Thorn In My Side
Red Eye Brewing Company

 

Black body. Creamy cola colored head. Lace is moderate in amount and patchy in appearance. This beer has a thick aroma of spent coffee grounds, Hersey's chocolate and roasted malt goodness. I love it. The taste is just as good. Translate all that goodness from the aroma to the palate and you've got yourself an "adult" version of a coffee mocha shake. Coffee, mocha, chocolate, roast.... Everything blends together nicely to make this a rich and decadent treat. The mouthfeel is very agreeable. Creamy and silky. The beer is quite drinkable, even given a little added alcoholic heft. The first of many great beers from Red Eye brewing that I enjoyed last weekend.

Had on tap at the brewpub earlier today. They didn't even have this listed on their board of specials, so I think it either just got put on or was almost gone. Probably almost gone since they are about ready to release their Oktoberfest.

Anyway....poured a dark brown that glowed with a bright red hue in the light. Normal, good looking imperial stout with a dark tan head a good lacing. Didn't get a real good idea of what the nose was like on this one since there was quite a bit of grill smell blowing my way. I did pick up some coffee notes and a hint of sweetness.

The taste was really great here. Nice and flavorful, there was a surprising abundance of sweetness for a "coffee infused stout" (as the waitress told me), reminded me quite a bit of Southern Tier's Mokah. Nice subtle coffee flavor, and a bitterness reminiscent of a freshly ground coffee bean. I noticed a hint of wood and a bit of fake vanilla, but it all came together pretty nicely.

Body was medium to full, I enjoyed this quite a bit but my 10 oz. pour was enough to satisfy because I was already pretty full.

This beer they call an "oaked coffee stout." Since that is not an option on this site I went with the "American Stout" tab as putting oak and coffee in beer seems to be a movement spearheaded by Americans.

Black color with a tan head that is thicker around the rim than on the surface. The head clings to the glass. Gentle coffee and smoke tones on the nose. Strong malt flavor. A little bit boozy. There is a little bit of oak and something that is nearing a fruit-like sweetness, but is not "fruity." I pause to wonder if this is imparted by the oak the way that oak imparts vanilla tones to wine. There are some very pleasant coffee tones and an easy smokiness in the flavor. Very smooth mouthfeel and flavor. As I continue to linger with this beer I am picking up some hints in the nose and in the flavor that are reminiscent of coffee ice cream. Pretty enjoyable overall.