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Michigan Brewing Superior Stout
Michigan Brewing Company
- From:
- Michigan Brewing Company
- Michigan, United States
- Style:
- American Stout
- ABV:
- 5.5%
- Score:
- 81
- Avg:
- 3.54 | pDev: 14.69%
- Reviews:
- 59
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Jan 08, 2013
- Added:
- Jun 17, 2002
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by mentor:
Reviewed by mentor from Colorado
4.03/5 rDev +13.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.03/5 rDev +13.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Purchased from the brewery itself and consumed that same evening in December, 2004. Poured moderately thick with a 2 finger light brown head. This beer is too dark to see through. There was no sediment in the bottle. Smells of orast coffee and almost equally of chocolate. Cool and sweet. With much searching, I also pick up a metallic edge. Tastes first of coffee roast followed by chocolate and ending with more roast plus a mild cherry sour. Mild carbonation and a medium-thick body. The first sips were a bit too sweet, but the later sips are now a bit too dry roasty. I'm a bit surprised at the strength of the chocolate in this stout, but it plays quite well with the roasted grain flavors. This is an enjoyable stout that I'm happy to recommend.
Jan 01, 2005More User Ratings:
Reviewed by GRPunk from Michigan
4.1/5 rDev +15.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
4.1/5 rDev +15.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Bottle etched 06/21/12 poured into a mug
A- A 2-finger, foamy brown head appears after a normal pour. It sustains all day and leaves awesome, broad sticky rings on the glass. It has a rich, dark brown body that appears near black through the middle. Medium-heavy carbonation is apparent. I'm a sucker for head retention and those wide rings left on the glass.
S- quite robust. Milk chocolate and coffee with about 4 packets of sugar are the major players here. Brown sugar comes through later.
T- Much as aroma suggests. Lots of milk chocolate and medium roast coffee. Lighter hopping hints at somewhere between citrus and mint.
M- Foamy and full bodied. It had a nice, unrefined quality about it, almost chalky.
O- Surprisingly good. Solid and robust, yet very drinkable. I wish I'd discovered this beer before th brewery closed.
Jun 18, 2012A- A 2-finger, foamy brown head appears after a normal pour. It sustains all day and leaves awesome, broad sticky rings on the glass. It has a rich, dark brown body that appears near black through the middle. Medium-heavy carbonation is apparent. I'm a sucker for head retention and those wide rings left on the glass.
S- quite robust. Milk chocolate and coffee with about 4 packets of sugar are the major players here. Brown sugar comes through later.
T- Much as aroma suggests. Lots of milk chocolate and medium roast coffee. Lighter hopping hints at somewhere between citrus and mint.
M- Foamy and full bodied. It had a nice, unrefined quality about it, almost chalky.
O- Surprisingly good. Solid and robust, yet very drinkable. I wish I'd discovered this beer before th brewery closed.
Reviewed by EnJeiBee from Wisconsin
3/5 rDev -15.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
3/5 rDev -15.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
A - Poured a deep brown with reddish undertones when held up to the light. There was a small tan head that dissappated rather quickly, but left decent lacing.
S - It had a very earthy coffee scent, and a hint of smoke
T - Coffee like flavors dominate with a small hint of that smoke in the aftertaste
M - Pretty thin for the style and undercarbonated
O - There really wasn't anything memorable about this brew besides it's drinkability. It definitely went down smoothly, but it was very one-note.
Jul 02, 2011S - It had a very earthy coffee scent, and a hint of smoke
T - Coffee like flavors dominate with a small hint of that smoke in the aftertaste
M - Pretty thin for the style and undercarbonated
O - There really wasn't anything memorable about this brew besides it's drinkability. It definitely went down smoothly, but it was very one-note.
Reviewed by lurpy1 from Minnesota
3.1/5 rDev -12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5
3.1/5 rDev -12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5
I've been working extensively in Michigan but this is my first MBC beer. Been avoiding them a bit. There something vaguely generic about MBC - the homely labels, the vanilla choice of beers, the Regional Microbrew 101 method to naming beers (pick out a vague local geographic feature and cobble into an alliterative title, like Superior Stout). It strikes me as the kind of beer you'd find in the state Tourism Center just inside the state line. Where was I? Oh yes, Superior Stout.
