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Rocky Road Stout (Big Beer Series)
Smuttynose Brewing Company
- From:
- Smuttynose Brewing Company
- New Hampshire, United States
- Style:
- Sweet / Milk Stout
Ranked #373 - ABV:
- 7.3%
- Score:
- 88
Ranked #13,078 - Avg:
- 3.95 | pDev: 7.09%
- Reviews:
- 57
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Oct 15, 2022
- Added:
- May 03, 2015
- Wants:
- 10
- Gots:
- 39
Rocky Road is Smutty's first dessert stout. An indulgent blend of marshmallow Fluff™ and chocolately cacao nibs in a full bodied, sweet stout beer that has been aged on amaretto soaked oak chips.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by brittanylicious:
Rated by brittanylicious from Indiana
3.75/5 rDev -5.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Dec 30, 2016
3.75/5 rDev -5.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Dec 30, 2016
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by ScruffySouthpaw from New York
3.89/5 rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.89/5 rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Served in a snifter glass from the bottle.
Appearance: Semi-thick black body with an evident brown tint which poured transparent. Tan head rose high at first, maybe a full finger's length off the body and dropping quick after one sip.
Smell: coffee and chocolate with extra malts. Soft smell but appetizing.
Taste: Feels like a borderline imperial stout, maybe a Russian stout considering how it feels a bit dry with doeses of dark chocolate and raw espresso bean.
Mouth: Touch dry, bitter sticky finish with an almost full body.
Overall: Good brew. Slight tweaking could be a champion. For the price I say grab it, won't hurt you at all...Salud!
Feb 01, 2020Appearance: Semi-thick black body with an evident brown tint which poured transparent. Tan head rose high at first, maybe a full finger's length off the body and dropping quick after one sip.
Smell: coffee and chocolate with extra malts. Soft smell but appetizing.
Taste: Feels like a borderline imperial stout, maybe a Russian stout considering how it feels a bit dry with doeses of dark chocolate and raw espresso bean.
Mouth: Touch dry, bitter sticky finish with an almost full body.
Overall: Good brew. Slight tweaking could be a champion. For the price I say grab it, won't hurt you at all...Salud!
Reviewed by jdhilt from New Hampshire
3.9/5 rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.9/5 rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a two-finger tan head that fades quickly leaving some lace. Black color, no highlights. Good carbonation and medium-heavy bodied. Caramel nose and flavor is smoky chocolate, some coffee. $2.99 for a 22oz bottle from Beverage Warehouse Winooski, VT.
Oct 27, 2018Reviewed by Boto from Connecticut
4.19/5 rDev +6.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.19/5 rDev +6.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
22oz bomber: this one pours an inky, dark brown color. There was just a wisp of a light brown head that left no lacing. Good nose! There is chocolate, Some caramel and actually a hint of the amaretto. The taste is very good. Chocolate, caramel, a hint of amaretto, some roasted malts, faint coffee. Somewhat sweet, but not overly so. Very tasty!
May 11, 2018Reviewed by JJKBeerLvr from Pennsylvania
4.33/5 rDev +9.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.33/5 rDev +9.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a 22 oz bottle into pint glass in March 2018. There was a bottled-on date on the bottle of 2016 (no month). I drank this within 1 month of purchase.
Appearance: Very dark black with a three finger high tan/brown head. Head is creamy and lasts a minute, leaving a little lacing on the glass, and ending up with a thin head after many minutes.
Smell: Strong burnt aroma of maybe roasted coffee. Also some chocolate and caramel. There is some additional sweetness and a very little aroma that was similar to chocolate and marshmallows. Not much hop aroma.
Taste: There is an interesting combination of flavors. There is some burnt coffee flavors. Also some flavor like it was barrel aged in bourbon barrels. A nice assortment of chocolate flavors or caramel as with other stouts. There is a little bitterness from hops, but the caramel, chocolate, and coffee flavors dominate. There is a moderate alcohol presence that matches 7.5% on the label.
Mouth-feel: Thick, but with an extremely smooth and creamy body. The beer was aged 2 years, which probably enhanced its smoothness.
This is a very good Stout, and it has a unique mix of flavors that adds a nice complexity to the beer. It has some sweetness, but not overly sweet like a chocolate stout, It is very smooth and enjoyable to drink. I would buy this again.
Apr 15, 2018Appearance: Very dark black with a three finger high tan/brown head. Head is creamy and lasts a minute, leaving a little lacing on the glass, and ending up with a thin head after many minutes.
Smell: Strong burnt aroma of maybe roasted coffee. Also some chocolate and caramel. There is some additional sweetness and a very little aroma that was similar to chocolate and marshmallows. Not much hop aroma.
Taste: There is an interesting combination of flavors. There is some burnt coffee flavors. Also some flavor like it was barrel aged in bourbon barrels. A nice assortment of chocolate flavors or caramel as with other stouts. There is a little bitterness from hops, but the caramel, chocolate, and coffee flavors dominate. There is a moderate alcohol presence that matches 7.5% on the label.
