Black is Beautiful oatmeal stout

January 28, 2021

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A local brew. Titletown Brewing’s Black is Beautiful stout. Labeled as an Imperial Oatmeal stout.
I picked this one because it is NOT nitro. As you may remember, I am not a nitro fan.

Black gets poured in the usual Titletown mug. Sure it’s black..ish But not black black like I was hoping. Dark dark dark brown is a better descriptor.  Thin tan head that really disappears fast.

A bit of hops in the first nose of it.. but also something like a gloopy under attenuation. It could be that oatmeal, but not like any oatmeal aromas that I ever had. There is a bit of a chocolate note with a slight roast. But both are in the background of that sweetness.

By now the head is completely gone as i take that first sip. I was looking to evaluate the roast, but got totally distracted by the mouth feel and body.
It’s so thin and dry? Not sure dry is the word.completely the opposite of what anyone would think an oatmeal stout would be. Like a stout made with alka seltzer water.

But… Ya know what… I like it.

A bit of roast here. Not much, but enough. And not as much chocolate as in the aroma but it’s there. I think the dryness of it just makes it disappear from your taste buds too quickly.

Just enough bittering to be noticable. Just balancing what every sweet there is. This body is still distracting me. First it’s a nice body then it disappears to nothing.

There is a bit of hop taste but I think I feel the hops more than taste. Not sure how to describe that, but you will know what I mean when you try this beer.

Odd beer to be truthful.  I like it.  But not sure why. Maybe because it’s not like anything else?

Especially since it starts as feeling like it’s going to be a sweet, heavy beer.. but ends dryer than dry at the end and completely hiding its 8%.

I certainly can drink this… early and often. But its very confusing as to why I like it.

All in all my taste buds say 4/5.

Morning Latte. Is it a beer?

October 21, 2020

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If you have been reading this blog for any length of time, you probably have gathered that I do not,, or usually do not, like beers with things added to them.
Fruit beers.. no.
Bourbon.. um pass
Coffee.. uh uh.
Except maybe this one. Maybe.

Mornin Latte Imperial Coffee Milk Stout.
A big ol 9% milk stout from Toppling Goliath

From the name. I was was expecting a few things as I was watching this beer being poured.
First the Imperial part. Big roast aroma and especially taste. Second. Over powering coffee bitterness and maybe those celery notes from the coffee grounds. (Usually not from canned, this is more of coffee grounds and tapped beers) Third. That lactose taste all up in your face.

I was wrong on all counts.

It is a pretty beer though. Black. Very black. With a tan head that sticks around alot longer than I would have expected in a coffee beer.

But even just sitting there in front of me I am getting aromas of coco and…. Oatmeal? Maybe chocolate milk. Yea.. that’s it. Chocolate milk. But no roast. No hop. (I look at the can again to see if I grabbed the right one… I thought this was supposed to be a stout)

I’m not disappointed in the the aroma,, just caught off guard I think. It’s exactly the smell of a Monster Mocha or Starbucks iced coffee.

And it tastes the same as those aromas. Coco, chocolate milk and caramel. Caramel like those wrapped caramels. But again… No roast, or coffee for that matter. (Again I look to see if what I’m drinking is what it’s supposed to be)

The heavy body is so creamy, but not anywhere near as oily as it looks in the glass. I swear I nearly forgot I was supposed to be drinking a beer. Definitely forgot it was 9%. It’s a great drink that’s for sure. 
But it’s so far from being a stout, that I’m not sure I or they should be calling it a stout.

A stout should have roast. Somewhere. And a coffee stout should have coffee notes.. somewhere.
And just what is the threshold for going from being a beer with “stuff” in it, to a drink with a bit of beer in it? This is definitely the latter, and I am finding it hard to find any reason to call this a beer.

I like what ever this is tho. As I’m looking at Untappd, all I see is beer this, beer that, your beers, friends beers. So it appears I must have to rate this as a beer, not just as a drink.

So with that in mind, I give it a 1/5. This is not a beer to me. But it is fantastic. And would love to see this at the coffee shop.

Mayan Mocha

July 4, 2020

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Stopped down at my favorite craft beer joint,,Ned Kelly’s Pub to see if they got any new stouts since the lockdowns. And the first one I seen was this Mayan Mocha Stout.

Poured In a small snifter from the tap it looks dark dark brown with a darker than usual tan head, that is fairly thick. Which seems odd for a mocha stout.

Definite mocha in the nose. Along with some… Peanut butter? Or something very nutty.

Hmm.  Something.. spicy in there. Like habanero spicy.  I guess I shoulda known by the Mayan thing.
Ya. Baby. All kinds of things going on. Nutmeg burn. Something like sour cherries. That subtle pepper burn. All letting the stouts roast peek through.

The body is a bit more than thin, but not thick. But the carbonation is fairly high so it does feel thinner

Woooboy this beer was a surprise.. and a good one. 

Take yer 5 points!

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