Starts out good - won't get too crazy with how it looks, looked like a stout - black on the bottom, polluted sea foam on the top. The smell is inviting, the schnoz-impact is probably Superior Stout's strong point, makes me think it will exceed my modest expectations. Does not. The taste, while strong and pleasant at first, runs for cover and vanishes quickly, leaving me with a bland, watery, vastly overcarbonated mouthful of something-something.
I was expecting a relatively generic run at Stout, and this did not disappoint. It all felt very perfunctory, made by somebody who had been told they needed to make a stout, but didn't know how, and really had no conviction. This is drinkable, and if it's offered for free, absolutely, but I believe, like me, you'll always be able to find something more compelling to try.
Jun 19, 2011Starts out good - won't get too crazy with how it looks, looked like a stout - black on the bottom, polluted sea foam on the top. The smell is inviting, the schnoz-impact is probably Superior Stout's strong point, makes me think it will exceed my modest expectations. Does not. The taste, while strong and pleasant at first, runs for cover and vanishes quickly, leaving me with a bland, watery, vastly overcarbonated mouthful of something-something.
I was expecting a relatively generic run at Stout, and this did not disappoint. It all felt very perfunctory, made by somebody who had been told they needed to make a stout, but didn't know how, and really had no conviction. This is drinkable, and if it's offered for free, absolutely, but I believe, like me, you'll always be able to find something more compelling to try.
Reviewed by tubacharlie from Michigan
3.88/5 rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.88/5 rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
The head is a khaki color and two-fingers high, with good retention. Not a big aroma, but a hint of molasses in the sniff. The brew appears dark brown to black until held up to a light, when a dark ruby red color is revealed, clear and translucent.
Coffee and molasses flavors predominate in the front of the palate, with some hop bitterness tempering the overall mouth feel and some yeast and bread grain accents. Lingering coffee notes in the back palate.
A standup stout, with good depth of character.
Apr 20, 2011Coffee and molasses flavors predominate in the front of the palate, with some hop bitterness tempering the overall mouth feel and some yeast and bread grain accents. Lingering coffee notes in the back palate.
A standup stout, with good depth of character.
Reviewed by SAxDRC5 from Michigan
3.03/5 rDev -14.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 1 | overall: 4
3.03/5 rDev -14.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 1 | overall: 4
Appearance: Pours a black body very small tan head that doesn't stick around long. leaves a very small amount of lacing.
Smell: Dark. black coffee and dark chocolate. a pretty average stout.
Taste: slightly sweet beginning, finishes bitter. tastes like that chocolate you use to bake stuff, a lot of bitter and not much sweet. a hint of coffee, less than in the smell. not a dry finish, no warm alcohol finish.
Mouthfeel: way lighter body than a stout should be. way more carbonated than a stout should be.
EDIT: the second bottle I opened is completely flat. literally zero carbonation. I wish I hadn't drank the first one, I could have mixed them and had one 24oz beer with the right carbonation.
Drinkability: feels like a Busch Light; looks, smells, and tastes like an average stout. If they packaged this in a camouflage 30 rack I could kill it in 2 nights.
Jan 04, 2011Smell: Dark. black coffee and dark chocolate. a pretty average stout.
Taste: slightly sweet beginning, finishes bitter. tastes like that chocolate you use to bake stuff, a lot of bitter and not much sweet. a hint of coffee, less than in the smell. not a dry finish, no warm alcohol finish.
Mouthfeel: way lighter body than a stout should be. way more carbonated than a stout should be.
EDIT: the second bottle I opened is completely flat. literally zero carbonation. I wish I hadn't drank the first one, I could have mixed them and had one 24oz beer with the right carbonation.
Drinkability: feels like a Busch Light; looks, smells, and tastes like an average stout. If they packaged this in a camouflage 30 rack I could kill it in 2 nights.
