Freedom Trail Stout
Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery

On cask at the Rock Bottom in Boston.

Poured a dark black brew with a light head on top. Head was tannish but thin and didn't last long. Made me sad.

Smell was bready and lightly roasty.

The taste was dry and bready. A little bitterness on the tongue. It was a very mellow brew. Good for drinking copious amounts.

I would order this again if I was in the mood for a stout. Nothing crazy about it though.

This was on tap in March 2007 so I this beer should not be labelled retired.

Appearance: deep black in color with a creamy 2"+ head that lasts forever. Thick lacing paints the glass.

Smell: little aroma here as some rosted malts and very mild coffee tones are present but tough to pick up.

Taste: mild roasted malts and oatmeal flavor with some softer coffee and hints of dark chocolate tones. Quite dry throughout. Overall the flavor seemed very mild and somewhat weak.

Mouthfeel: dry and creamy from start to finish. Light-medium in body. Very short roasted aftertaste.

Drinkability: this is one of those beers that you wish was kicked up a notch. The blandness knocks down the score a bit even though this was easy to quaff.

On Cask in Boston, Ma., the beer was presented to me in a 23oz. mug. The beer was a dark black color with some brown tinges in the light. Three fingers of cascading tan head adorned the beer and lasted for most (although not all) of the sample. A lot of lacing on the glass and no other outright signs of carbonation.

The smell is dark roasted malt, chocolate, mild coffee, toasted grain and oat and a slight "burnt" chicory.

The taste has a heavy roasted malt character but very smooth and not an abrasive burnt taste. Hints of coffee with cream, chocolate, and oat are detectable. Creamy to the finish with a nice smoothness and balance.

Medium-heavy body with very little carbonation.

This is one of the better offerings from RB, IMO. Well balanced, smooth, creamy, and a solidly drinkable stout.

Sampled from cask at the Boston brewpub.

This stout poured black with creamy, brown foam that persisted for a while. The smell was malty with a note of milk or cream. The taste was malty with mild cocoa flavor. There was a very light sweetness and very low hop bitterness apparent through the malt. The mouthfeel was smooth and fairly dry with medium-full body and low carbonation. This was a very nice stout, especially from cask.

My first impression of this beer was that it looked and tasted as if it was watered down. All the key points I look for by applying my senses felt like this beer was being muffled. It poured a color that was absolutely unremarkable from other beers of its style. The head was milky white. The taste was of mild malt and hops--not what one expects of a stout. And while there was a hint of oatmeal, I really had to stretch my taste buds to find it.

Dumped some tea in the harbour with this one on 11/11/2004. Shaker pour at the Boston location.

Notes on the board state that this one is “A smooth oatmeal stout.” Nice and simple, let’s find out. Half-inch creamy head, which ended up staying and staying all the way down to the last gargle, with finishing notes on the upper lip. Deep, dark, heart is a lonely hunter black to hue that cannot be penetrated. Roasted oats on nose and dark, back alley, grease rain shenanigans on nose. To taste, light on the roasted character, though it does possess some hidden oak char, dried plums and raisins, and slightly burnt molasses. As the board says, it is quite light on the mouth, almost to a fault for the style, and therefore loses points in my ledger.