Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout.

The 11-12 gave a much bigger hiss on popping the cap. The 10-11 is much breadier is both smell and taste. I had initially thought that the 10-11 had taken on a hotter, harsher edge, but comparing against the 11-12, it's actually lighter, smoother, mellower than the 11-12. The 11-12 is pretty up-front with bitter malts, coffee, and even a little boozy heat. The 10-11, I've decided, is bitter in more of a dark chocolate way than anything else. It's just very smooth and dangerously drinkable, leaving not much residue, and the linger is just long enough to be pleasant and short enough to bring you in for more.

Port Brewing Oak-Aged Santa's Little Helper.

As I was pouring, I was surprised by how light this was. Instead of the thick, oily, opaque black pour one normally receives from an imperial stout, this was noticeably tinted brown. An assertive bourbon character is evident in both the nose and initial taste. The barrel aging leaves it boozy but not hot, and there's a slightly dirty, woody taste towards the back end. The more that I think about it though, the bourbon is masking a lot of the expected complexity of an imperial stout. I'm finding it difficult to pick up the typical coffee and chocolate notes, even the dark malts. Even the mouthfeel is somewhat bourbon-y: lighter, cooler, and a bit astringent.

Weyerbacher Fifteen Smoked Imperial Stout.

• Appearance:
• Smell:
• Taste:
• Mouthfeel:
• Drinkability and Overall:

Mild smokiness that doesn't bring an overpowering sense of bacon. Predominantly roasted malts with hints of coffee.

Atwater Block VJ Black Imperial Stout.

Yet another bottle that's been taking yup room since before the summer, bottled March 2011. There's lot of fruity sweetness in this one. Fruity coffee nose, fruity sweetness as it lingers on the tongue. Strong, bittersweet chocolate notes with almost burnt malts. The mild carbonation makes it a dangerously easy drinker and the 11%ABV brings no heat.

I think the component I enjoy the most is the cogency of the entire flavor profile. There is an mild bittersweetness that weaves through the chocolate, coffee, and malt notes, but it is far from being cloying. It is clean and smooth, no residue, not on the lips or even the glass. I think I like this one quite a bit. It's a good story.

• Appearance: Black core, brown around the edges, opaque. Lack of a head is replaced with an oil slick.
• Smell: Fruity coffee beans.
• Taste: Overall, a bittersweetness permeates all components: Coffee, chocolate, dark malts.
• Mouthfeel: Fairly light for an imperial stout. Slick and clean. Ok, if a bit initially biting, carb.
• Drinkability and Overall: Moves easily but at 11%ABV, exercise caution. A nice change of pace in the imperial stout category with good balance and cohesion.

Southern Tier Warlock Cream Stout.

A brand new beer from Southern Tier, Warlock Cream Stout was on tap for fills at the local beer shop, currently only available on draft. Sweet beers are something of ST's signature so I had high hopes for this one. Cracked open on Thanksgiving, it gave a nice, opaque nearly black pour with a rich mocha head. The aroma is very pleasant, rich chocolatey coffee aromas with hints of the dark roasted barley around the edges. This is the kind of beer that really needs the mouthfeel and taste to be in sync, and ST did a pretty good job here. The lactose gives it that silky smooth mouthfeel that well-contains the slightly prickly carbonation. The coffee aroma carries into the taste as well with a decidedly sweet surround.

I definitely enjoyed this beer, but somehow I don't anticipate this carrying over well into the bottle, unfortunately. However, if I see it on tap, it's a definite bet.

• Appearance: Very dark brown, nearly black, opaque. Tan, finger-deep head.
• Smell: Predominantly coffee, slightly wort-y malted barley.
• Taste: Sweet, dark chocolate, coffee, barley.
• Mouthfeel: Silky, light to medium weight. Carb is slightly too acidic but still ok.
• Drinkability and Overall: At aroudn 7%, it's a bit much for a session beer, but it gets along pretty well. It's a nice finishing beer for cooler weather.

