A personal favourite. (Gratuitous British spelling)

Not too fragrant. Dark, fine head. Very light on the nose, but absolutely incredible in the mouth! I was blown away by this beer this year! Dark touches of caramel and toffee with a touch of raisins and dates give this stout a slight sweetness that is perfectly balanced by the immediate alcohol presence. Thick caramel and mellow sweetness with a bitter, but crisp finish. This creation from Stone earns another star this year!