Stone House Irish Stout
Clemson Bros. Brewery at The Gilded Otter

 

 

 

 

 

 

First had: on tap at their brewpub

With all of the Gilded Otter's other beers I sampled coming in quite uninteresting, at least I finished with this somewhat decent stout. Dark brown-black pour, with a thin off-white head that receded to a spotty layer. Nice malty aroma, roasty, notes of coffee and ash. Similar on the tongue, with roasted dark malts, toasted grains, moderate coffee sensation--good balance of smooth and bitter--and a bit of burny ash. Medium body, but a bit thin for a stout, not great, but generally solid overall. Probably the only pint-worthy brew I sampled at the pub.

 

A deep and dark brown beer verging on black, with a small white head that falls quickly. Not much in the way of lacing. A vaguely roasty malt aroma leads to a surprisingly smoky, woody flavor with a hit of bittering hops in the finish. Moderately roasty tasting but a smokey alder note really dominates, making this seem almost like a rauchbier.

Body is thin and softly carbonated. Finish isn't particularly clean but its still a pretty easy drinking stout. Interesting and one of the better offerings from this brewpub.

A - Deep ruby, nearly black with lighter highlights around the edges. Brown nitro-tap head retains for the whole drink and leaves curtains of lace.

S/T - Just seems a little muted. Nice roast with hints of chocolate, finishing with a touch of roast bitterness.

M - Light body, low carbonation, feels watery, even considering the style. It should feel more substantial across the palate.

O - Nice flavor, nice looking, I could drink some more of these.

Poured a deep brown hue with a two finger creamy off white head. There was good lacing and retention.

The smell featured a a light roasted malt with a touch of coffee.

The taste consisted mainly of roasted malts with a light sweetness toward the finish.

The mouthfeel was typical of the style with a dry finish.

Overall a tasty DIS.

Pours jet black, moderately thick bodied, thin cream head, a swirl leaves bits of lace, no more, on my pint glass.

Smell is an understated fragrance of roasty biscuit floral herbosity, sweet on the edges with a backbone of luscious bitter.

Taste is full of flavors, herbs and biscuit, mildly spicy floral, and a wonderful bitterness that rounds out the finish. Each sip, as it warms, features more and more complexity without ever becoming syrupy or resiny. Roasted notes start to shine.

Mouthfeel is marvelous, a refreshing take on this style, just right carbonation, no stickiness, very light for having such full flavors.

Drinkability is the best thing about this solid brew. Could be a session beer on a winter night for sure.