Irish Stout
Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pours opaque cola brown, with 1/2" light tan head, quickly dissipating.

Minimal smell; mild, malty, lacking any distinguishable hops.

Very similar in style to Guinness, with light if any hops, but a rather grassy herbal character. Lacking any sense of "milkiness" or "breadiness" as in the oatmeal-type stouts, and I felt it lacked any coffee or chocolate notes. Much more like a thin porter, lacking sweetness and toastedness.

Felt a little thin to me, in contrast with smoother, creamier stouts, but true to its dry character. Very little carbonation given and it was flat from the first, which also reinforced the dryness.

Very true to type, and close in taste to Guiness, but I didn't find it to my liking as I prefer thick, sweet malty stouts and doppelbocks. The Brewery is a lovely place with enjoyable live music every night, but I wish they provided more than six beers on tap. The Rock Bottom lineup is more substantial than what we had that evening.

 

Reviewed from notes.

Pours a very dark brown with a light mocha head and not much of any lacing. The nose brings some light roast as well as a tiny bit of smoke. Very subtle all around. Hints of mild chocolate and coffee in addition to some really roasted malt and light, light smokey characteristics. Good body with a finish that is quite dry. Nice and drinkable, although there really isn't too much flavor involved here.

The beer is black, very black, a rather small beige head leaving little lacing.

The smell is smoky and sweet, burnt sugar with caramel malt.

The taste is equally smoky, burnt bread and sausages. A good bitter finish.

Light carbonation, a creamy and light body, almost watery but a good dry feeling that remains.

A really nice stout to finish off with.

This stout was the rotating dark beer tonight and is probably the best beer I've had from this brewpub. It is dark with a nice creamy head, but not the nitro head associated with Guinness. Not a whole lot of smell, but what's there is pretty standard. At first sip I got a lot of coffee and some chocolate with a bunch of roasted grain, but that waned as I got further down the glass. The mouthfeel on this one is great. It is one of the smoothest beers I've ever had and has some kind of characteristic I can't describe. The mouthfeel alone makes me want to drink a lot of this. This is one of my new favorite dry stouts.

Pours a very dark brown with a nice half inch head. Smell and taste is predominantly coffee. This is nice. Full and nice in the mouthfeel. Very creamy and very smooth on the mouthfeel. Could drink alot of this, but just lacks the complexity and flavor. The best Rock Bottom beer of the day.

This beer is part of the Brewmaster's Choice of dark ales that rotate with each season. The beer fits the style well enough, with emphasis on dark, roasted barley that brings out a sharp coffee-like flavor with a powedery, chalky mouthfeel. Malts pick up a caramel sweetness that reminds me of the soft Schwarzbier character and helps to balance out the bitter roasted grains. This bitterness is also accenutated by subtle, herbal hop bittering, with moderate grassy flavors. Well attenuated and easy to drink, the beer is a good choice for stout lovers, even if it is a bit lack luster.

This was served as a limited "Brewmaster's Choice" for this season. It sports a nice pale tan head with small bubbles that produce a creamy lacing down the side of the glass, accentuating the attractive dark-chocolate color. This has a very dry stout, with a relatively thin mouthfeel but a smooth texture. The dark-roasted malt flavor blends into a very nice hop finish that approaches you with a bitterness, but turns milder in the aftertaste. Overall, one of the more drinkable stouts I've had in awhile. This brew is one of the better and certainly more distinctive products I've had at this brewery.

The beer pours a deep black color with a thin tan head. The aroma is decent. It boasts of some black malts, but not much else. It seems a bit watery and weak as well as lacking any real standout aroma. The taste is average. It is thin and plain with a dry slightly hoppy finish. The mouthfeel is decent. It is a medium/full bodied beer with good carbonation. This is an average stout. It lacks a decent malt palate and real stout flavor. It's one and done for me.