Dry Stout
Maumee Bay Brewing Company

 

 

 

served on tap at the brewpub in Toledo.
Black and opaque with a hint of dark brown at the edges. Head is dark tan and very large but has somewhat weak retention. Leaves the glass well coated with lacing.

Smells mostly of dark malts; simple but appealing and appropriate.

Tastes follows: a straightforward, unblemished Irish stout. Very good bitter/sweet balance.

Overly light body; good carbonation. Smooth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hadn't been down to Maumee Bay brewery since I've gotten into the whole craft beer scene and so I want to put them against some of the other micro brews I have sampled in the past 6 mos. First I tried the Dry Irish Stout:

By the time it got to our table, there absolutely no foam, which is ok. Typical dark color for the style in a pint glass. The smell was disgusting. It smelled literally like smoked salmon. This scent dominated me as I brought the vessel to my mouth. It tasted like smoked fish on the front end. Pretty mild on the back end, so it was drinkable, barely. Pretty thin for the style, no lingering aftertaste.

This smoked smell could be a result of a dirty tap or new lines. I tried the glass city ale, and it reeked of butter and tasted like butter. I've experienced this before with a S.A. Winter lager from a new tap. Dumped it and had another from a different tap, it was awesome.

I took this home in a growler last night. The only difference is in the appearance, so it's a cut and paste job with changes made.

This one is the appropriate black color in which some brown highlights struggle to be seen in the light. The head takes a moment to form but it does, a very pretty cascade forming a soft brown head just under a finger with thin traces remaining behind. The head does dissipate more quickly than it did on tap.
The aroma is smoky roasted malts with a little bitter astringency.
There's lots of toasted malts on the tongue with an adequate hops presence to balance in with coffee notes and a really smoky flavor as well.
The mouthfeel is good if not a bit thin for the style. Pretty rich otherwise, there's a light to nil carbonation that seems almost necessary for the style in a medium body.

Sample at the brewpub: Brownish-black color with a craggy medium beige head. Patchy lacing. Roasted malt and espresso aroma. Medium-bodied and slick on the tongue with toasted malt and coffee flavors, along with a solid hops presence. The finish is dry and roasty with a nice coffee aftertaste. Pretty good.

Appearance: The beer had a nice nitro head when served but the head discipated and left a little lace. I wasn't sure why the head didn't last that long with the nitro.

Smell: A nice roasty smell. A lot of malt

Taste: Very roasty. A dry flavor to go with the style. Much more flavorful than any Irish Dry Stout I have had before.

Mouthfeel: Nitro's usually don't have a good mouthfeel. This beer however had a good mouthfeel. It almost tasted as if it was a hybrid nitro/CO2. There were some nice bubblies but very smooth.

A good beer. Definitly will get again.