Single Origin Mocha Stout
Eel River Brewing Co.

Look: very dark. No highlights visible when held to light. Fat mocha head on the pour that mostly dissipates.
Smell: roasty mocha. Semi-sweet chocolate.
Taste: much like the nose, though better.

 

not sure i have seen eel river beer in a can before, an exciting brew with coffee and cocoa in it. i think i wished for a somewhat bolder brew, but i like it lightness when i crack it, more mellow than expected, not on the added ingredients, those are there, but on the base beer, which is letting light in and has as much chocolate malt to it as it does roast. thankfully its not all that sweet, and there is some bitterness from both the nibs and the coffee, dark chocolate abounds, wet earth, minerals, even light smoke without any harshness which i like, likely from the coffee, peruvian, cool! i get a little caramel in the center of it, slight cooked sugar, but this isnt weirdly sweet or anything. it also has a luscious smoothness, just silk going down. trace licorice, cigar, almond, and milk chocolate, grainy but still coffee forward too, overall very good, not overly done up or complex, and something i could have a few pint cans of. the price is right too, and i appreciate this new format from these guys also, very good technically, and something i will look forward to having again. great stout here, cool use of the coffee and a neat bean, yum!

A: 16oz can poured into a Sam Smith nonic.

A: Mostly-opaque black with some light showing on the edges of the glass; there was a dense khaki head reminiscent of a nitro brew when I poured this one out, and it stuck around too.

S: Smooth, delicious coffee and medium-sweet dark chocolate. The roast character is like walking into a coffee shop, not overpowering or bitter.

T: Well done; this thing is smooth and doesn't carry any of the negatives that coffee can sometimes bring to a beer (acrid; green; vegetal; smoky; burnt; bitter). Instead, the coffee is fresh and the chocolate character is sublimely supportive. Don't think 'mocha' like 'iced-coffee-with-sweetener-and-cream'; think a beautiful blend of fresh espresso with 60%-70% dark chocolate.

MF: SMOOTH (again), roasty, creamy, and mildly bitter and dry.

O: This brew surprised the heck outa me; I have high expectations when a beer markets itself as a Mocha stout, but this delivers in aromas, flavors, appearance and mouthfeel. Can't knock it all.

creamy stout with back taste of coffee - smooth to drink

My goodness. When I poured this one out of the can, a thick, light brown head emerged atop the glass, declaring: "I am an excellent beer." The cacao dominated the smell, which got me worried that coffee would be undetectable. Fortunately, that was not the case. An esspresso flavor remained strong in mouth to complete a fantastic finish (while not totally masking the taste of alcohol). Most importantly, one would expect a heavier feel for a coffee stout, but this beer was robust without overburdening the stomach. Overall, Eel River Brewing has demonstrated superior brewmanship with this stout.