Stout Month 2009 - 15th Annual

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

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...

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.

Deep, bitter, and smooth Vanilla with an initially thick, incredibly fine, 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. On the nitro tap, this stout is as good as it gets!

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... Imperialness. This Imperial Stout is a perfect finisher. Fondly nicknamed "The U-Sipper" - enjoy this beast s l o w l y !

The Nihilist is served up with a thick head, and if I didn't know better, I would have guessed the alcohol content to be in the 7% range. Dry and roasty, perhaps it is the lack of sweetness that masks the punch of this Stout. A pleasantly lingering burnt finish left me craving another one.

Exactly as described: Korova with Tangerine Zest. It goes down just like the Korova, but with a distinct and pleasant orange peel aftertaste. A very nice addition to the fruity stouts.

Not being much of a coffee drinker, this was a surprisingly enjoyable stout. An initially thick head from the Nitro Tap dissipates almost immediately while imparting a very nutty aroma. The Hazelnut on the tongue, however, is very faint and is strongly overpowered by the coffee. I found this beer more mellow and easy-drinking than the Java Porter on Nitro with a wonderfully sweet finish. Add another star if you're a coffee guru.

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...

The Belgian Dip Chocolate Stout continues to top the list year after year. I'm just a sucker for chocolatey, creamy, smooth stouts I guess. Full bodied, and full of chocolate, this stout goes especially well with a slice of the Mountain Sun's Carrot Cake!

This has been a much neglected stout in my repertoire, and after having it again for the first time in over a year, I liked it so much I ordered another pint! This is a rich stout that gives an III (Imperial Initial Impresssion), but without the bite of too much hops. Full-bodied, roasty, rich and mellow all at the same time. It gains an additional climbingboulder star this year! (2006)

The Korova has been on tap regularly at the Mountain Sun for many years now - and there's a reason! Smoother and creamier than a GUINNESS, but still with a traditional mellow flavor. This beer is pleasing on the palate both going down the hatch and afterwards on the tongue. One pint may just not be enough...

This year's Cherry Dip (2008) had unusually palatable sour cherry notes. Very nice, but it's nearly impossible to improve upon the perfection that is the Belgian Dip Chocolate Stout!

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.

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 was thinking a few weeks ago that this would be quite a worthy addition to Stout Month, and... Voila! It's now on tap!!! Heavy and thick like 10w40, this is a highly viscous stout that sticks to the sides of your glass and your mouth! Chocolatey with a long lingering bitterness. Oakey, woody, and earthy, the burnt and roasted flavor is fulfilling with just a sip. In the mood for 1 and only 1 stout? Better get this one. Without a doubt, 3 climbingboulder stars.

This stout poured with a super-thick head. Dark and roasty with a lingering bitter aftertaste. Full-bodied mouthfeel, yet mellowed substantially by being on the Nitro Tap. Not often that a stout with the full-body of an Imperial makes in on Nitro.

Is it possible that this beer (2006) is even stronger than last year? This unique stout is identifiable with one sniff! Full bodied, intense roastiness and maltiness, and yet the hops still sing in your mouth. The spicy and flowery scent perfectly enhance the thick and chewy fruitiness of this king of stouts. No, this CZAR of stouts! So intense and robust that you want to sip it with your eyes closed... This is indeed an astonishing monster, smashing the climbingboulder 3-star limit.

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.

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.

Not too fragrant. Dark, fine head. Very light on the nose, but absolutely incredible in the mouth! 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 and lingering finish, it will be hard to drink more than 1 of these.

Two years ago, I gave this stout the bomb, and the year before that only 1 star. It's hard to put my finger on what I dislike about this beer, but its excessive carbonation masks all the (alleged) chicory and licorice hints and leaves you wishing you were drinking something different. I love the imperial IPAs brewed by Dogfish Head, so it's with regret and disappointment that I'm going to quit trying this one if it shows up again next year.

I was seriously surprised by this stout. Expecting a lingering spice that would overpower any stoutness, the Imperial Javapeno Stout actually is mostly a roasty bomb with slight coffee overtones, and just a hint of Jalapeno finish. Not sweet in the slightest like many other imperials, the aroma of burnt coffee rises swallow after swallow. Still, for some reason peppers and stout just don't mix nearly as well as oaky, more creamy adjuncts.

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