American Stouts

LEGENDARY BREWS

Along with the growth of craft beers has come a phenomenon I call Legendary Brews. These are beers that, either regionally or nationally, gain a near mythical status. For any number of reasons - limited production creating demand, unique taste profile, word of mouth, a particular hype upon release, or a combination of any and all - these beers become the stuff of legends. Usually they are brewed only certain times of the year, sometimes only once a year, and their release becomes a kind of beer geek celebration. Heady Topper from The Alchemist Brewing was one of the early Legendary Brews. Heady Topper started the New England Style IPA movement with a hazy, citrusy, hop-forward beer for which people wait in line for hours upon release in order to purchase a limited number of 4-packs.

Nearly every part of the country seems to have a Legendary Brew: Kentucky Stout from Toppling Goliath Brewing in Iowa, Sip of Sunshine from Lawson's Finest Liquids out of Vermont, Sexual Chocolate Imperial Stout from Foothills Brewing in North Carolina, Hunahpu's Imperial Stout from Cigar City in Florida, Dark Lord Imperial Stout from 3 Floyds in Indiana, Dogfish Head's 120 Minute IPA, or Dave, a barleywine from Hair of the Dog Brewing in Portland Oregon. Most of these are available regionally, which seems to add to their mystique. While Dogfish Head's 120 Minute IPA is more of a national brew, selling for over $40 per 4-pack. For many of these brews people will camp out at the brewery overnight prior to the release of the beer. Dark Lord, Hunahpu, Sexual Chocolate are all released once a year with big release parties. Dave is aged 20 years and its last release was in 2013 with only 12 bottles selling at $2,000 per. They sold out within hours.

A Central New York beer that has reached Legendary Brew status is Mass Riot IPA from Prison City Brewing in Auburn, NY. It is a New England style IPA that recently gained national attention (which pushed it into the realm of Legendary) when it was named Best IPA by Paste Magazine. We at BOTB were lucky enough to get into the brewpub on a Mass Riot release date for a member's birthday celebration. Like so many craft beer brewpubs, Prison City, located in The Armory building in
Auburn, has that nice, laid-back, hip industrial vibe. Our waitress was a lot of fun and knowledgeable. The food was terrific. And Mass Riot lives up to the hype. It's a wonderful beer. But it was by no means the only good beer available. Like many brewpubs, Prison City rotates beers in and out and experiments with different styles. Much to our delight they had a number of IPAs on tap besides Mass Riot including a Red and a Black and a New England.  Along with the myriad IPAs there were Sours, Lagers, Porters, Blondes, Belgians and hybrids of various ilk. It'll be interesting to see if their success equals wider availability.

AMERICAN STOUTS

Why "American" Stouts? After all the birthplace of stout is Ireland with Guinness Stout (ergo our nod to Guinness with our "Pour" section rating - Guinness Class Head). As American craft beer has grown, however, nearly every brewery has its own stout or several variations of Stouts. As has happened with the craft beer industry, American brewers took the basic essence of a style and tweaked it in various ways. In the case of Stouts, the basics amounted to a dark, malty beer with subtle hints of coffee and chocolate. American craft brewers have been toying with that formula to create stouts that tend to be a bit bigger and bolder and often hoppier than their cousins across the ocean. This month we decided to check out stouts produced exclusively by American brewers. 

OATMEAL STOUT

BRECKENRIDGE BREWERY

THE BEER FACTS: BREWER: Breckenridge Brewery, Littleton, CO; STYLE: Oatmeal Stout; ABV: 5%; IBU: 36

WHAT THE BREWER SAYS: "A well balanced easy drinking stout is timeless. Deeply roasted malts lend hints of coffee and dark chocolate. There's a softness that comes from the oatmeal, which when combined with the malts, adds a touch of sweetness at the onset. This transitions to an unexpected dry finish."

