Summer Stout
Nashoba Valley Brewery

Summer StoutSummer Stout
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From:
Nashoba Valley Brewery
 
Massachusetts, United States
Style:
Oatmeal Stout
ABV:
4.8%
Score:
83
Avg:
3.6 | pDev: 15%
Reviews:
18
Ratings:
21
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jul 21, 2018
Added:
Jun 06, 2005
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
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Rated: 3.5 by smaddock from Massachusetts

Jul 21, 2018
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Reviewed by schoolboy from Ohio

3.69/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
I received a sample of three brews from this brewery that had been sitting for a while. This is the best of them, but it shows a bit of shelf wear.

It pours almost black with a tiny bit of head - just enough. The aroma is slightly skunked. The taste is too, but it wears it well. A bitter, roasty, skunky taste with a light mouth feel. This is something we need - a light stout with body. I like it.

Recommended. I would like a cleaner sample. The others from this brew were not as good (a foamy wheat and an over the hill IPA).
Dec 29, 2017
 
Rated: 3.91 by SveNss0N from Massachusetts

Apr 15, 2015
 
Rated: 2 by rab53 from Washington

Dec 02, 2011
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Reviewed by jlindros from Massachusetts

3.18/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Pours a nice 1.5 finger fizzy head that fades semi slowly with a bit of lacing, over very dark almost black beer with just the slightest hint of light coming through.

Nose has light creamy oatmeal stout like aromas, look at that! Some light bready rustic malty aromas, toasty malts, light creamy flaked oats, and bit of the yeasty aroma that many of their beers have, that almost seems like the yeast was not happy. This one is much less so than many other beers from them.

Taste starts lighter than I expected, some dark malts but not much, light toasty rustic bready malts, light flaked creamy oats, a light juicy malt flavor, then it goes downhill with some extract tastes, again with the yeast that isn't happy giving it some phenols and fruity flavors, and almost infected flavor, and slight sawdust like flavor also from that same yeast source. Slightly tangy and acidic, very light acrid as well. Finishes dry with lingering tangy acidic yeast flavors and dried burnt malts, but slightly sticky.

Mouth is a bit lighter bodied than I expected, and not very creamy as the nose made it seem it would be, but quite a bit of carbonation, maybe too much for the style.

Overall again they miss. It started OK, even the nose was decent but just hinted at the off flavors to come, acidic, acrid, yeasty, almost infected like that I have found in most of their beers, and the body was watery and not very creamy for an oatmeal stout.
Aug 16, 2011
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Reviewed by 51mmz0rz from New Jersey

3.88/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a 12oz bottle into a Sam Adams tulip style glass.

A: Very dark brown body, lets call it opaque with some hints of brown where the light hits the edges. Head is nice tan color, dense, with so-so retention.

S: Dark burnt aromas. like maybe it was toasted a little too far.

T: Taste carries a bit of the burnt toast from the aroma, but it is nicely balanced by the sweetness. Other roasty grains come through, and the finish is actually pretty clean.

M: Body is good while not effecting the drinkablity. I think they hit it nicely if this is going to be a summer release.

O: Overall a solid, slightly lighter offering of this style.
Jun 17, 2011
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Reviewed by jbertsch from Massachusetts

4.07/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Pours pitch black with a decent sized-head to start. But the head fades quickly to a just a minor coating. Lacing is minor.

Aroma is of oats, roasted grain, and sweet coffee malt.

On the taste front, I definitely get that powdery oatmeal flavor and mouthfeel. What followed was toasted goodness, faint coffee, and finishing with chocolate notes. Overall, the taste is slightly sweet at first but finishes with dry chocolate.

What's funny is that it actually finishes a bit boozy for a beer that's below 5% on the ABV.

Mouthfeel is creamy with powdery oats and feels proper. Medium body for a stout.

Drinkability is good - in fact this makes a very good session stout if you can stand the slight sweetness over a long period of time.

I haven't loved everything from Nashoba, but so far this is one of the better ones I've tried from them.
Sep 19, 2010
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Reviewed by Reagan1984 from Massachusetts

3.17/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Thanks to Draught2012 for bringing this to our impromptu beer tasting.

A minimal head formed atop this dark brown beer. What did form immediately faded and later there was no lacing.

