Samuel Smith - Organic Chocolate Stout

If you've been reading for a while, you know I have a solid respect for Samuel Smith's Brewery out of Yorkshire, England.  It seems like every one of their brews that I taste simply defines that style; emphasis on "simply."  Samuel Smith's doesn't add new exciting ingredients, they don't blend existing styles or create new ones, at least not in their beers that are available Stateside.  What they do is make excellent versions of classic styles and if someone asked you what a certain style tastes like, you could point them to a Samuel Smith's.  

Now, statements like my last one might conjure up some opposition and people may ask, "How can one beer define a style when so many variations of the style exist" and I agree with those people to an extent.  There are nearly innumerable variations to any given style.  Brewers use different grain bills, hop varieties which can  vary by year, extra exotic ingredients, and so on.  However, each of those brewers is brewing with a particular style in mind.  Even if that style is as vague as, "Oh, I dunno.  I'm just brewing some stout-ish, porter-y beer that I added raspberries and blackstrap molasses to,"  it still has that classic stout characteristic in mind.  The essence of "stoutness" if you will.  And while one may never achieve that essence perfectly, Samuel Smith's comes close time after time.  Let's pour!

Aroma 10/12

True to its name, chocolate is abundant in the nose.  It's the smell of melting chocolate, dusty cocoa, and a medium roast that does not add much bitter balance.  Once the beer has warmed a bit, caramel malts become unmistakable and add another excellently paired layer of complexity.

Appearance 3/3

While initially appearing black and opaque, a quick look from the top down shows any number of brown shades comparable to (appropriately) chocolate, coffee, or cola.  The head size and retention were very nice and its tea-stained color was very appropriate.

Flavor 18/20

After a flash of neutral flavor and a hint of the roast, chocolate comes roaring in from all sides.  Things are much as the aroma would have us anticipate: chocolate with roast detectable behind it yet still not enough to provide a balance.  The sweet malts dominate this brew early on, but things are about to change in the latter half of this beer.  However, when one holds this beer in the mouth for around 10-12 seconds it takes on an unlikely characteristic: citrus.  Upon closer inspection, the sour turns out to be the combination of some bright, sugary caramel malts and some of the more bitter notes, likely the roast, but the initial sensation is out of place in a stout.  Thank goodness one rarely holds a beer in the mouth for extended periods of time.  Quicker swallows allow for a more graceful transition from the chocolate and caramel-laden flavors to a drier and more bitter finish.  A wise change in flavor which prevents this beer from being too sweet all together.  The aftertaste is almost exclusively the flavor of bitter roast.  It also leaves a watering mouth thanks to the previous sugars.

Mouthfeel 5/5

Despite all the sugary malts in this brew it remains medium bodied and shows a moderate carbonation that fades quickly in the mouth to allow a silkier mouthfeel.  No warmth.

Overall Impression 8/10

This is a excellent choice if you're ever looking for a desert beer.  The aroma is fantastic, the flavors are tasty, and it could be a gateway for those who don't yet appreciate dark beer.  The beer is not balanced in each of its sections, but is balanced as a whole.  For example, the main flavor profile was primarily sweet.  Granted, it did this with several flavors, but it was mostly sweet and not balanced.  However, the later parts of the beer provided the bitter that could have been utilized in the backbone.  Does this beer still earn the descriptor of "balanced" even though it does so in different sections and not within the same flavor sensation as is commonly understood?

Total 44/50

Another well made product by Samuel Smith's.  I can seldom believe that the beers from this brewery sell at the low prices that they do.  In fact, many times you can find a few sitting in your "pick six" section!  This is not a stout with chocolate in it.  Instead, it truly earns the nomenclature of "chocolate stout."  Chocolate is the primary consideration here and it uses a relatively meek stout framework to carry out that task.  You do have to be in the mood for something sweeter to fully enjoy this beer, but it achieves that sweetness with a trio of chocolate, caramel, and sugar.  It's far from simple.  It's just simply well made.

Founders - Breakfast Stout (2012)

Ahhh, the first blog of a New Year.  A clean slate on which to begin and a new archive point in the right hand column.  It didn't take long for me to decide how to begin the new year of Sud Savant.  Maybe it was the desire to start the year strong or maybe it was simply all the "New Year's Baby" images floating around, but I knew I had to start the new year with a bottle of "the baby."  I'm referring of course to Founders' Breakfast Stout.