COLOR: Deep Mahogany

POUR: Decent tan head

AROMA: Malty, molasses dominates

BODY: Bit less than medium

TASTE: Toward the sweet side of balance with overtones of chocolate and coffee.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: Between "I Could Drink This" and "Can't Get Enough!"

COMMENTS: "Creamy on the tongue; A little thinner body than you might expect from a stout; Nice and mild; Not over the top, but easy-drinking beer; Nice, solid beer."

OLD MOUNTAIN MILK STOUT

BLUE LINE BREWING

THE BEER FACTS: BREWER: Blue Line Brewery, Saranac Lake, NY; STYLE: Milk Stout; ABV; 5.1%; IBUs: 25; MALTS: Roast, Chocolate, Crystal, Victory.

COLOR: Black

POUR: Slight head with some lacing

AROMA: Brown sugar

BODY: Between Medium and Full

TASTE: Sweet with notes of coffee, vanilla, brown sugar

OVERALL IMPRESSION: Between "I Could Drink This" and "Can't Get Enough!"

COMMENTS: "More malty; A bit creamier even than Breckenridge; Roasty; On the sweet side - I like it; Kind of like a nice latte; Yeah, coffee and vanilla; Good beer."

NITRO BREAKFAST WITH CHURCHILL OATMEAL COFFEE STOUT

WAR HORSE BREWING

THE BEER FACTS: BREWERY: War Horse Brewing, Geneva, NY; STYLE: Oatmeal Stout; ABV: 7.2%; MALTS: 2-Row, Oats, Roasted barley, Chocolate Malt, Crystal 55; HOPS: Bravo, East Kent Golding; OTHER: Colombian Coffee

WHAT THE BREWER SAYS: "Breakfast With Churchill is full of roasty smooth dark chocolate notes and balanced bitterness. With the addition of freshly roasted Colombian Coffee from our good friends at Glenn Edith in Rochester, it's a perfect start, or finish, to your day."

COLOR: Near Black with a red tint

POUR: Between Decent and Guinness Class with long-lasting lacing

AROMA: Brown sugar and coffee

BODY: Between Medium and Full

TASTE: Nice sweetness on the front with a pleasing bitterness at the end with a strong coffee taste throughout

OVERALL IMPRESSION: Darn near "Can't Get Enough!"

COMMENTS: "Creamy; More roasted taste than some of the others; Fills the mouth; Like a nice mug of coffee; Real nice mouth feel; They really hit the coffee stout sweet spot - a little sweet a little bitter with a nice big flavor; Coffee, yes, but still beer; Little bit of dark chocolate in there too; I like it."

DRAGONSLAYER

MIDDLE AGES BREWING CO.

THE BEER FACTS: BREWER: Middle Ages Brewing, Syracuse, NY; STYLE: Imperial Stout; ABV: 9.5%; HOPS: English hops

WHAT THE BREWER SAYS: "Brewed in the style of a Russian Imperial Stout. Strong, chocolatety and aggressively hopped with finest English hops

COLOR: Near pitch black

POUR: Near Guinness Class head - big, rich and long-lasting

AROMA: Roasty malt, candy

BODY: Near full

TASTE: Somewhat sweet, with coffee and dark chocolate dominant

OVERALL IMPRESSION: Near "Can't Get Enough!"

COMMENTS: "A bit more carbonated than many; Roasted coffee bitterness; Iced coffee; Not a dessert beer yet, but a meal ender; Bit of licorice taste in there; Big malty taste; Got a nice dark chocolate taste to it; The British vibe comes through with the English hops; Another good beer from one of our favorite breweries."

THICK MINT STOUT

SOUTHERN TIER

THE BEER FACTS: BREWER: Southern Tier Brewing, Lakewood, NY; STYLE: Imperial Stout Dessert Beer; ABV: 10%; IBU: 60

WHAT THE BREWER SAYS: "Inspired by the legendary cookie, Thick Mint joins our world-class rated Blackwater Series of dessert beers alongside Creme Brulee, Choklat Oranj, Salted Caramel and Choklat in 2017. This Imperial Stout is a mouthful of perfectly balanced mint and chocolate. Roasty malts coalesce with notes of Belgian dark chocolate, sweet mint and just a touch of sweet caramel. So decadently delicious, you'll wish you'd bouth another box...er, bottle."

