Sherbrooke Neapolean Neapolitan Stout
Alley Kat Brewing Company

Sherbrooke Neapolean Neapolitan StoutSherbrooke Neapolean Neapolitan Stout
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From:
Alley Kat Brewing Company
 
Alberta, Canada
Style:
Sweet / Milk Stout
ABV:
6.7%
Score:
89
Avg:
4.02 | pDev: 10.95%
Reviews:
13
Ratings:
15
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Nov 26, 2012
Added:
May 27, 2010
Wants:
  4
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
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Photo of BigBry
Reviewed by BigBry from Canada (AB)

3.97/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Another single from my bi-annual pilgrimage to Sherbrooke Liquor.
Cool label - Napolean with a neopolitan ice cream cup.
Ingredients: Malt, hops, water, yeast.
Flavours: Chocolate, vanilla and strawberry.

This beer pours solid black, with a short mocha colored head. Foam dissipated fairly quickly, leaving a thin line of lace. It smells of roasted malt, vanilla comes throug, along with some milk chocolate. The taste is on the sweet side to start. Nice compliment of flavor, including roasted grain, chocolate and cocoa, and a bit of hop bitterness at the end. There is a bit of fruitiness, although I was not able to nail it down as strawberry, cherry, ot raspberry (not that it really matters). The vanilla, and a touch of smokiness settle in the aftertaste.
The carbonation is low, keeping it smooth, the body is medium and creamy.
A decent stout, not overly sweet, with a good addition of extra flavours. A great dessert beer.
Nov 26, 2012
 
Rated: 3.75 by Pshkwa from Canada (AB)

Jul 28, 2012
Photo of wordemupg
Reviewed by wordemupg from Canada (AB)

4.07/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
341ml bottle poured into tulip 6/11/11

A near black but a little too much cola to claim that, two fingers of mocha head that hangs for a few minuets leaving lots of random lace

S lots of coco powder a little vanilla, strawberry and cherry with some mild coffee, solid smell for sure

T a little more fruit then the smell, still loads of coco powder but somehow it all works pretty well

M a little thin considering the color but not watery by any means, decent carbonation and a mellow coco aftertaste

O no issues with this one whatsoever, interesting idea and it worked out about as well as one could hope

good move trying something different with this one, I love that Sherbrooke and Alley Kat are trying and succeeding new and different things. Thanks Jim for getting this one into my hands
Dec 07, 2011
 
Rated: 5 by graybayou from Canada (AB)

Nov 30, 2011
Photo of liamt07
Reviewed by liamt07 from Canada (ON)

3.66/5  rDev -9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Bottle from strang, 341ml into a tulip.

Pours thick and black, with a dark brown head that almost has a pinkish tinge to it. Good lacing and nice retention. Nose has some roasty and chocolate notes, with some distinct strawberry as well upon closer observation. Odd, slightly sour notes are derived from this too I'll assume, some light funkiness as well. Not sure if it was designed with this in mind, or that this beer might be just a tad past its prime. Nonetheless, the components of neapolitan ice cream are present, with extremely subtle vanilla notes contributing as well. Taste has more dark chocolate and strawberry, touch of roast again. Light tartness in the finish, and leaves me curious as to whether real strawberries were employed here. A nice beer, that I'm beginning to think would've been nicer fresh. Good integration of flavours that nails what I believe it attempts to, and is good for what it is, yet I'm not completely satisfied with it.
Oct 03, 2011
Photo of Phyl21ca
Reviewed by Phyl21ca from Canada (QC)

3.62/5  rDev -10%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Bottle: Poured a pitch-black color stout with a large brown color head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of light roasted malty with lactose and medium vanilla notes. Taste is quite heavy with light roasted malt offset by solid amount of lactose and some vanilla notes are also easily noticeable. Body is full with syrupy texture and good carbonation with no apparent alcohol. Interesting experiment and I get what they tried to achieve but I just don’t think this is something I would drink on a regular basis.
Sep 29, 2011
Photo of ChrisCage
Reviewed by ChrisCage from Canada (AB)

3.88/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A- Pours a completely black color, and has a motor oil like thickness while pouring. It has a brownish colored head that starts out about a finger and a half thick, finally settling down to a dense layer. There's no way to tell what the carbonation is like, due to the color, but the lacing is patchy, yet thick where it clings to the glass. A nice looking porter for sure!

S- This smells primarily like a typical porter, with roasted coffee beans, a combo of dark and sweeter milk chocolate and toasted malts. I do smell hints of the vanilla, but definitely not the strawberry.