Aroma is of dark roasted malt and ash. Hint of dark chocolate.

Flavor is pretty good. Lots of charcoal and ash with a touch of chocolate in the background. Slight sweetness just behind the charred notes. Fairly consistent front to back.

Medium/Light body with a scant touch of carbonation. Fairly smooth.

A decent stout without much complexity.
Jul 27, 2010
Photo of HopNuggets
Reviewed by HopNuggets from Connecticut

4.18/5  rDev +16.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Poured 12oz bottle into Dogfish Head signature snifter.

A - Poured a dark deep black with a 1-1/2 finger coffee head that slowly dissipates to a 1/8" solid covering that leaves a nice lacing as the beer goes down.

S - Hints of coffee and brown sugar. Really gets the typical oatmeal stout scent down with a hint of mellow oats.

T - Roasted coffee, brown sugar, then more roasted coffee that sticks around the entire time from front to back of mouth and in the after taste. A hint of alcohol is there after the swallow then more coffee. A bit of hop bitterness at the end.

M - Very smooth, low carbonation, a bit dry, slight bitterness from hops.

D - Very drinkable as it's a "summer stout", low alcohol oatmeal stouts are good anytime of year.
Jul 17, 2010
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Reviewed by albern from Massachusetts

3.22/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
I went to Nashoba Valley to pick up all 5 of their available beers and the summer stout was the only beer out of the five that was better than mediocre or worse. This is a very watery, very weak oatmeal stout, but the beer does have the chocolate notes, some coffee and roasted dark grain notes, and there is a touch of sweetness to make it an okay beer. Nothing to rave about, the beer is a tad watery, a tad too sweet, a tad too sharp for an oatmeal stout and not enough creaminess for the style. The beer on its merits is okay. The beer is flat as flat can be, there is zero carbonation, no head, no lacing or retention. It is a drinkable beer but that is all one can say. Compared to the other 4 I sampled this one was the only beer of the bunch that I didn't pour down the drain. Overall, the brewery is a vast disappointment.
Jul 27, 2009
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Reviewed by taez555 from Vermont

4.3/5  rDev +19.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
This beer poured a dark coca cola colored body with a small off-white head.

Nose is a mix of light dark malts. Soft chocolate, definitely some raisins, sweet sugar in the raw, milky chocolate, and very mild touches of coffee.

Tastes is medium bodied with an immediate smokey, charcoal brick-like taste. Almost hints at rauch-stout at first. Lots of dark soft malts, chocolate, caramel, black patent malts, dark sweet molasses and even some honey. Some mild espresso bean touches as it warms. Hops are very minimum and only enough hop bitterness to give it some backbone. Rather dry, and has a firm irish stout sort of overall flavor, but with big touches on new England.

A very nice stout from a very nice winery. :-) Not over the top, a perfect stout for the summer, or the winter months.
Sep 19, 2008
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Reviewed by Jredner from Florida

2.52/5  rDev -30%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5
Aroma ha sa sort of molasses, coffee, raisin syrup aroma with mild sulphur/smoke notes and some sugary dark fruit accents...reminds me a lot of some of the Danish stouts I’ve had recently. The body is a flat black and the head is oofily large...three fingers thick...and bubbly, but with a nice tan/mocha color. Mildly plastic tinged, smokey/sweet fore. Tobacco, cigarette ash and rubber throught the middle. The mouthfeel is tingly with carbonation and thin and the finish is sweetish with mild chocolate notes and more plastic/rubber. Tastes amateurish.
Nov 14, 2006
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Reviewed by pgenius from Massachusetts

3.63/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Pretty good brew. Poured a nice bubbly head that disappeared shortly after. The beer itself is pitch black and even when I held it up to the light I couldn't see any color. I could definitely smell the chocolate malt with a hint of coffee behind it. The taste was chocolate and coffee as well. Very smooth and sweet with a pleasant bitter aftertaste. I wouldn't mind having another one of these at all.
Oct 25, 2006
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Reviewed by mountdew1 from New Hampshire

3.5/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5
Poured into a pint glass. No head at all. A very dark black color with no light passing through. Smelled of oatmeal. Tasted of coffe with some chocolate mixed in. Very pleasant tasting, with no bitterness at all. Definately a sipping beer, I worked on it for a solid half hour. During that time there was no change to the flavor despite it warming up. Was impressed. Solid beer.
Aug 20, 2006
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Reviewed by bjohnson from Massachusetts