For those that don't know, Founders' Breakfast Stout is one of the premier go-to stouts brewed in America today.  You should be able to find a 4-pack for around $10 and it is worth every penny.  Its label lists it as a "double chocolate coffee oatmeal stout," and if that doesn't get your tastebuds all hot and bothered then I don't know what will.  In case that doesn't sound amazballs enough, Founders also makes special varieties of Breakfast Stout called Canadian Breakfast Stout (CBS) and Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS).  CBS is another imperial stout, but it is aged in maple syrup bourbon barrels.  KBS is somewhat the more sought after of the two and it is cave aged in oak bourbon barrels for one year.  If you see either of those beers you should never hesitate to pick them up because their availability is extremely limited and they are without question some of the finest stouts available.

For those that do know, I hope that this review can accurately put into words the sensations when drinking this national favorite.  This beer was bottled on 08/02/2012.  Let's pour!

Who could say "no" to those eyes?

Aroma 11/12

When served at a temperature colder than what is ideal, the beer has rich aromas only of coffee and a roast so dark you'd swear it was charred.  Slowly but surely, the sweetness begins to creep out as the beer approaches a proper serving temperature.  Chocolate tones are first and are especially sneaky since they had blended so well with the abundant coffee.  Then the beer simply begins to open up; aromas become larger and richer, a bit of warmth can be detected, and a bit of that lactose-like sweetness from the oatmeal all come forward and waft zealously from the glass.  You can smell this thing from across the table.  It's not like a mocha, that would be too light for this beer.  It's more like someone poured melted dark chocolate into your double shot of espresso.  Not complex, but it is beautiful.

Appearance 3/3

It's black.  Plain and simple.  Sure you might get a glimmer of a cola brown if you hold it right next to a light bulb, but for the most part it is an opaque, black hole of a beer.  The head was disappointingly small, but makes up for it by being a tan color with earthy red tones - almost as if cinnamon were part of this beer.

Flavor 19/20

Strong roast flavors begin this beer and then quickly meld into the chocolate and coffee storm that is raging inside this beer.  All dark flavors, all the time.  Darkest chocolate battles black espresso for supremacy of your taste buds and it is brilliant.  Lots of roast is present as well and adds a lovely smokiness to the whole.  A bit of a salty note is present when holding the beer in the mouth which I'm assuming is from one of the coffee varieties.  The blend as a whole is remarkably rich, fudge-y, bitter, and harmoniously blended.  The finish is a splash of pure coffee and a vibrant, albeit lesser, chocolate as it makes its way down the throat.  The aftertaste lingers as much as real coffee would, remaining bitter and inducing fears of future bad "coffee breath."  Oh, and the 8.3% ABV?  Invisible, unless you slurp.

Mouthfeel 5/5

Wonderfully smooth, but without falling into the trap of most stouts of being almost non-carbonated.  Quite the contrary, this stout has a level of carbonation that makes it much more lively that most stouts, yet does not distract in the mouthfeel nor butt heads with the smoothness inherent when using a ton of malts.  Also, I can't get over how the alcohol in this beer is completely camouflaged.  Well done!

Overall Impression 9/10

Truly, a first rate stout: delicious, big, well made, well blended, and deserving of its national acclaim.  Thankfully, this brew is not as hard to get a hold of as its big brothers.  This is not the biggest, baddest stout attainable, but should certainly be viewed as a treat whenever it is consumed.  

Total 47/50

I know, I know... some of you may find this rating a bit low.  In fact, most of the folks at BeerAdvocate and RateBeer would certainly find this score low as that FBS currently rates a 99 and 100 on those sites, respectively.  However, if one gives a perfect score to this beer, what are you supposed to give its big brothers, the CBS and KBS, which are even more highly regarded (even if that may be partially tied to their rarity)?  This is an excellent score for an excellent beer, but it is also given with a strong consideration to other contenders in the style.  It's actually quite the accolade to be compared to other amazing beers that are brewed on a much smaller scale.  FBS is one of the best widely distributed stouts in America.  Period.

Cisco - Moor Porter

Cheers everybody and thanks for reading!  Today's brew is another one from my anonymous East Coast friend.  Not that this person supplies all my brews by any means, but I'm finally digging into that stash and I am loving every minute of it.  I'm especially grateful to receive this brew since it's available almost exclusively on the East Coast (MA, CT, RI, VT, NH, NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, VA, D.C., SC, FL, & GA)!  Today's brew is the Moor Porter from Cisco Brewing in Nantucket, Mass.  No limericks please.   OK, maybe 1 or 2 about craft beer.  I'll allow that if you feel so inspired.  Poetry comes later, though... let's pour!

