Drip Drop Coffee Stout
Otter Creek Brewing

Been excited for this one since they announced it, and very glad to see it exceeds even my high expectations. This may well be one of the very best coffee stouts ever made! Otter Creek is mostly known for hoppy beers, but their previously-released dark beers, including the recent Russian Imperial Stout and the Couch Surfer Oatmeal Stout have long hinted that this brewery is extremely-capable with darker ale styles. Therefore, I am pumped to report that this is phenomenal.

Tumbles out of the bottle a nearly pitch black brown-ish color with some very faint highlights of deep toffee-brown toward the bottom nucleation point in my snifter glass. Builds up a perfect khaki-colored head that sits at about a finger's height in my glass. Can be slightly re-roused, which seems to give it a little extra oomph and slightly darker tone until quickly settling back to where it was. No real lace to speak of, but this just has an austere appearance to it that I really dig. Great looking stuff.

Nose is absolutely, 100% perfect for this style. I don't feel comfortable giving out 5s, pretty much ever. Hell, I wouldn't even give Earl by Hill Farmstead a 5 in the nose. This, though, deserves it. It's rich with earthy, roasty coffee, combined with strong notes of toffee, herbal hops, toasted bread, light cream and Muscovado sugar. It is the pure essence of a great, balanced coffee stout without any particular deviations or biases. The Dominican medium-dark blend coffee used here is perfectly suited for this brew, as the cocoa and roast notes from the beans coalesce and blend in with the base without any harsh acridity. Spectacular.

Full of deep toffee notes, caramel, creme brûlée, earthy/grassy hops and a balancing roast note, Drip Drop delights the palate with intense yet restrained and subtle flavors. Bright, mild acidity from the coffee appears, along with some macadamia and light berry notes kicking around in the finish. Very creamy, well-textured and superbly drinkable. I also love the fact that this is pretty far under 6%, which is excellent for the style. ABV is one of my issues with the aforementioned "high water mark" coffee stout from Vermont, Hill Farmstead's Earl. The smooth, massaging palate feel on this one is just phenomenally well-conceived. It remains creamy and balanced until the very last sip. Otter Creek has a winner with this one. A huge winner, in my eyes... hopefully, it's not overlooked for their IPAs; though they are good, this may very well be the best beer they've ever made. And that's saying something.

 

 

 

 

 

Big coffee flavor, which I love, but the mouthfeel is thin, there’s little to no head even when poured aggressively and it’s a bit bitter for my liking. Drinkable, but I wouldn’t buy again.

 

 

 

 

 

Very deep roast flavor, as dark brown in the glass as you can get without being black. Found this beer thin-bodied, and without much substance. Mild without being smooth.

 

 

Decided to go straight from the bottle! Actually really nice balance - full roasty body. Not too burdensome though. Kinda like Wake Up Iowa.

 

Undated can into pint glass. Pours a very dark, almost opaque, dark dark brown with a modest light tan head. Initial impression is a lot of coffee, a little dark chocolate, and roasted malts. Mouthfeel is way too thin for my concept of a stout - OK for a porter, maybe, but the mouthfeel gets in the way of everything else. Finish is consistent - coffee and a touch of chocolate. Quite drinkable but not what I expected.

A: A coffee pour has a healthy two finger walnut colored head that was moderately lasting. A good collection of macro bubbles cling to the bottom surface of the vessel. A thin film lacing hangs around.

S: Medium coffee roast strength on the nose. Some dry powder creamer, with hints of dry chocolate. Earthy bean bitterness, roasted hop flowers were moderately lasting.

T: Creamy vanilla french roast flavor is silty wit a slight fire charred bitterness. Oily and fresh roast, has hints of dark chocolate with a mid-range coffee strength. A slight hint of burnt flowery hop flowers finishes out.

M: Soft and milky feel for the mouthful shows almost no signs of carbonation texture.

O: Overall a creamy, milky rich coffee stout. Good drinker, moderately entertaining, though weans a bit on the finish.