COLOR: Black

POUR: Between Decent and Guinness Class

AROMA: Mint and chocolate

BODY: Full

TASTE: Sweet with dark chocolate and mint, bit of caramel and roasty malt

OVERALL IMPRESSION: Near "Can't Get Enough!"

COMMENTS: "Tastes like a Girl Scout cookie; Dessert; Creamy; Great mouthfeel; Deceptively alcoholic; I'm the one dissenting voice here - I'm just not a fan of mint in anything other than a candy of gum, just don't care for it. Having said that, I like this better than I thought I would - the mint is subtle enough to not overpower."

HYPNOPOMPA IMPERIAL STOUT

OMNIPOLLO BREWING

THE BEER FACTS: BREWER: Omnipollo Brewing, Boston MA; STYLE: Imperial Stout; ABV: 11%

WHAT THE BREWER SAYS: "Hypnopompa is our Imperial Stout brewed with almost 100 kilos of marshmallows and Tahitian vanilla beans ( the size of cigars). Low carbonation and boiled a bit extra for good measure, this is a beer strictly for the stout inclined."

COLOR: Black

POUR: Decent chocolate brown head

AROMA: Chocolate, sea-salt, caramel/sweet

BODY: Full

TASTE: Sweet dark chocolate

OVERALL IMPRESSION: Near "Can't Get Enough!"

COMMENTS: "Could chew this; Dessert beer; Tastes like a liquid S'more; Lady Godiva; After-dinner drink; Almost like chocolate syrup; Could put it on French Vanilla ice cream; Good - and different."

KBS (KENTUCKY BREAKFAST STOUT)

FOUNDERS BREWING

THE BEER FACTS: BREWER: Founders Brewing Co., Grand Rapids, Mich., STYLE: Bourbon barrel-aged Imperial Stout; ABV: 12.3%

WHAT THE BREWER SAYS: "What we've got herre is an imperial stout brewed with a massive amount of coffee and chocolates then cave-aged in oak bourbon barrels for an entire year to make sure wonderful bourbon undertones come through in the finish. Makes your taste buds squeal with delight."

COLOR: Black

POUR: Decent Head

AROMA: Chocolate, coffee

BODY: Full

TASTE: Big chocolate and coffee with smooth bourbon undertones

OVERALL IMPRESSION: Near "Can't Get Enough!"

COMMENTS: "Coffee grounds; Green pepper? I think; Sweet smelling - maybe horehound; Bourbon taste comes through nicely - sort of blends in nicely almost like a nice Irish Coffee made with bourbon; A real tasty sipper."

BOURBON BARREL DRAGONSLAYER

MIDDLE AGES BREWING

THE BEER FACTS: BREWER: Middle Ages Brewing, Syracuse, NY; STYLE: Imperial Stout; ABV: 12.5%

WHAT THE BREWER SAYS: "This version of our imperial stout Dragonslayer has been aged in Bourbon Barrels for over 6 months."

COLOR: Black

POUR: Guinness-class  with nice lacing

AROMA: spicy, alcohol, subtle

BODY: Full

TASTE: Coffee, bourbon, alcohol, bit of toffee with fruity hops

OVERALL IMPRESSION: Near "Can't Get Enough!"

COMMENTS: "Alcohol up front; Booze; Serious stuff; A 'get-me-in-trouble' beer; I taste a little coconut in there; Dangerously delicious; One of the hoppier stouts we've had today.

Sláinte,

The BOTB Guys

A Pack of Porters

AN IPA WITH NO IBUs?