Aroma 10/12

The aroma on this gets better and better every time I sniff it.  It began with dark roasts that also implied a little smoke with them.  Lots of black malts involved here, friends.  A lesser cocoa is present as is the bittersweet calling card of molasses.  As this beer warms it becomes wonderfully rich and brings out a warming chocolate, a well-blended black licorice, and plenty of the molasses.  Complex and delicious, but stops short of being a powerhouse.  Very nice.  The chocolate and cocoa seem to grow stronger all the time!

Appearance 3/3

This pours like a porter should and looks like it means business.  The glass is all but completely opaque with black goodness and shows a chestnut brown toward the top if held to light.  The head is tan and not large, but it lasts an adequate amount of time and covers the surface of the beer.

Flavor 16/20

For how dark this beer is, it starts out quite lightly.  It's almost a clean beginning with a light general sweetness and then fades gradually into a darker, more flavorful backbone.  Full disclosure: even the backbone isn't that dark.  This doesn't make it bad, but it is a surprise considering the aroma and appearance.  Fading in from the initial flavors are the smoke from the aroma and a light char.  The licorice is in the background, but grows a bit as the beer is held in the mouth.  This beer does have an interesting light sour that punches through all the dark flavors the way a ray of light shines through clouds.  Surely, the beam of citrus is diminished in comparison to its surroundings, just as the light is by the clouds, however its presence is just as noticeable.  The chocolate shows its sweet side toward the end and when it mixes with the darkly roasted black malts, gives the illusion of a coffee-ish flavor.  The finish brings to light a flavor that was previously so well blended, it was nearly undetectable.  A round earthiness comes forward in the finish and when it does so, it makes it that much easier to find in other stages of the beer.  It also enjoys a brief wash of bitter, but settles back down with the flavors of the black malts.  Funny, even the lingering aftertaste has that same illusion of coffee thanks to the roasted/bitter combination.

Mouthfeel 4/5

This is not the worlds most robust porter, but that is exactly where its strength lies.  This porter is light bodied and easy drinkin'.  It is assisted by a higher than normal level of carbonation thanks to its bottle conditioning, and the aforementioned overarching light sour flavor.  When this beer is held in the mouth the carbonation dies rather quickly, transitioning it from a light refresher to a smooth porter.  The fact that the chocolate flavors show up about the same time as the smoothness is about as nice a touch as they come.

Overall Impression 8/10

There's lots of dark goodness in this brew, but not at the expense of becoming heavy or a burden to drink.  The aroma was phenomenal, but lead to a lighter taste than anticipated.  This is a highly drinkable, accessable beer that would lend itself extremely well to introducing those that feel they are ready to darker beer.  It's lighter but not at the expense of good flavor.

Total 41/50

Another "better-than-average" beer that has some really nice things going for it.  Very drinkable, wonderful and complex aroma, and an interesting mouthfeel.  However, the flavors seem to be fighting for space instead of complementing one another or flowing one into the next.  This is especially odd since all the right ingredients seem to be utilized.  As I mentioned earlier, this brew is not a stretch to consume on a hot summer day or one after another, even at 5.5% ABV.  However, I would be more prone to use this brew to convert people to the "dark side" of beer.  If they're ready, that is.  If they're not ready, then dark beers are still going to taste like crap to them no matter how light a version of the style it may be.  But those that are ready, need not resort to flavorless American Guiness Draught (I understand that foreign versions are better, I just have yet to verify this for myself) or kill themselves on some super delicious, thick, monstrosity of a stout.  This beer exists solely to introduce people to dark beers or to be a drinkable version of the style .  It's local.  It's tasty.  It's an introduction to darker beer.  Well, as long as you're in their distribution states.

Samuel Adams - The Vixen

I was very pleased to see these Samuel Adams bombers on the shelf.  It seems I see plenty of the seasonal variety packs & sixers, but rarely their big, fancy, limited engagement bombers.  These must be an exception because I saw these all over the place.  "Good on ya!" to Sam Adams for not only producing 3 gajillion different seasonals, but also these more risque offerings that aren't necessarily aimed at "the masses."  It's a beautiful thing when a brewery is not "scary" to the macro crowd, still caters to the craft beer crowd, can "evangelize" craft beer by giving the macro crowd new things to try, and be large enough to do this on a national scale.