T- The chocolate is definitely noticeable right away, and delivers quite the spectrum of flavors, from bittersweet to creamy chocolate milkshake. The vanilla is present right in the middle and the finish becomes a little bit tart from the strawberry....it isn't a dominant flavor at the end but there is some fruitiness. Outside of this, there is the typical coffee notes and roasted malt characters. There is a lingering bitterness on the aftertaste that sticks around for quite some time.

M- Thick, creamy and full bodied best describe this! Creamy in the sense of the chocolate flavors. The carbonation is actually a little more palate scrubbing than I thought it would be but it's not enough to be offensive. Definitely there's a hint of melted ice cream here....

O- This beer is very flavorful, and is a great dessert beer, but not something that can be had in large quantities....one bottle is more than enough at any one. The alcohol is well hidden due to the sweetness, and I think could be a nice addition to a black forest cake or rich dessert recipie. An interesting take on the style and I would probably get this again sometime, but won't go out of my way for it either.
Aug 13, 2011
Photo of mmurphy525
Reviewed by mmurphy525 from Canada (NS)

3.31/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
Poured from a bottle into a duvel tulip

This beer pours completely black with a very thin head that dissipates quickly.

Very strong roasted malt with a slight char characteristic. There is also chocolate notes mixed with some sweetness (can’t specifically identify the note, others indicate strawberry but I do not pick this up)

The first upfront flavour is roasted malts with some chocolate and coffee notes. Differing from the aroma I can pick up a berry sweetness that I would describe as strawberry/raspberry flavour.

This stout drinks with a nice creamy texture with medium high carbonation.

Overall this is a decent stout not great but not bad. Worth a try.
Jul 26, 2011
Photo of Dawkfan
Reviewed by Dawkfan from Canada (AB)

3.72/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
A- An aggressive pour only yields a thin layer of dark mocha head that settles out quickly. Jet black in color, virtually impenetrable by light. This looked really viscous going into my pint glass.

S- Roasted malts, coffee, and milk chocolate upon the first couple of whiffs. I had a hard time picking up the vanilla and strawberry, but faint aromas of both are noticeable when allowed to warm.

T- I was expecting bigger and bolder flavors in this and surprisingly the malts, coffee, and chocolate take a bit of a backseat to the sweetness of the strawberries and vanilla. A complete 180 from the aroma.

M- Could of been thicker and chewier, feels light in the mouth. Carbonation seems a bit high as well. Still manages to be smooth though.

D- Overall, a decent drinker and a nice idea for a Stout.
Dec 30, 2010
Photo of Sammy
Reviewed by Sammy from Canada (ON)

4/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours black with a small ring of mocha head. The aroma is magnificient, a great roasting supported by the other flavours. The taste is well balanced roastiness as well, chocolate and strawberry on the tongue. I loved this flavour as a child. A sipper, rich, lace dots.Carbonation right there. The sweetness is controlled and on the finish. Very good stout.Thanks Presario.
Oct 13, 2010
Photo of IronDjinn
Reviewed by IronDjinn from Canada (AB)

3.68/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
The latest Sherbrooke release, based on a recipe by local Edmonton homebrewer Ernie Boffa. I never did get the chance to try the original but heard nothing but good comments about it, and it sure sounded like a good idea. Let's check out how this commercial version turned out.

Pours out a deep opaque black, capped by over two fingers of a creamy dark tan head.

This stout needs to warm up a great deal to get the full spectrum of the aroma. Sweet creamy chocolate and coffee notes at first, a lighter woody vanilla behind it, with just the faintest traces of a sweet sugary strawberry.

Assertive roasty malt and bitter cocoa at first in the flavour, a spike of sweetness in the middle, while some sweet vanilla mingles with more roasted malt. It's only in the aftertaste that a faint hint of strawberry teases, but still gets lost in more lingering chocolate and woody roasted malt.

Medium-bodied mouthfeel, silky slick texture, moderate carbonation.

Definitely a cool idea for a stout, and a perfect idea for a beer float as well. Not the most cohesive translation of the concept (or I'm assuming the original homebrew recipe), the chocolate comes out and dominates everything else, however I'm sure the brewery will balance this out more if they produce it again.

Congrats on your beer Ernie!
Jul 15, 2010
Photo of joemcgrath27
Reviewed by joemcgrath27 from Canada (AB)

4.52/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
picked up a 6er while visiting Edmonton at Sheerbrooke Liquor Store, amazing place!

A - poured an impenetrable black, short chocolately head that retained okay
S - it's amazing that you can smell creamy vanilla chocolate and strawberry right away, along with roasted coffee. Very enticing.
T - creamy tastes of chocolate and vanilla up front, with the strawberry lingering a little more on the finish, that coffee roasty stout flavour balances well with the infused neapolitan ice cream flavours. Can't believe how much it tastes like the ice cream!
M - a little chewy, smooth, sweet, and enjoyable as a bowl of ice cream, and there is just a little alcohol tartness that balances the richness out
D - the flavours are so reminiscent of neapolitan ice cream that you can't help but crave another. It is a stout but relatively drinkable for the style. This beer just makes me smile!
Jul 05, 2010
Photo of andrenaline
Reviewed by andrenaline from Canada (ON)

4.67/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Thanks to fellow BA joemcgrath27 for hooking me up with this delicious bevy.