Been seeing a lot on this trend lately and for me it's a bit of a head-scratcher. As I'm sure you know if you've followed us at all, we (that's both the royal 'we' and the inclusive 'we' meaning all of the BOTB Guys) are big fans of IPAs. While we certainly enjoy and appreciate other beer styles as well (note this month's foray into Porters and next month's Ambers) IPAs and hoppy Pale Ales are our go-to beers. After a lifetime of boring mega-brew American lagers the introduction of Pale Ales and then IPAs was like Dorothy stepping out of her black and white world into one of technicolor. The taste-buds sang with joy. The intense citrus, pine and floral flavors imparted by the hops were just glorious, but wonderful bitterness that accompanied these flavors just amped up the intensity. For us, the bitterness is part and parcel of what makes an IPA a great beer. Now a number of brewers are experimenting with IPAs that have the hop flavors without the bitterness. To me it's almost like saying: "We're going to make a Sour beer only we're going to make it so that it's not, you know, sour." I like my IPAs with solid IBUs. Without the bitter bite is it really an IPA? Not having had the opportunity to have tried a zero IBU IPA, I reserve judgement. But I remain skeptical. 

WE TAKE THE BLACK

Night gathers, and now my watch begins.

It shall not end until my death. I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children.

I shall wear no crowns and win no glory.

I shall live and die at my post.

I am the sword in the darkness

I am the watcher on the walls.

I am the fire that burns against the cold, the light that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers, the shield that guard the realms of men.

I pledge my life and honor to the Night's Watch, for this night and for all nights to come.

Thus is the pledge recited by those who "take the black" in Game of Thrones. To join the Night's Watch and become one of the Watchers on the Wall means a life bereft of carnal pleasures. But at least they have beer. We at BOTB won't forego earthly pleasures (we're not dead yet!) but we will delve into darkness this month as we check out some tasty Porters from traditional to New World interpretations. 

BLACK DUCK PORTER

GREENPORT HARBOR BREWING COMPANY

THE BEER FACTS: BREWER: Greenport Harbor Brewing Company, Greenport, NY;  STYLE: Porter; ABV: 4.7%;

WHAT THE BREWER SAYS: "A black ale that puts the flavor of the malt front and center. It has a mild hop character that balances strong notes of cocoa and hints of coffee. A full bodied roasty treat that finished dry."

COLOR: Walnut

POUR: Decent porter head, a dark ecru color, long lasting with good lacing.

AROMA: Coffee with cream

BODY: Fairly full-bodied

TASTE: Coffee with hints of chocolate - kind of mocha flavor

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: Between "I Could Drink This!" and "Can't Get Enough!"

COMMENTS: "Very tasty; Smooth; Not as creamy as some; Really? I thought it was quite creamy; A little more carbonated than many; Could drink more than a couple of these; Really nice, smooth Porter."

VANILLA PORTER

BRECKENRIDGE BREWERY

THE BEER FACTS: BREWER: Breckenridge Brewery, Littleton, Colorado; STYLE: Vanilla Porter; ABVs: 5.4%; IBUs: 16

WHAT THE BREWER SAYS: "Deep in the jungles of Papua New Guinea and Madagascar grows the perfect ingredient for an extraordinary Porter brewed in Colorado. Breckenridge Brewery's Vanilla Porter. An ale that has all the chocolate and roasted nut flavor of a classic Porter, with an enigmatic surprise thrown in for good measure."

COLOR: Mahogany

POUR: Decent Head

AROMA: Not a real strong aroma, hint of vanilla

BODY: Full

TASTE: Initially pretty sweet, with coffee/mocha notes to start followed by vanilla

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: Between "I Could Drink This!" and "Can't Get Enough!:

COMMENTS: "Coffee/mocha at the front - vanilla at the end; Creamy, somewhat thicker than the Black Duck; Not as carbonated, gives it a richer feel; Bitter in the back; Vanilla is not overpowering, which is a good thing. I've had a few vanilla porters that are just too much vanilla so it ends up with a kind of sicky-sweet taste. This is nicely subtle."