Eel River Raven's Eye Imperial Stout.

Yet another Eel River offering. It's been a while since I've had an imperial stout, it seems, so it sounded good when I saw it. Plus, it was kind of a cool name and label, a little different from the typical something-something-black-or-dragon-whatnot. Besides, I really like those big black birds. They're always yelling at people or standing around talking to each other. Pretty funny.

A heavy black, noticeably viscous pour, but with not much head. Weaseling an aroma out of this is kind of difficult but it's mostly caramel. I'm not going to lie, I didn't type anything about the first half of this bomber because I was watching Lego videos on YouTube. Upon pouring the other half though, I get a visual confirmation of the mouthfeel. This is a pretty fizzy beer for being an imperial stout. The head on this actually fizzed out like a soda, which is pretty bizarre. The second glass is also a little warmer, and I find the viscosity somewhat less pleasing in this case. It's a decent tasting imperial stout. Rich and malty, bittering slightly on the back on the finish. I really have to say the amount of carbonation in this slightly distracting. I feel like I'm drinking a slightly warm soda, the kind that's a little too each to foam up when it hits your mouth. Because of the association, I get a little cola flavor. And some licorice. Maybe a little brownie.

On one hand, I'm happy to be drinking an unadulterated imperial stout. On the other hand, this is slightly generic and the carb is off to the point of being distracting. It is a punchy 9.5%ABV though. So it's not a bad take. But there are certainly others that I'd opt for first. If I could get a deal on these, yeah, I'd pick up a case or two. But if I had a choice, Rasputin is solid.

• Appearance: Thick-looking black pour, not head. Second pour had a soda-like head that fizzed out.
• Smell: Hard to get an impression without a head to capture it. I get mostly caramel.
• Taste: A fairly standard, if a bit mild, dark, slightly sweet malt with some finishing bitter. A bit too nondescript. On the second glass, I found some licorice and something akin to brownies.
• Mouthfeel: Overcarbed. It's pretty distracting. Otherwise, viscous, slightly sticky.
• Drinkability and Overall: 9.5%ABV so if you can get a deal, well, then you got a deal. But otherwise, there are other imperial stouts more worth your time.

Deschutes Obsidian Stout.

Picked this up a while ago but just now getting around to it. This will probably be my last tasting from Deschutes regular lineup. I remember being denied this beer earlier this summer because the coffee shop had run out, so here it is, the volunteer from the 6-pack.

The pour was delightful. Rich black with a fluffy mocha head. Against the light, you make out a clear dark brown around the edges. The smell is slightly nondescript, cool and just shy of metallic, and I like that. Here is a stout that intends to be just that. Not a stout brewed with local, organic fair trade coffee harvested by children rescued from Martha Stewart sweatshops or a stout infused with Amazonian cacao or some bullshit like that. Here is a stout with a deep black heart that knows exactly what kind of beer it wants to be and doesn't need any extraneous decoration or over-the-top antics. The dark, well-roasted malts make a nice blend with a hint of naturally arising chocolate syrup taste. Assertively bitter but not ostentatious. It is a stout and not an RIS. Silky and smooth, there's just enough carbonation to make it roll off the tongue without blowing up; the finish is clean with very minor residue. Very well played, Deschutes.

This reminds me a bit of the classic first encounters a budding beer aficionado has with Guinness Draught and Extra Stout. After drinking so much American adjunct lager, Draught is like chocolate milk made with 2% (or more) milk and Hershey's chocolate syrup instead of Nestle Quik. They were so smooth, you think you could be so content drinking them all night. And then the intensity of an Extra Stout. Harshly bitter, at first, it's noted as a pretty chewy beer, dense in both flavor and body. Deschutes Obsidian Stout is like reliving both of those experiences at the same time. Everything is in balance, and this is what it'd be like if Draught and Extra had a baby. I like this beer.