Samuel Adams just might be the most influential craft beer brewer in America and not just because they're the biggest.  Think of the sheer number of people they have gotten to try craft beer simply by being available, reasonably priced, and approachable by the average beer drinker.  The last characteristic is one that was created out of the first two, but they earned it all their own.  Let's face it, to the uninitiated those big ol' walls of bombers and crazy looking sixers might be rather intimidating.  Grocers, have tried to help my making the "pick six" variety packs, but ultimately it's a big wall of beer that most folks have never heard of.  Enter Samuel Adams.  They look like a 12 pack, sit with the other 12 packs, but have a reputation for being a better beer.  The taste has the good fortune to be of high quality, yet not avant garde enough to scare away the macro beer drinkers.  Who knows?  Maybe next time they pick up one of the seasonals.  It's like the perfect gateway beer.  Keep on spreading the craft beer gospel, Samuel Adams!

Editorial over.  Today's review is for one of the aforementioned bombers entitled "The Vixen."  It's a good choice for Valentine's Day, right?  Course it's also a good choice because Samuel Adams recently got their own Twitter account (@SamuelAdamsBeer) and I never properly welcomed them.  Let's pour!

Aroma 10/12
Nevermind pouring, simply opening the bottle puts the perfume of chocolate in the air.  The sniff from the pour shows why.  There are gobs of dark chocolate galore!  As in "Did I just place my nose into a chocolate fountain?"  The strong chocolate fades slowly in conjunction with the head, allowing eventually a roasted caramel malt to briefly appear, and what seems to be a lemony hop!  Lemon?  I must be mistaken, correct?  Absolutely not.  It's strange when it first starts to become detectable, but as the head dies out almost completely, this beer settles nicely into an almost equal parts blend of roasted chocolate malt, caramel malt, and the sharper, almost sour note of the Hallertau hops.

Appearance 2/3
The beer is very dark brown/black in shade and shows glints the color of stained cherry wood when held to light.  The head was enormous on this beer (see above pic), but fizzled down a bit quicker than I thought it would considering its size.  Thea head is a nice tan shade and is creamy looking to the point where each bubble is nearly indistinguishable from the next.

Flavor 17/20
The slight bitter of roasted malt shows itself first and then the chocolate from the aroma can be easily detected on the tip of the tongue.  The backbone continues this blend, but rapidly shows itself to be more than meets the eye (or nose!).  From its roasted, chocolatey beginnings, the beer rapidly becomes spicy with cinnamon which tingles on the tongue.  By the way, the chocolate is still running full force.  After holding the beer a while in the mouth, the tiniest hint of heat is becoming apparent toward the back of the tongue and it makes a pretty awesome blend with the super-smooth chocolate.  The sour hops are present, but with such strong primary flavors one almost forgets about them entirely.  The finish is a insanely bold stroke of cinnamon across the palate before it melds with the cocoa nibs, roasted malt, a distinct warmth, and a faint amount of heat from the chili peppers.  Whether or not someone from a culture that enjoys spicy foods would be able to taste this heat is debatable.  However, being a gringo that enjoys heat, I can say that it is barely detectable in the finish, but lingers on in the aftertaste when all the other flavors have dissipated, which helps it stand out a bit more.  In fact, that's about all the aftertaste is: a continuation of the earthy cocoa nibs and the gently rising and falling of the chilis' heat.

Mouthfeel 4/5
The chocolate smoothness that gets to take over (at times) is very nice and something that a lot of good malts can bring to a good bock.  Much like the head, the carbonation is initially somewhat aggressiv, though never prickly, and then fades away when held in the mouth.  This "aggressive" sensation is somewhat abetted by the spicy cinnamon, which does come across as a bit heavy.  The abundance of malt smoothness plus the lightly foaming carbonation lend a light level of creaminess that seems welcome and not out of place for the style.

Overall Impression 8/10
I dig this beer!  It's LOADED with flavor and very unique ones at that.  It labels itself as a "chocolate chili bock," but it strays far from the bock style with its hop aromas, roasted malt, and lack of clarity.  That said, I don't really care about the "straying from the style" as much as I once did.  What I do care about is the rather abrasive cinnamon that yells at you to sit up and pay attention.  It enters loudly, causes a ruckus, and then leaves almost as abruptly as it came.  It's a great ingredient to include in this beer, but I should've liked to see it blend more harmoniously with the other flavors.

