Dino S'mores - Coffee
Off Color Brewing

Dino S'mores - CoffeeDino S'mores - Coffee
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From:
Off Color Brewing
 
Illinois, United States
Style:
Russian Imperial Stout
Ranked #203
ABV:
10.5%
Score:
93
Ranked #3,523
Avg:
4.18 | pDev: 7.42%
Reviews:
92
Ratings:
431
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jul 10, 2023
Added:
Feb 25, 2015
Wants:
  51
Gots:
  80
Stout brewed with cocoa nibs, coffee and natural flavors.

Malts: Pale, Vienna, Wheat, Cara II, Extra Special, Flaked Oats, Dark Chocolate, Black and Roasted Barley
Hops: Nugget
Secret Ingredients: Marshmallow, Vanilla Bean, Molasses, Graham Flour, Cocoa Nibs, and a rotating coffee source.

40 IBU
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Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by JoeMans:
Photo of JoeMans
Rated by JoeMans from New York

4.34/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Apr 07, 2016
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 2.64 by stephenlee93 from England

Jul 10, 2023
 
Rated: 4.17 by cmsfish from Minnesota

Jun 26, 2023
Photo of Whyteboar
Reviewed by Whyteboar from Michigan

4.09/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
The pour was stout black, the light brown head was large bubbles and dissipated fast. Really fast. Curious.
The taste is marshmallow forward, stout secondary- and the difference is slight.
The malt is smooth and and so very tasty. I’m sure the marshmallow helps, but it doesn’t dominate. I expected chocolate (s’mores have chocolate) but nope. Coffee and marshmallow. I never thought I’d like that combination but it is pretty darn tasty.
Don’t think I ever got the crackers flavor, but enjoyed it.
May 21, 2023
 
Rated: 4.13 by joran from Kansas

May 20, 2023
Photo of DrunkenPhysicist
Reviewed by DrunkenPhysicist from Minnesota

3.96/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Poured from a pint can into a Guinness gravity glass

L: Jet black with almost no brown head. A small amount of lacing in the glass. There's a very small amount of translucence, mostly noticeable in the top few millimeters of the beer.
S: Dark, roasted malts and a bit of dark chocolate. Some coffee, trace amounts of something sweeter (probably the marshmallow flavor). Notably boozy.
T: Rich and very dark. The marshmallow and graham flavors come up toward the end. The coffee isn't terribly prominent but what's there does a terrific job bridging the base stout and the sweet flavorings.
F: Medium to full-bodied, though lighter than I would have expected. Carbonation is just shy of moderate.
O: I've always been a stout fan, and this one lands somewhere just below the middle of the pack of what I've had. The flavor is fairly good and the color is nice, but the ever-so-slight translucence I'm getting as well as the somewhat hot alcohol on the nose holds this back a bit. Overall it's worth a try, just not something I'd go out of my way to drink again.
May 14, 2023
 
Rated: 4.03 by kybeerdrinker from Kentucky

Jan 02, 2023
Photo of SLeffler27
Reviewed by SLeffler27 from New York

3.87/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
The Pretentious Glass Co. Imperial Snifter showcases the blackness of this RIS against a dark mahogany halo. 1/4” of chestnut foam slowly fades to a vail, leaving thin spots of lace to mark its past presence.

Sweet, dark roasted malt immediately grabs the nose, followed by an equally prominent partner of dark chocolate. Vanilla extract and alcohol fumes hold it back. Slight warming brings out lack coffee that continues to build with warmth. After several minutes, there is a charred, almost burnt sensation of graham cracker, and possibly a hint of marshmallow.

Sweetness is surprisingly low, with roasted malt being dominant. Burnt malt and chocolate lead to bitter black coffee. The is no trace of marshmallow or graham cracker. The finish is long, elevating the bitterness of the malt and the coffee, while adding baker’s chocolate.

The full body works well with the texture of felt. This can is labeled as 9.4% abv, and the stout certainly seems all of that and more. There is no heat, however there is a light bite of alcohol. The carbonation is ever present, a bit high in my opinion.

Coffee and baker’s chocolate are a bit overpowering for the other aromas and flavors to be enjoyed. Setting my expectations from the label aside, this is a good RIS. The original version of this beer was unquestionably a more enjoyable experience.
Dec 28, 2022
 
Rated: 4.18 by MutuelsMark from Kentucky

Nov 06, 2022
 
Rated: 4.98 by RoyalKaiju from Kentucky

Nov 06, 2022
 
Rated: 4.1 by Blogjackets from Ohio

Aug 21, 2022
 
Rated: 3.63 by TMoney2591 from Illinois

Jan 25, 2022
Photo of Beginner2
Reviewed by Beginner2 from Illinois

4.06/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
My fourth in Off Color's line of Dinos, I think this coffee makes two improvements to Dino's evolution.