Reviewed by alkemy from Ohio
3.58/5 rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5
3.58/5 rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5
Really deep brown pour with minimal dark tan head. Lots of espresso on the nose. There's also hints of caramel, but that rich burnt coffee note dominates. The taste follows pretty closely. A little sweetness starts on the tongue and then the coffee comes in to dominate. I quite like the flavor, but the feel was very thin, and I found the carbonation to be a bit overbearing. Pretty easy to drink but doubtful I'll seek it out again.
Oct 08, 2010Reviewed by kbutler1 from Minnesota
3.42/5 rDev -3.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
3.42/5 rDev -3.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
Bottle. Pours a dark brown color with very minimal head. What head there is collars around the rim of the glass. The aroma is that of a creamed up coffee loaded with sweetness and maybe some hazelnut. The taste is very similiar to the smell but you also get some leather and a little bitterness but other than that you get a creamy tasting coffee like taste. Medium mouthfeel. Surprisingly not that bad of a beer. I haven't heard of this brewery before so I really didn't have high hopes but ws decently surprised.
Sep 25, 2010Reviewed by buschbeer from Ohio
3.63/5 rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
3.63/5 rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
I poured into a pint glass to one finger of mocha head. The beer is dark brown in color. The aroma is sweet roasted malt and has a biscuit smell. The taste is sweet roasted malt. It has a kind of thin mouthfeel for the style. It is not a great stout but it goes down easy.
Sep 11, 2010Reviewed by RickS95 from Indiana
3.8/5 rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.8/5 rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Very dark, almost black with a smidge of red. Lots of small tan bubbles sit on top...thick head.
Has a nice earthy, roasty coffee scent to it, even some smoke.
Not a lot of flavors jump out at you. Tastes a bit like coffee, smoke hits the palate as well, and as it warms, it actually smells a bit like BBQ.
Very creamy mouthfeel with a little heat at the end.
This is too easy to drink, goes down smooth with really nice lacing.
Jul 25, 2010Has a nice earthy, roasty coffee scent to it, even some smoke.
Not a lot of flavors jump out at you. Tastes a bit like coffee, smoke hits the palate as well, and as it warms, it actually smells a bit like BBQ.
Very creamy mouthfeel with a little heat at the end.
This is too easy to drink, goes down smooth with really nice lacing.
Reviewed by divineaudio from Michigan
3.92/5 rDev +10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
3.92/5 rDev +10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
bottle into a pint glass. no date.
color is about what i expect in a stout, dark brown with ruby highlights. gives me a thin cap of tan head that fades quick. a few chunks of lace here and there.
smells of dark chocolate and espresso.
taste is mostly roasted malt with some coffee bitterness and mild hop presence in the finish. bittersweet, dry and fairly well balanced.
mouthfeel is on the full side, slightly chewy, with medium carbonation.
this is a great candidate for a session stout. goes down easy not an outstanding beer by any means, but solid and worth seeking out.
Jun 09, 2010color is about what i expect in a stout, dark brown with ruby highlights. gives me a thin cap of tan head that fades quick. a few chunks of lace here and there.
smells of dark chocolate and espresso.
taste is mostly roasted malt with some coffee bitterness and mild hop presence in the finish. bittersweet, dry and fairly well balanced.
mouthfeel is on the full side, slightly chewy, with medium carbonation.
this is a great candidate for a session stout. goes down easy not an outstanding beer by any means, but solid and worth seeking out.
Reviewed by Haybeerman from Colorado
3.72/5 rDev +5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
3.72/5 rDev +5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
A: Very dark brown color; no light. Poured a 2 finger beige head with good retention. Lace sheeted down the sides of the glass.
S: Toasted malt with , chocolate and roasted nuts most prominent; very inviting.
T: Coffee and burnt toast. Smooth chocolate in the middle. Just enough bitter to balance pretty well. Missed the dryness in the finish with lingering coffee flavors.
M: Medium body. Low carbonation. smooth and creamy, but htinner than expected.
D: Very flavorful and easily drinkable.
May 13, 2010S: Toasted malt with , chocolate and roasted nuts most prominent; very inviting.