Total 40/50
This is a tasty, chocolate forward beer that I would not be afraid to drink again.  It's a unique experience and if you're looking for something different to try, then have I got a Vixen for you to meet.  I feel that the strong cinnamon held it back in several areas.  It interrupted the flavors instead of complimenting them and it lent itself to an aggressive carbonation.  I feel that this score should be higher given the beer's flavorful nature, but I stand by my ranking.  Samuel Adams has done to me what it has done to so many other drinkers - gotten them to try something new.  I've only had three other beers in my life that have had a chili in them (Rogue, Bent River, Cave Creek) and this one was vastly different than any of them.  The smooth, chocolate-laden malts, bit of chili heat, and alcohol warmth were definite highlights that allow this beer to be a lesser expensive bomber to share among friends.  I guarantee they've not had anything like it.  It all goes to prove their old slogan, "Samuel Adams.  Always a good decision."

And so it was.  Welcome to Twitter!

New Glarus - Chocolate Abbey

Not to be made into a liar, my journey through Wisconsin continues with an extended stay in New Glarus.  This review for their Chocolate Abbey may have been inspired as much by my wife as myself.  I am always excited to get my hands on a few flavor of New Glarus, but when my wife saw the word "chocolate" on the label I knew that this review would be written sooner than later.  Besides, let's be honest, how amazing does a Chocolate Abbey beer sound?  I know.  I thought so too.  Let's pour!

Picture is my own.  Label art used without permission for educational purposes.

Aroma 12/12
There is not a lot here to balance out all the sweetness, but with an aroma this good you might not want it.  It starts out with an amazing cocoa powder and banana blend, almost like a bananas Foster without the alcohol.  Amazing!  As the beer settles, a bubble gun aroma overtakes the nose and does not let go until a cream and chocolate pair dance into the scene and steal your attention.  As the beer warms a cherry aroma develops and its origins are a mystery.

Appearance 3/3
What initially appears as a matte brown ale, actually turns out to be a wonderful dark copper when it catches the light.  Ruby highlights abound and are capped by a pale tan head.  The head's retention is excellent but slides down the glass easily and leaves no lacing.

Picture is my own.

Flavor 18/20
This is a much more subtle beer than the aroma would imply.  First in the mouth is a brief cherry like tartness before mellowing into a backbone more true to the Dubbel style.  It is uncertain how cherries came out in the flavor (and aroma) as no cherries are mentioned anywhere on the bottle, but their presence is unmistakable.  The backbone is a muffled, dark cocoa, a balancing amount of earthiness, those mysterious dark cherries, a hop bitter on the back on the tongue, a taste of alcohol (but not the true "warmth"), and Belgian yeasts struggling to be heard in the background.  The finish returns us a bit more to the aroma with a moderately dark chocolate, a slightly sour bite perhaps from our hop friends, and a bitter that combines with the chocolate note to make a lovely coffee bitter several seconds after the beer has left your mouth.  Just let that flavor develop and pay attention to it!  It's very tasty.  You may also catch the revival of the Belgian "bubble gum" aroma on the occasional exhale.  Not much to speak of in the finish, just more of the cocoa and a light hop bitter which leaves the mouth neither dry nor watering.  A slurp reveals the warmth that has remained all but hidden.

Mouthfeel 4/5
The carbonation in this beer is perfect right down to the very end.  It is never out of character and its smooth nature only enhances the drinking experience.  Full bodied and thick, it is never syrupy, but fairly filling for just on 12 oz bottle.  It does remain a bit slick in the mouth.

Overall Impression 9/10
So much of this beer is excellent without being over the top - most notably the chocolate.  It provides an amazing aroma, but truly allows other ingredients to shine throughout the rest of the beer.  In fact, the chocolate was quite modest; it could have stood to stand out a little more.  However, this mature use of ingredients that are often heavily leaned upon by lesser beers is another fine example of the brewers' skills at New Glarus.   Excellently crafted while reigning in some traditional large flavors, this beer is an exercise in discipline.

Total 46/50

This score just goes to show that not just big beers can earn high marks.  Sure, this beer could be bigger!  They could blast us with chocolate and mocha flavors while making the Belgian aroma strong enough to think our noses are septum-deep in a freshly picked bunch of bananas.  The alcohol could be more apparent and strong in presence.  But you know what?  Not all music is a rock concert.  Not everything needs to be played at ear drum shattering levels.  Sometimes some Frank Sinatra is required.  This is a beer that has tamed all of these ingredients and whose nuance has apparently even added mysterious "overtones" in the form of cherries.  I still have no idea how those got there other than a possible combination of sweet yeast flavors, a slight hop sour, and dark chocolate notes.  I swear there are chocolate-covered cherries in this.  This is a technically superior beer that happens to be pretty darn tasty too.  I'd probably choose some of their other Thumbprint series over this one (Hello, Imperial Weizen!), but this is definitely worth trying.