• Appearance: Opaque black with a fluffly mocha head that leaves decent lacing. No haze against the light.
• Smell: Slight roasted malts but mostly a clean and fresh bouquet, untainted by accessories.
• Taste: Chocolate-y arising from natural complexity. Slight cola taste with a mild roasted bitter.
• Mouthfeel: Clean with an excellent level of carbonation. Certainly lighter than an RIS and just heavy enough compared to most other stouts.
• Drinkability and Overall: This is a fantastic stout. It is a stout, nothing more, nothing less. I could easily drink a couple of these while sitting around.

Bison Chocolate Stout.

I had been sitting on this bottle for a while as I had bought a 6-pack a while ago, drank one, liked it, and then pulled 4 for swag. So I'm finally getting around to it. Bison is already a great brewery in my book. In my experience, the organic gimmick is usually applied at the expense of quality, but Bison pulls it off. This bottle is not as rich and stunning as I remember, but the core quality is still there. It's chocolate-y and as smooth as Guinness without being nitro'd. Aroma is slightly coffee-based. Actually, I'm a little disappointed this time around. I remember it being like a chocolate brownie but this one falls a little flat. Bummer.

• Appearance: Opaque, typical stout/porter appearance. Light tan head, mostly ring with a little moss.
• Smell: Mild cold coffee.
• Taste: Slightly chocolate-y and slightly bready. Not as intense as I remember.
• Mouthfeel: Very smooth, low carb, Guinness Draught-like. Clean finish and relatively light-bodied.
• Drinkability and Overall: A pleasant drinking, pleasant tasting stout. It's light enough that it's not going to weigh you down but still flavorful enough that it can pair with a meal. A reasonable 5%ABV.

Anderson Valley Brewing Co. Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout.

I forget why I finally picked this up or why I had been putting off picking it up. I had a bottle last week and remember it being good but I already had a few drinks in me so that's not really the best indicator. I've been sick recently so this is the first beer I've had since.

The pour looked nice though the head faded a bit quickly. However, I could see some bubbles continually rising. Smell is fairly mild but is predominantly hot oatmeal and chocolate chips. The taste matches; solidly chocolate on the tongue, finishing like a piece of high-content dark chocolate right down to a bitter finish. I think a bit of residual sweetness would have been nice. I can definitely see this pairing well with a dark, savory beef stew or French dip, but not chili or stroganoff. I'm thinking things with strong brown gravies or simple, unadulterated beef and not acidic. Maybe a shaved corned beef and swiss on dark rye or pumpernickel. A fruit (figs?) and cheese plate or chocolate would be tasty as well, but I don't know enough about cheese to make any recommendations. MAYBE SOME DAY. Getting pretty hungry now.

• Appearance: Fairly opaque black pour, head dissipates into a ring.
• Smell: Oats and chocolate primarily.
• Taste: Fairly mild on the coffee tones, but I get a strong dark chocolate finish, think 80% cocoa, complete with the bitter finish that doesn't linger longer than necessary.
• Mouthfeel: Carbing feels a bit high, leaves some tingling on the tongue. Just enough viscosity to be pleasant but doesn't stick or smear.
• Drinkability and Overall: Feels fairly light but has a strong presence, making it more drinkable than other robust stouts. I think it would handle well with a hearty meal and not take up too much space or take well with a chocolate and/or cheese plate while leaving plenty of room for other goodies. Overall, I like this as a beer and as a stout, even though it's a little overcarbed. It's good to see a stout that is just a well-done stout.

Deschutes Black Butte Porter.

Managed to pick up a single at WF the other day. By the way, I finally made it to a bonafide bottle shop today: BevMo. It's a chain, and they're around but they have a solid selection of craft brews despite being a wine and liquor store. While they don't have nearly the variety as BotW, they make up for it in quality and comprehensiveness in representing the regional breweries' lineups. I ended up getting 4 bottles of PSes (no Peltier Station), and 5 bombers, and learned the names of a few more breweries in the Bay Area. They also have a spread of glassware for all drinks so that's great. Might have to spring for some Reidel glasses finally. I took a quick look through the gin section as they were closing but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. I'll have to take a closer look next time and check out the whisky and bourbon.

