Espresso Stout
Old Capitol Brew Works and Public House

served on-tap @ Old Capitol Brew Works, Iowa City, IA, into a pint glass

Pours a nice, even dark-ass brown. Not quite black. A finger and a half of tight, small-bubbled dark khaki foam sat on top and never really went anywhere.

This is a VERY coffee-forward stout. Lots and lots and lots of espresso right up front and all throughout. It is so strong that it overpowers everything else. I get a sugary sort of cola aroma at times but that's about it. The coffee smells good but the beer is too one-note to score highly.

Thankfully, the beer tastes real good. Again, the coffee is the dominant flavor. At least there is some evenly-roasted barley malt flavor to keep up appearances. The coffee is the star of the show. Rich, flavorful espresso flavors. Delicious, just not as complex as better coffee stout examples.

The mouthfeel is pretty OK. It is too thin to be good but there isn't anything to shake a stick at. I wouldn't throw rocks at this mouthfeel. As far as drinkability goes, well, I can put back a couple of pints of this in no time. It is smooth and tasty.

Good work, Old Capitol Brew Works. Or, rather, Green River Brewing Co., who contract brews Old Cap's beers now. Stop in for a pint of this if you're in Iowa City.

Man... I hope Old Capitol's renovation goes well, but I also hope they get it over with ASAP. It's been over and year and I was really getting tired of the same 4-5 beers on tap. Thankfully they seem to be trying some new stuff. That's a good sign.

Pours dark and stoutish. Not quite opaque. Decent head.

Smells fairly crisp and light, for a coffee stout, but still a pleasant combination of bittersour stout malt, coffee, and a light and spicy hop profile.

Tastes a lot stronger, more coffeeish. Can't pick up much distinction between espresso and coffee. But anyhow all that you'd expect from a coffee stout is there--minimal hop presence, sweet and sour malt is balanced off by coffee goodness.

on tap @ the Old Capitol Brew Works

Pours a nice black color, with maybe just a few brown highlights around the edges. You can actually see some of the bubbles inside, as they cascade up at the start to form the head. The head remains pretty thin though, leaving little swirls and rings on top of the beer, and the loose bubbles leave a tiny bit of lacing. There is a nice roasted coffee presence in the nose. Certainly not much else to speak of. There isn't a lot of sweetness, but it doesn't smell too dry. But what else should I expect from an Espresso Stout? Upfront, there's a nice pure beer presence, a bit before the coffee hits. There is a taste of some sweet chocolate malts and some black malt, then the a little kick of coffee comes through in the middle. With a bit of a cola sweetness, and the coffee tastes a bit stronger in the finish, before the flavor disappears in a wash of roasted malt slickness. The taste is like a very full cup of coffee - medium for a beer really. There's a sting of carbonation, but its not quite unpleasant, and there seems to be an enjoyable battle in here between dry and sweet. This is an enjoyable beer. The alcohol starts to warm a bit and slows me down, but I'm not sure how strong it actually is. Actually, this is a pretty close comparison to Terrapin's Wake-n-Bake, if you've ever had it (I don't know if I'm allowed to compare a beer to another beer in a review). Worth a try if you're ever in the area - I didn't imagine I would ever be, but I was certainly surprised by what I found.

Pours a dark black color. 1/3 inch head of a tan color. Good retention and decent lacing. Smells of strong coffee up front and then some other roasted malt comes through. Fits the style of an American Stout. Mouth feel is smooth and crisp with an average carbonation level. There is also a strong associated bitterness. Tastes of strong coffee up front and then other roasted malts come through. What a great blend of strong malt flavors.