T: Coffee and burnt toast. Smooth chocolate in the middle. Just enough bitter to balance pretty well. Missed the dryness in the finish with lingering coffee flavors.
M: Medium body. Low carbonation. smooth and creamy, but htinner than expected.
D: Very flavorful and easily drinkable.
Reviewed by Magpie14 from Michigan
3.6/5 rDev +1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
3.6/5 rDev +1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
A: the body is made up of deep reds with a pinch of purple. Light easily squeaks through this one, far from black but fairly dark. Vanilla cream colored head with light to moderate lacing
S: smell is full of roasted malts with some cocoa and coffee. Nose has a slight grainy character overall with a mineral quality. Overall it is dark and malt heavy in the nose
T: my palate conjures up blackened malts and grains roasted with a light and distinct chard flavor, kind of dry. Malts gain an earthy character that goes hand in hand with a dusting of cocoa flakes. I also get the feeling that some coffee is present. This coffee is in small amounts and has a lingering mild oily presence. After a few sips and allowing myself sometime to gather my thoughts a noticeable astringent bitterness hangs in the air...or rather in the tongue. It is close to getting the half point boost but not quite
M: with the flavors moving as they do the body and feel is a good accompaniment. Carbonation seems in the right order, maybe a bit strong. I find it creamy and close to full in weight
D: this is a solid drinker. What makes it tick are malts and bitterness. Both are in a good way and never overpowering, very quaffable. One of my favorite MBC brews...so far. Pretty straight forward American Stout
Mar 18, 2010S: smell is full of roasted malts with some cocoa and coffee. Nose has a slight grainy character overall with a mineral quality. Overall it is dark and malt heavy in the nose
T: my palate conjures up blackened malts and grains roasted with a light and distinct chard flavor, kind of dry. Malts gain an earthy character that goes hand in hand with a dusting of cocoa flakes. I also get the feeling that some coffee is present. This coffee is in small amounts and has a lingering mild oily presence. After a few sips and allowing myself sometime to gather my thoughts a noticeable astringent bitterness hangs in the air...or rather in the tongue. It is close to getting the half point boost but not quite
M: with the flavors moving as they do the body and feel is a good accompaniment. Carbonation seems in the right order, maybe a bit strong. I find it creamy and close to full in weight
D: this is a solid drinker. What makes it tick are malts and bitterness. Both are in a good way and never overpowering, very quaffable. One of my favorite MBC brews...so far. Pretty straight forward American Stout
Reviewed by Bung from Michigan
3.8/5 rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.8/5 rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12 oz. Near black pour, white head. Nice chocolate and roasty aromas. Taste has a good amount of chocolate, some roast malt, cocoa. Pretty dry, but not chalky. Almost creamy, good bottle with no excessive carbonation. Light medium body. A real good drinker of a stout. I could see where this one could go awry, best to get this one fresh I'd guess. Peninsula Porter was terrible, this one was pretty good. Nice drinkable American Stout.
Oct 22, 2009Reviewed by jt31914 from Michigan
4.21/5 rDev +18.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.21/5 rDev +18.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
12 oz. Bottle
A: Hardly any head, hardly carbonated and a dark dark brown color.
S: Roasted coffee notes are the dominant smell; it's pleasant.
T: Creamy with coffee in the follow. It has a pleasant aftertaste and is not harsh; however the cream is mixed with a disappointing watery flavor that I dislike (similar to that in many poorly done brown ales). Good, but could have been better.
D/M: One of the more drinkable stouts I've had, this goes down easy with nice mouthfeel.
Oct 13, 2009A: Hardly any head, hardly carbonated and a dark dark brown color.
S: Roasted coffee notes are the dominant smell; it's pleasant.
T: Creamy with coffee in the follow. It has a pleasant aftertaste and is not harsh; however the cream is mixed with a disappointing watery flavor that I dislike (similar to that in many poorly done brown ales). Good, but could have been better.
D/M: One of the more drinkable stouts I've had, this goes down easy with nice mouthfeel.
Michigan Brewing Superior Stout from Michigan Brewing Company
Beer rating:
81 out of
100 with
64 ratings
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