I can't really remember the last time I went for a porter, but here it is. To be honest, I don't have a lot to say about it because it's not really in my preferred styles, as evidenced by me having to use 'stout' to tag this post. I simply don't buy enough porters to warrant a 'porter' label. Maybe one day, I'll go back and fix that. Anyway, it's good for what it is though.

• Appearance: Very dark brown but not black. Creamy head with lacing.
• Smell: Bits of coffee and cola.
• Taste: A cold weak coffee, a bit stronger than a solid brown ale. A little burnt on the back end and finish. Kind of hollow, vacuous.
• Mouthfeel: Open, light-medium to medium in both weight and viscosity, most noticeable on the first sip.
• Drinkability and Overall: As a porter, I think it's pretty good. I would have liked a little more depth to its flavor, but maybe I'm expecting more intense beers these days. The flavor-weight ratio is good so it is drinkable.

Six Rivers Kona Moon Coffee Porter.

I added Six Rivers to my list of breweries to consider for a visit this summer, so I wanted to get a bottle to see if it would be worth my time or not. The Kona Moon Coffee Porter took gold at GABF 2005 in the coffee flavored beer category. It's a silly category to think about but the space is quite crowded these days so gold at one of the largest beerfests in the world is no small feat. I must say that I'm generally fairly cool towards porters as I'm more interested extreme and unique stouts like GI BBC, but I made an exception for this one, given the circumstances and context. I was at Whole Foods looking for my next beer to try. I had told myself that I would only get new, unavailable-back-home beers. Nothing interesting on sale. I had to whip out the phone and start BA'ing some breweries to see what was nearby, decently rated, worth trying, etc. Six Rivers in McKinleyville, decent reviews, within range for a visit. So I picked up this bomber along with two others that looked interesting at the time.

• Appearance: Standard porter color, black, opaque. Held up to the light, coffee brown. Head is fine, about a finger.
• Smell: Mild coffee notes, bark, slight chocolate. Very pleasant and aromatic.
• Taste: Well-balanced coffee tones, good coffee too. Solidly coffee, not too many distracting flavors, with a agreeable astringency. Dirt and wood on the finish.
• Mouthfeel: Solid porter body, weight, mouthfeel. A little too eager to release carb in the mouth though, leaves the tongue a little tingly.
• Drinkability and Overall: In terms of flavor intensity to body and weight, this is an impressive beer. Finish is quite clean so it goes down easily. Despite being such a dark beer, it's very drinkable for its class. It's flavorful without being so complex that you have to think about it but worth noticing. 6%ABV.

Stone Belgo Anise Imperial Russian Stout.

Black pour without being viscous, coffee head and aroma. Good-looking RIS. Rich coffee and oak tones with a little bit of heat in the nose. Up front, it has a good RIS taste and body. The licorice of the anise comes in the middle, a little bit of spice and barkiness and cola. Have a really hard time picking up the Belgian influence, maybe on the finish with a little bit of tang but I might just be looking for something to pin. Finish lingers, a little sticky on the lips but not much. At 10.5%ABV, the other flavors cover very well.

I had picked up two bottles of this since it was new to me and in case it turned out I like it and it sold out in the mean time. It is, indeed, a 2011 Odd Year Release. It is certainly more complex than their regular RIS. Excellent beer for a tasting session, will try to grab more.

Goose Island Big John.

Opaque black pour; thin, tight head. Smooth mouthfeel, low carb, milk stout-like. Taste is rich but not overpowering nor bitter; reminds me of a milder Black Chocolate Stout. Finish is easy; chocolate and dirt.

Diesel.

A beer blended drink that was passed on to me. 1/2 Guinness and 1/2 root beer gave it too strong of a root beer bite and sweetness. 3/8 to 5/8 or 1/3 to 2/3 is a better ratio that preserves the Guinness Extra Stout roasted bitterness. The head turns into something akin to that of a root beer float but much subdued, which is interesting.