First, the coffee makes the finish drier and longer. When you consider that the only appeal of marshmallows is sweet, the coffee's bitter is a smart balance consistent with brewing.

Second, the coffee moderates the sweetness and lets some of the darker malts do more talking... which usually results in genuine flavor and is better than stout's stylistic default of roasting malts too much.

All those positives said, I still prefer the original Dino. It is a better substitute for dessert on a cold, cloudy day. And Coffee, well it mixes the dessert and coffee; but, I don't drink coffee anytime before bed. So, Coffee Dino has limited use for me.

I enjoy many of Off Color's experiments and I most-repeatedly enjoy their beers... to be precise, over four times more servings than the #2 brewer for me on this planet. That highest praise made, Coffee Dino is not one experience I need to have again.

3/18/22 Despite my foreswearing Coffee Dino, I bought another can and while I still prefer Daddy Dino... his son Coffee is a perky offspring. I'm counting @ UnTappd.
Nov 16, 2021
Photo of Tsar_Riga
Reviewed by Tsar_Riga from Minnesota

4.29/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
A - Solid black pour, short tan head, quick fade. No lacing.

S - Booze and wood nose. Chocolate and coffee.

T - Delicious graham cracker and chocolate mocha malty goodness, strong sweetness, bourbon, and a char-bitter finish, with coffee acidic highlights.

M - Prickly carbonation on the open, sticky heavy weight. Mildly dry finish, avoiding cloying experience.

O - Surprisingly this works, quite well. Superb.
Sep 13, 2021
 
Rated: 4.1 by EdFed from Illinois

Jul 25, 2021
Photo of UrbanCaveman
Reviewed by UrbanCaveman from Ohio

4.23/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25
16 oz can, poured into a goblet at 40 degrees F.

L: Pours an utter and impenetrable black, as one would hope for a stout with coffee in it. Forms a fizzy dark brown head that vanishes completely before one (read: I) can even pull up the camera function on their (read: my) phone.

S: Coffee dominates the nose, over black bread, dark chocolate, loamy earth, wet bark, and vague campfire ash.

T: Not unlike the nose in most respect, but with extra elements in play. Medium roast coffee lands right up front and remains throughout. Behind that, there's a melange of graham, marshmallow, chocolate, and campfire ashes, atop a distant backbone of damp loam and wet bark. Here and there a tinge of vanilla slips in. The coffee lingers long after the swallow, alongside the ashes and chocolate.

F: Thick and full-bodied, as one expects from a stout. Used engine oil indeed.

O: Not too shabby, though I daresay I prefer ordinary Dino Smores (which I enjoyed while living in Chicagoland and not active on here, alas).
Jul 04, 2021
Photo of brentk56
Reviewed by brentk56 from North Carolina

4.14/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Appearance: Pitch black with a two finger beige head that slowly but surely fritters away until it settles as a film; strands of lacing turn into squiggles

Smell: Coffee and chocolate tones intermingle with marshmallow, vanilla, graham cracker and molasses elements

Taste: Milk chocolate forward with marshmallow and vanilla adding sweetness; the graham cracker flavor emerges, along with the sweetened coffee, through the middle while there is a hint of molasses in the finish

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with the carbonation quickly fading from medium to low

Overall: A pleasant imperial sweet stout - not sure why this is considered to be a Russian Imperial Stout
Jun 02, 2021
Photo of TreyIsWilson
Reviewed by TreyIsWilson from Michigan

4.04/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
A - Pours pitch black with a fizzy tan head. No real lacing.

S - Aroma is big black coffee, roasted malts and dark chocolate.

T - The taste is dark chocolate, coffee, vanilla, marshmallow, molasses and roasted malts.

M - Medium body with medium carbonation. Creamy mouthfeel with a soft dry finish.

O - Decent coffee stout.
May 07, 2021
Photo of Captain69
Rated by Captain69 from Illinois

4.49/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
great malty sweet coffee flavors come out in every sip . smooth stout
Apr 16, 2021
Photo of BigIronH
Reviewed by BigIronH from Michigan

3.48/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Not bad but not better than any other coffee stout you’ve had. All the special ingredients boasted on the label are lost in the malt. For 20$ a four pack I would be lying if I said I didn’t expect something much better. Either way, if you’re dying to try another coffee stout you could pick this one up.
Mar 19, 2021
Dino S'mores - Coffee from Off Color Brewing
Beer rating: 93 out of 100 with 431 ratings