Dublin Stout
Goose Island Beer Co.

 

 

 

On nitro at Goose Island Clybourn. Served in a pint glass.

Typical nitro appearance; dark black body with roiling brown bubbles feeding a thick, condensed offwhite head with great retention time, no lacing. Smells mild, a bit of roasted malt and earth, not much else as expected from a nitro beer. Flavour is primarily oats, roasted malt, earth, a bit of chocolate and even a little bit of lactose. Mouthfeel is typical nitro, medium bodied and very creamy, smooth and easy to drink. Zero heat. Overall, a very sessionable Irish Dry Stout that works well on nitro.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Served on nitro-draught at Goose Island Clybourn on March 16th. 4.3% ABV confirmed. Served inot a half pint glass. Reviewed from notes.

A: Pours a half finger creamy khaki colour head. Great cream, good thickness, and good (~3 minute) retention. Body colour is a solid nontransparent black. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. Solid for the style.

Sm: Evocative roast, rich coffee, oats, chocolate, and well handled dark malts. No yeast or alcohol is detectable. A moderate strength aroma. Excellent for an Irish stout.

T: Nice oats. Decent roast. Light chocolate. A bit too bitter. Nice dark malts form the foundation. The balance is off for the style. Tasty though. Lacks complexity and subtlety.

Mf: Way too smooth and wet for the style, which demands coarseness and dryness mitigated by luscious cream. This gets the texture wrong. Lump and unappealing. Really problematic. Doesn't suit the flavour profile well. Pretty good carbonation, though. Not creamy enough.

Dr: Drinkable. A good try at the style, but it isn't quite up to par. Current leading beers in the style are far far better. Oats may have been a mistake here. I wouldn't get this again.

High C

 

 

 

 

 

Pours a black color with a nice taupe head. Nose is milk chcoloates rounded out with some coffee and dry dark chocolates. Mouth is similar - starts with sweet chocolates, which moves onto a really rich dark chocolates mixed with coffee. Pretty solid.

Served in an imperial pint glass at the Clybourn brewpub.

Keep the stouts flowin'! This one pours a very dark black-brown topped by a finger of cream-tan foam. The nose comprises roasted malts, mild cocoa, light coffee, and a very small touch of grass. The taste brings in more of the same, but everything comes across sharply, bitterly, acidic-ly. The astringence (it's a word now, kids!) is a bit much, but nothing that tears everything else down. The body is a straight medium, with a light carbonation and a smooth feel. Overall, a nice Irish stout, though nothing to necessarily write home from Dublin about.

Pours coal black with a wonderfully creamy, tan head. Mouthfeel is smooth and pleasing, and the flavor is almost entirely of astringent roasted malt. There is also a defined smoke flavor on the back end that adds some complexity. Little carbonation manifests itself, but that's par for the course for this style. Dublin Stout could easily be summed up as a more refined Guinness, and that's quite clearly what the goal was here. Nothing to write home about, but a solid, drinkable brew that represents its style ably.