Mouth-feel: Thick, but with an extremely smooth and creamy body. The beer was aged 2 years, which probably enhanced its smoothness.
This is a very good Stout, and it has a unique mix of flavors that adds a nice complexity to the beer. It has some sweetness, but not overly sweet like a chocolate stout, It is very smooth and enjoyable to drink. I would buy this again.
Reviewed by Ego from New Jersey
3.94/5 rDev -0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
3.94/5 rDev -0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
eyes....
massive head on an easy pour (this has been sitting in my cellar for some months so there was no shake to this bake), 3 fingers of cocoa foam reminds me of Kid's hair back in the day (kid n play, google it kids), pitch black, can't see anything going on in there, lacing is just swell, clingy, good looking stuff
nose...
very sweet molasses (that is the amaretto me thinks), candied vanilla, definite oak notes on the back side, slight boozy tinge even though this is not a crazy ABV beverage
taste etc...
a little thicker than say Guinness, the cocoa nib flavor really asserts itself, definitely not as sweet as most milk stouts, some bitterness complements the chocolate notes and really lingers - coats the entire mouth like a boss
verdict?
a nice digest-if without huge ABV, it might be too sweet to try more than one glass but a little is a nice little time
Apr 01, 2018massive head on an easy pour (this has been sitting in my cellar for some months so there was no shake to this bake), 3 fingers of cocoa foam reminds me of Kid's hair back in the day (kid n play, google it kids), pitch black, can't see anything going on in there, lacing is just swell, clingy, good looking stuff
nose...
very sweet molasses (that is the amaretto me thinks), candied vanilla, definite oak notes on the back side, slight boozy tinge even though this is not a crazy ABV beverage
taste etc...
a little thicker than say Guinness, the cocoa nib flavor really asserts itself, definitely not as sweet as most milk stouts, some bitterness complements the chocolate notes and really lingers - coats the entire mouth like a boss
verdict?
a nice digest-if without huge ABV, it might be too sweet to try more than one glass but a little is a nice little time
Reviewed by farrago from New Jersey
3.83/5 rDev -3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.83/5 rDev -3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Aggressive pour gets you maybe a finger of very dark brown foam, strong island of larger bubbles at the pour point, retention is decent giving how little there was to start with, broad if short splotches for lacing. Pitch black liquid, cannot see anything, no visible bubbles and not even a hint of orange or yellow at the rims. Confectionary nose of vanilla, milk chocolate, caramel with a mildly burnt molasses touch, any marshmallow not especially distinct, no fruit presence, the roast and booziness lingers most. In the mouth it’s medium, not quite full-bodied with low carbonation. Here the roast is greater even as it seems sweeter too. Cereal grains and barley, a quiet hoppiness in the background. Whipped cream, vanilla fudge, heavy cream and loads of chocolate with a solid dose of coffee roast to help dry it up. While dry the texture is sticky and it clings to the pores, not all that freshening. Releases well at the finish, which could just as well be interpreted as losing grip. In the end, neither too sweet nor dry, the roast helps as an organizing principle. Nothing unique sticks out about it but pleasant enough. (Bottled on 9/13/17)
Mar 15, 2018Reviewed by LifesAnesthesia from Virginia
4.42/5 rDev +11.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.42/5 rDev +11.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
L - Pitch, opaque black with a medium tan head that sticks around and leaves some lacing behind.
S - Roasted, toasted malt and barely with sweet, rich chocolate intermixed.
T - Follows the nose with roasted/toasted oats and barely followed by rich, semi-sweet chocolate with notes of vanilla and an overall sweetness throughout. Notes of coffee as ell.
F - medium to full bodied - more towards the fuller end with a light amount of carbonation. Smooth and rich.
O - A really nice dessert stout with great flavors - that said I'm not sure it's really "rocky road" in my opinion, but nevertheless it provides rich notes of chocolate and vanilla which simulate the flavor of marshmallows, right? Regardless, it was a very enjoyable dessert stout.
Feb 17, 2018S - Roasted, toasted malt and barely with sweet, rich chocolate intermixed.
T - Follows the nose with roasted/toasted oats and barely followed by rich, semi-sweet chocolate with notes of vanilla and an overall sweetness throughout. Notes of coffee as ell.
F - medium to full bodied - more towards the fuller end with a light amount of carbonation. Smooth and rich.
O - A really nice dessert stout with great flavors - that said I'm not sure it's really "rocky road" in my opinion, but nevertheless it provides rich notes of chocolate and vanilla which simulate the flavor of marshmallows, right? Regardless, it was a very enjoyable dessert stout.
Rocky Road Stout (Big Beer Series) from Smuttynose Brewing Company
Beer rating:
88 out of
100 with
211 ratings
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