3.78/5  rDev +5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
A: Pours a jet black color with a nice frothy one and a half caramel colored head. Nice retention on this guy. Pretty good lace on this one also.
S: Aromas roasted coffee and chocolate malt with a slight caramel sweetness.
T/M: Roasted coffee and burnt chocolate are the most predominant malt flavors. Nice bitterness in the ending after a slightly big carbonation blast. Pretty smooth and slick across the palate--a tad light and watery for a stout. Body just isn't there.
D: Drinkable stout. I'd have this again if I could. Possibly a session brew as the abv is at an agreeable level.
Aug 12, 2006
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Reviewed by smcolw from Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
In appearance, this has everything you'd expect in a Stout: a lasting beige head, good lace, and dark, dark brown color where light cannot penetrate.

Whoa, powerful aromas...dark cocoa and coffee, excellent.

The flavor is dry with a judicious amount of black patent malt. The only drawback is the thin body. While this is what makes this a "summer" stout, I found it distracting.

This is a nice change of pace from the heavier Irish stouts. Think lawnmower beer for Ireland.
Aug 06, 2006
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Reviewed by Franchise from Oregon

3.6/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Pours a dark black clear in appearance with no light breaking through. It leaves a thick tan head that breaks up quickly. The nose is chocolate, smokey, espresso, vanilla, and some spicy undertones. The taste starts with a tart roasted espresso bitterness on the palate. It then moves to a suttle earthy hop profile that begins to sweeten. The finish leaves you with a tannic tart smack. This is a good brew, a little less "summer" then I expected too much espresso in the body needed more sweetness to balance to truly make this a summer brew IMO. Hence the lower rating but a solid offering.
Jul 24, 2006
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Reviewed by blackie from Oregon

3.68/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5
appearance: A gentle pour into the snifter creates a big 1.5" head that gradually recedes until a layer of creamy looking carbonation, fed by bubbles from the bottom of the glass, persists. The beer is a very dark brown in color, almost black, with only a small amount of light escaping.

smell: Light roasted, milk chocolate, and maybe some lactose aromas. I am even getting some slight banana bread, yeastiness, and a "spiky" citrus in there. I can't quite describe the hoppiness. An interesting stout aroma, apparently "lightened" for the summer months.

mouthfeel: Carbonation is very high and effervescent, too much so. The body is light.

taste: Pretty clean, but not really boring. I can see why they call this a summer stout, as this would be great on a hot day. Light roasted coffee flavors, and not really much else. The finish is dry with some lingering coffee and a slight bitterness.

drinkability: A little weak on taste, but extremely drinkable for a stout.

Received this bottle from ppoitras in BIF 24. I really wish I could rate this a little higher, as I love how Nashoba has "summerized" stout...a style that I almost always reserve for the colder months. However, it is missing some little thing that I cannot pin down.
Nov 21, 2005
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Reviewed by ppoitras from Massachusetts

4.07/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
12oz bottle purchased as a single from Julio's, Westboro, MA.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a huge 2 3/4" tan head over the barely translucent dark brown brew. Frothy head lasts seemingly forever, finally get the rest of the bottle into the glass, with surprisingly little lacing for the head. Aroma is roasty, with citrusy hops making a showing as well. Taste is as well roasted grains, coffee mainly, but then gives way to balancing hops. Mouthfeel seems a bit thin for a stout, but maybe that was the point, and quite smooth. Drinkability is quite high. If a summer stout is supposed to be an easy drinking dark beer, almost reminiscent of a schwarzbier, this is a nice one.
Nov 04, 2005
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Reviewed by jdhilt from New Hampshire

4/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours with a five-finger light tan head that leaves traces of lace. Black color. Light-medium bodied and light carbonation. Nose is sweet coffee/chocolate. Starts on the sweet side finishes as roasted coffee, seems thinner than other stouts. The abv from their site is 4.45%. $1.45 for a 12oz bottle from Colonial Spirits Acton, Ma.
Jun 23, 2005
Summer Stout from Nashoba Valley Brewery
Beer rating: 83 out of 100 with 21 ratings