A - Pours tar-like black with a thin layer of dark mocha chocolate mousse head. No real lacing.

S - The scent is a sweet floral bouquet of fruits and chocolate. Milk chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, and slight roasted coffee malts on the finish.

T - I found that the vanilla and strawberry flavours came through first, and the chocolate powered through with a strong finish. It seriously tastes like you just finished a bowl of chocolate ice cream. The higher ABV goes largely unnoticed, but does start to come through as it warms up.

M - Much lighter and smoother than I was expecting. Given its dark syropy pour I was expecting something much thicker, but it went down easily.

D - Ice cream beer... This stuff is amazing and I totally need to get my hands on more. Sessionable? Perhaps, if you're seeking to satisfy a sweet tooth craving, but I know I could easily toss back a few of these without a problem. Incredible brew, and I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a new experience which offers a range of rich delicious flavours!
Jun 29, 2010
Photo of nafnikufesin
Reviewed by nafnikufesin from Canada (AB)

4.35/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Okay, first off, I'll disclose my bias: this beer was Alley Kat's interpretation of my homebrew recipe. However, since I'm one of very few people that have ever tasted the original, I also have a basis of comparison for the style.

The idea is simple enough: take the flavors of Neapolitan ice cream, namely chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry, and combine them in a stout. As the quote on the bottle says "From the sublime to the ridiculous is but a step", to the uninitiated, the premise might sound a little crazy, but done correctly, it works.

This beer pours an oily black with a thick brown head of medium-sized bubbles. As the head slowly dissipates, it leaves wisping on the glass.

Ideally allowed to warm up, at least half an hour out of the fridge, you stick your nose in and get a faint aroma of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry, as if you were smelling the ice cream after mixing it all up. The dark grains add to the chocolate, and give a little coffee as well. No hops on the nose.

The flavor is dark and rich; a mix of bittersweet chocolate with a hint of sweetness from the strawberry and vanilla. No hop flavor, and the dark grains and hops contribute to a lingering bitterness that leaves the balance slightly towards the bitter side despite the sweetness up front. A slight acidity comes through in the finish.

The beer has a medium body, and a low carbonation. Slight alcohol warming becomes apparent towards the middle of the beer, although no alcohol flavors appear.

The homebrew was equal parts ice cream and stout, with the chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla flavors more readily apparent in both the aroma and the flavor, with a sweeter impression, and a creamier texture. I prefer the homebrew, of course I am partial, but the one knock it had by some was that it wasn't beer-like enough. Alley Kat's version is more beer and less ice cream, not that there's anything wrong with that. It's a good, dark stout with a hint of ice cream, making for a great dessert beer...and from experience, it also works well in a float.
Jun 04, 2010
Photo of biboergosum
Reviewed by biboergosum from Canada (AB)

4.03/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
The latest special release from Sherbrooke Liquor store, brewed by their local partners in crime, Alley Kat. This is a strong stout, with added chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry flavours, which, to those of us who were ever, say, 6 years old, evoke, of course, Neapolitan-style ice cream. Only instead of the usually well-separated strata found in cardboard freezer boxes, it is mixed all together here, for our beer-drinking enjoyment...

The label depicts a suitably Gallic-looking Napoleon, a spoon and small tub of the eponymous treat in his hands. His quote: "From the sublime to the ridiculous is but a step", foreshadows well.

This beer pours a solid black hole, with the slightest of mahogany edges when held to the back light, and two fingers of light creamy mocha head, which dissipates fairly quickly, leaving a thin webbed wash up of lace around the glass. It smells of mild roasted malt, chocolate milk powder, vanilla, and a faint fruitiness. The taste is sweet, roasted caramel malt, and fairly strong fruity chocolate, with a bit of earthy hops struggling to provide balance. The carbonation is very sedate, the body medium weight, smooth, and somewhat creamy. It finishes off-dry, the Quik-like chocolate more or less standing out over all.

Well, at first, this version of the Neapolitan trio of flavours seems a tad too sweet, but it soon turns to a decent enough chocolate stout, the vanilla and strawberry flavours relegated to the deep background. This is a pretty drinkable, and enjoyable, if not particularly complex, dessert beer.
May 27, 2010
Sherbrooke Neapolean Neapolitan Stout from Alley Kat Brewing Company
Beer rating: 89 out of 100 with 15 ratings