Stout Month 2010 - 16th 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 green. --Stefan

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

Perfection. Quality. Always

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!

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.

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!

An instant classic the moment it was released in 2007, this stout returns year after year, and there's a reason. Persistant head - oak and vanilla all over your nose and in your mouth - thick and rich, this stout delivers everything you could ask for, and at a low enough ABV that you can actually get an actual pint-sized glass of it.

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.

This brew lives up to its name! Thick and viscous, it takes a while for the sides of your glass to clear when you set it back down on the table. And set it down you will - this stout is a sipper. Sweet and raisiny, with hardly any burnt or woody/oaky notes, dried figs come to mind from both the taste and the scent which hides the 10.5% perfectly. Hands down, delicious!

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.

A very persistant head for a non-Nitro pour, this stout has coffee on the nose, tongue, throat, ears, and toes. So much coffee that I almost forgot it was a beer! Move over Java Porter, now there's something meatier...

A super specialty item and a real treat to have on tap at the Mountain Sun! The only other known tap of this beer is in Avery's Tasting Room. This ultra-high octane stout is super-duper sweet. Very complex raisiny toffee and caramel. A tremendously high ABV is hiding behind all the sweetness, but this year's Meph doesn't seem to mask this high ABV like past vintages I've had from the 12oz bottles. Surely it mellows with age, and I've been cellaring several every year to find out!

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)

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...

New to the very comprehensive Mountain Sun Stout line-up in 2009, this stout plays with the best of them. Burnt and earthy, but not as overpowering as the Thunderhead or Yonder Mountain, this is a good intro Stout if you don't want something quite so chewy, but still bursting with roasty richness. Did I mention they sell growlers? :-)

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!

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.

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 on the Nitro Tap, this stout poured with a very thin head giving a faint whif of thin mints. Lots-o-burnt, deep oaky notes with a pleasant and non-overpowering mouthfeel. I missed the chocolate, but got a hint of mint after swallowing. Certainly not the Mint Chocolate Dessert Stout I was expecting. I have to admit feeling a little let down compared to Adam Boggs' prior creations...

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.

While this stout doesn't smell like wine, the barrel aging process has imparted a very distinct grape, wine, and almost vinegary flavor that mellows the strong, burnt earthiness of the classic Thunderhead Stout. Very, very unique and worth a taste for sure, but I prefer the original Thunder.

Smells like isopropyl and tastes like it too. This was a big disappointment relative to the other lovely craft brews from Lost Abbey that I've tried in bottles. Maybe I was sick or my taste buds were off, but I just didn't get a good first impression from this stout at all..

Could it be, a collaboration with the Mountain Sun?! If it's as good as the Backdraft Imperial, we're in for a treat.

Could this be The Abyss coming soon! I can't wait!