Oskar Blues Ten Fidy.

Another Oskar Blues offering. Can popped without much of a hiss. Pour is super viscous, immediately reminded me of GI Nightstalker. Gave rise to a nice, tight head. Standard imperial stout tones, again very reminiscent of Nightstalker. Ten Fidy is probably a little lighter in the body, seems to have more roasted malt character and very little hop presence. A solid RIS in a can and might be a cheaper go than Nightstalker. Definitely one to revisit.

Hitachino Nest Sweet Stout (Lacto).

Dark, standard stout pour, looks a little more viscous and flatter than a typical stout. Not much in the nose until you stir it up: pickles. Taste is vaguely stout at first but mid through the finish develops a sourness. Not kidding about the lacto. Yeast cake at the bottle of the bottle. Couldn't finish it.

Guinness Foreign Extra Stout.

Dense, creamy head. Earthy, coffee notes in the nose. Taste is a solid, drinkable stout, maybe less bitter and chewy than the Extra Stout. Smooth mouthfeel, toffee finish. Superbly drinkable with board food in cooler weather.

Tasting on its own, a pretty excellent standard stout. This is exactly what a stout should be. I would like to try it next to a Rasputin Imperial stout. Tasting with Guinness Extra Stout pending.

Addendum: Had it side by side with an Extra Stout recently. Foreign is actually more bitter, but more flavorful, picked up on a lot of coffee this time. I prefer it over Extra Stout, but Extra Stout is probably more appropriate for cooking purposes.

Chocolate Vanilla Stout.

A beer blend that I saw. Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout and Breckenridge Vanilla Porter. Roughly 1:2 works as Black Chocolate is a robust beer. Pretty good. Interested in beer blends.

Breckenridge Vanilla Porter.

First, I love being able to match beers with their glasses.

I can't smell very well since I'm sick at the moment, so all I can get is coffee, a bit like mocha, and bready. Taste is also coffee, and I don't get much vanilla either. Easy drinking, standard porter/Guinness Draught body. It is a nice change of pace from my ultra-light breakfast stout.

Goose Island Claybourne.

Spent Thanksgiving with the family, gathering in Chicago. So naturally, I must make my way down to Goose Island. They weren't running tours that weekend due to the holidays, but we still killed an afternoon working on our MBAs.

Sister and I started with the Foxxy and Hex Nut Brown, respectively. Foxxy was a mild brown ale which I found to be pretty uneventful. The Hex was really good though. I would put it a close contender to Blackstone. I hope they start bottling this version since they've discontinued their standard nut brown ale.

The Belgian IPA was tasty, Belgian, and IPA-ish but it wasn't anything unique.

Dominique is a sour ale aged in bourbon barrels, so there's a lot going on. It tastes exactly as they described it. I always try sour ales even though I'm not really a fan. It's always interesting. BIL ended up finishing it since he seemed to like it a bit.

I got a half of the FairytAle, some guest chef collaboration. It was hard to pin down but I was sure that I didn't like it. "It smells like Taylor Swift and tastes like poop smells." Couldn't have said it better. Note to self: construct more colorful descriptions of my drinking experiences. Addendum: Apparently, it was "poop sticks", as in a "stick of poop", not referring to how poop might stick to a surface. Hearing and parsing fail. I like what I thought I heard better.

Frankenporter is a blend of multiple porter recipes. The result is a pretty stout porter with a lot of complexity. Tasty.

Blonde Rascal: A Belgian-style ale, though the hop blend seems IPA-ish to me, and steeped with lavender. A really floral and interesting ale. Mildly hoppy, fragrant, effervescent, light-bodied, and very smooth.

Schwarzbier: B-in-l ordered it. Didn't try it, but took a snap since it's not common.

Had to try the Christmas Ale for 2010. Can't say much without 2009 for comparison.

Had to try the Golden Goose Pils since I've never seen a bottle of it. Tastes like pilsner. Reminded me that I don't really like pilsners.

Finished with a classic: IPA. Delicious.