ROBUST PORTER

BELL'S BREWERY

THE BEER FACTS: BREWER: Bell's Brewery, Comstock, MI; STYLE: Porter; ABV: 5.6%

WHAT THE BREWER SAYS: "Our award winning Porter bridges the gap between malty brown ales and heavily roasted stouts. Notes of chocolate, coffee and roasted barleey are offset with just a slight hop bitterness. Enjoy any time of the year."

COLOR: Black - inky and opaque

POUR: Near "Guinness Class" head - thick head with an attitude

AROMA: Dark chocolate

BODY: Full

TASTE: Sweet dark chocolate, malty, borderline burnt roasted barley

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: Near "Can't Get Enough!"

COMMENTS: "Right at my limit for burnt taste; A bit carbonated; Chocolate cherry taste at the end, giving it a sweetness; Decent; Wouldn't expect less from Bell's."

PAYCHECK PORTER

ALEWERKS BREWING COMPANY

THE BEER FACTS: BREWER: Alewerks Brewing Company; STYLE: Porter; ABV: 5.6%

WHAT THE BREWER SAYS: "This particular beer is known as Paycheck Porter. It's a Robust Porter, boldly American, and big in all the right places. We brew this beer for, and with, rough hands and hearty appetites. Look for notes of roasted coffee and toasted cocoa."

COLOR: Black Walnut

POUR: Decent Head

AROMA: Malty

BODY: Between Medium and Full

TASTE: Sweet malty with hints of cocoa, dark chocolate and bit of sweet cloves.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: I Could Drink This

COMMENTS: "Tastes like a Sugar Daddy but with chocolate (maybe Black Cow?); Sweet on the front  - pleasant aftertaste; Too sweet for me; British vibe with the clove taste; I couldn't drink a lot of it; I could drink this, but I wouldn't actively seek it out."

COCONUT HIWA PORTER

MAUI BREWING COMPANY

THE BEER FACTS: BREWER: Maui Brewing Company, Kihei, Maui, HI; STYLE: Porter; ABV: 6.0%; IBUs: 30

WHAT THE BREWER SAYS: "A robust dark ale with hand-toasted coconut and hints of mocha."

COLOR: Opaque black

POUR: Between "Decent" and "Guinness Class" head

AROMA: Coconut

BODY: Near Full

TASTE: Sweet with strong hints of chocolate and coconut

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: Between "I Could Drink This" and "Can't Get Enough!"

COMMENTS:"Coconut taste is not overpowering, but it is there: Mounds Bar - coconut and chocolate; I'm not a big fan of coconut (or fruit) in my beer - I would leave this one on the shelf; Head dissipates all too quickly; I like the vanilla better, but I like this second best so far; Too light and watery; Not as creamy as I was hoping for; Not bad, though."

GENERAL PULASKI'S PORTER

GRINDSTONE FARM BREWERY

THE BEER FACTS: BREWER: Grindstone Farm Brewery, Pulaski, NY; STYLE: Porter; ABV: 7%

WHAT THE BREWER SAYS: "We liked the idea of taking a Porter and hopping it up a bit. It's a bit of a bitter take on the traditional Porter.

COLOR: Black walnut with a ruby glint

POUR: Decent Head

AROMA: Somewhat neutral, not a strong aroma

BODY: Near full

TASTE: Malty with hints of chocolate but with more hop presence. Less sweet than the others.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: Near "Can't Get Enough!"

COMMENTS: "Smooth, creamy; Hoppy at the end; Unusually bitter for a Porter; I like it - a nice twist on Porters which can be a bit too sweet at times; Good beer, it's one where you could enjoy more than one because it's not so sweet."

