E. S. Kelly's Springtime Stout
Richbrau Brewing Company

Poured a dark, thick brown with lace down the glass. A faint malt smell of pretty much little substance; I noticed this in the porter as well. Very thin, almost water, with some smooth creaminess but unfortunately the malt flavors, coffee, roasted, dark/bitter chocolate are very subdued as well as hop bitterness. An easy-drinking beer that finishes slightly dry, but if I am drinking a stout (pointing out that this isn't a bad beer) I want something thick and heavy; this is a light stout. I'll pass.

Black with one-finger cream head. Good lacing left behind.

Roasted malt, chocolate, and coffee dominate the nose. Very nice.

Hits smooth with a slight creaminess. Finishes nice and dry with a good bitterness developing. Mouth is a little thin, but I'm pretty sure that is by design. Could use a little more body for my taste.

Overall, a very drinkable warmer-weather stout.

I had this beer as one of Richbrau's real ales(cask-conditioned 50-55F). Disclaimer: was enjoying the beers and didn't take any notes, so working from memory here.

The appearance was a strong dark brown. Good job!

A light cocoa smell.

Taste was of a dry stout: roasty, high IBUs, cocoa, etc. I'm not sure what hops were used, but I got piney, minty notes I attributed to them.

Mouthfeel. Here's where I have to state my peace. I feel that Richbrau produces some flavorful dark beers. However, I also feel that from their nutbrown up, the body is lacking. This beer is especially the case. Dextrins guys.

Aside from the mouthfeel, the beer was tasty and drinkable.

Thanks to jcwattsrugger for the 22 oz. bottle:

Pours black with dark brown highlights at the bottom. A foamy, slightly rocky, head caps it off, thins a bit, and stays. Some web-like rings of lacing stick.

The smell is of soft chocolate with fruity notes. Smoky.

The taste is ashy smokiness mixing with coffee and chocolate notes. There's a slightly acrid astringency. Finishes with a roasty/smoky dryness.

Light-to-barely medium-bodied with agressive carbonation. Carbonation is rather prickly and cleanses the palate just too much, though some smokiness lingers. With the theme of "springtime", I suppose they were going for a lighter-bodied stout, which would be fine, but the carbonation is over-stated and prickly. Along with the slight astringency, the feel puts a dent in the drinkability. A shame, really as it had very much the potential of being something better than it turned out to be. Still-in-all, despite the beer, this has enough positive attributes to be a good stout.

Pours pitch black with brown highlights. 1/2" head which is khaki in colour.

The nose is roasted malt and deep caramel. There is also a certain nuttiness to the aroma.

The flavour is much the same as the aroma. Roasted malt, buts, molasses, and caramel... however it is rather subdued.

Carbonation levels are spot on, but the mouthfeel is so watery it ruins an otherwise good brew. I find that this problem is so typical of this style, and it irritates me to no end.

Pretty damn drinkable.... aside from the mouthfeel, this is not too shabby of an effort at all.