GEORGE WASHINGTON'S TAVERN PORTER

YARDS BREWING COMPANY

THE BEER FACTS: BREWER: Yard's Brewing Company; STYLE: Porter; ABV: 7.0%; IBUs: 40; MALTS: Crystal and Chocolate malts; ADDITIONS: Molasses

WHAT THE BREWER SAYS: "LIQUID COURAGE. Detailed in a letter from the General to his officers during the war, Washington's recipe employed molasses to aid fermentation and give rich caramel notes to this robust, roasty ale. The recipe reflected his admiration for Philadelphia-style porters, especially those brewed by Robert Hare (whose original brewery stood just blocks from wherre ours is now). Our Tavern Porter, inspired by Washington's, is dark, smooth and complex with just a hint of dried fruit in the finish."

COLOR: Black

POUR: Decent Head

AROMA: Toast - biscuit

BODY: Full

TASTE: Hints of molasses, maybe licorice, dark fruits, roasted malts with a little chocolate

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: Close to "Can't Get Enough!:


COMMENTS: "Enough malt presence to support the alcohol; Nice beer; Very tasty; Nice - a little sweet, but not cloyingly so; The molasses gives it a kind of interesting depth; Easy drinking because it's not overly sweet; Nicely balanced beer, very enjoyable."

TUPPENCE

STILLWATER ARTISNAL ALES COMPANY

THE BEER FACTS: BREWER: Stillwater Artisnal Ales at Crazy Mountain Brewing Company, Denver, CO; ABV: 7%

WHAT THE BREWER SAYS: "Old World Porter Fermented with Brett. Playing off the English bent of our Baltimore brothers Oliver Ales, this Old World Porter brings a little bit of the Stillwater funk to the party. Drink it and don't feed the vultures."

COLOR: Near black

POUR: A bit more than Decent

AROMA: Yeasty

BODY: Fairly full bodied

TASTE:Somewhat sour, bit of roastiness, malt dominates, yeast

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: Leave it on the shelf

COMMENTS: "It would take a real pirate to drink this; Cross between Dr. Pepper, Coca Cola and a Porter; Not a fan; Not one I'd go after; It has a taste almost like a sour; Got that barnyard funky, musty thing going I just don't care for; I think it's the Brett - I just can't seem to develop a taste for beers that rely on it; The 'yeast' of your problems."

THE BOTTOM LINE

Since all the beers were Porters this month we could in fact compare apples to apples. In fact we even put it to a vote, each of us rating the beers 1 - 8 with 1 being our favorite. Ergo, as in golf, low score wins. Here's the results:

THE WINNER: Yards Brewing George Washinton's Tavern Porter. We found this beer to be a perfectly balance Porter - not too sweet but with all you would expect from a good Porter. (16 pts)

2. Grindstone Brewing's General Pulaski's Porter. A very close second, we liked this for many of the same reasons - a nice hop presence making it not too sweet and a pleasing maltiness as well. Very rich and creamy Porter. (17 pts)

3. Breckenridge Vanilla Porter. A very tasty Porter with just the right amount of vanilla to give it a little different twist. Smooth mocha followed by vanilla. (21 pts)

4. Bell's Robust Porter. Delicious dark chocolate notes with hint of cherry and roasted malt. (23 pts) 

5. Greenport Harbor's Black Duck Porter. Tasty, smooth and creamy though a bit more carbonated than many Porters. Low ABV makes it a good sessionable Porter. (24 pts)

6. Maui Brewing Coconut Hiwa Porter. No consensus on this one. Coconut was not overpowering, but those who didn't like that taste in beer didn't care for it while others found it an interesting change-up (30 pts)

7. Alewerks Paycheck Porter. While no one actively disliked this beer, most felt it was a bit too sweet - okay for an occasional sipper, but not one we'd seek out. (37 pts)

8. Stillwater's Tuppence Porter. This was the only one with consensus. We all gave it an 8. No one particularly cared for the Brett yeast. Still love ya' Stillwater - just not this beer.

Next month: Ambers

Sláinte,

The BOTB Guys