Steel Drivin' Stout
Bavarian Barbarian Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

dark oil like liquid. Huge tan head had a very very slow fade and left lots of lace

roasted coffee and dark german chocolate. Hints of a sugary or caramel sweetness as well. deep roasted flavor, almost a burnt taste to it. Lots of flavors of coffee and german dark chocolate. thick feel, but not syrupy, great carbonation led to a great silk like feel. Nice big hoppy finish left a very long lingering burnt aroma,

 

A: Super, super dark mahogany – very nearly black & just barely short of being opaque. A good-size, quite large bubbled tan head. Obvious firm carbonation. Not much for lace despite the bubbly foam.

S: Something tangy & metallic – hmmm? Some chocolate, roast malt, and a molasses sweetness. Hits the fight notes, but is fairly weak and squeezed out by the off smell that seems to indicate a soured brew.

T: Yep, soured a bit. I’ve had this on tap and it didn’t have this off note. Still it does add a tart cherry impression – rather distinctly actually – and a touch of something earthy & slightly metallic. Detracts but doesn’t ruin. Behind it I get some cocoa & roast grain as the off note fades. Also a hint of molasses and burnt toffee sweetness.

M: The body is thinned by the souring and the carbonation is made rather aggressive and coarse. It opens tart and finishes drying from roast grains and thinness.

D: I’ve had this on tap and it was pretty damn fair, so I was looking forward to reviewing this one. Soured bomber. Bummer. Interesting and not offensive off-note, and still with some good stout notes in the background. Okay, but not what was intended.

This beer is very sugary and thin... The malts have a very sweet and sour profile that has me wondering if this beer is infected. I taste no coffee or roasted cocoa as other reviewers have noted. RIP steel drivin' stout- this is disgusting and needs to be drain poured. Maybe when I get around to it ill try another bottle.

Bomber was from Abe's of Bethlehem.

$3.50 bomber from Abe's.

Extremely dark brown body, topped by a thick head of light tan micro-micro-bubbles.

Pleasant inviting coffee aroma, easily sensed but not overpowering.

Smooth roast coffee beginning, with a subtle chocolate signature at the swallow. Earthy hop bite. Well balanced.

Smooth fullish mouthfeel, not imperialistic but nicely chewy.

Good drinkability, I'm enjoying this and wouldn't mind another.

A tasty, well balanced and inexpensive American stout. Thumbs up.

Served on-tap at TJ's everyday into a nonic pint.

A - Pours pitch black with a soft, pillowy, one finger head leaving spotty light lacing down the glass.

S - Plenty of dark roasted malt in this one. Hints of toffee, chocolate, and a bit of coffee. A touch of booze begins to creep in as it warms up a bit. Lots of roast but in a good way.

T - Faint hints of bitter chocolate up front giving way quickly to a mix of dark roasted malt and flavors similar to the nose. Finish is quite watery with some lingering roast. It was ok but far from great.

M - Heavy body and flavor with moderately low carbonation. The feel was WAY too thin and watered down. Finish was watery with some lingering roast.

D - Decent. It was ok, the flavors seemed to be there but the watery feel pretty much ruined it. Not the best beer but not the worst either.

a- bomber poured into a tulip pint, one plus fingers tan head fades to an uneven layer of lace, slightly opaque deep brown.

s- metallic off the bat, sweet malts kick in, a bit too sweet almost sugary, not alot of roast here, nose is just off the mark.

t- sweet malts are the first to hit, slight roasted feeling but thats about it, not super flavorful or complex here.

m- thin for the style.

d- not the best, this one missed the mark for me, not flavorful enough and a touch watery. this is a one and done for me, i wouldn't seek this out or drink it again, unfortunately - i had higher hopes for this one.

22oz bottle, no date or batch #.

poured into pint glass, the classic look of a stout, black with cream colored head.

the aroma is nothing but extremely sour fruit. the taste is mouth puckering sourness. totally un-drinkable, this beer must be infected. could only down a couple swallows before pouring the beer out.

I was going to withhold rating this beer, and just contact the brewery about it, to see about any known infected batches. But after no response from them, I figure it's my duty to warn others. Unfortunately this was my first beer from this brewery, and will be my last. It's a shame since I normally like to support local PA breweries.

***Update: After receiving some positive feedback from the Brewer, I will try to seek out a fresh bottle and give it another chance. Until I can re-review, I've changed my score to straight 3's as a placeholder.

Thanks to Zerosignal for this one.
22oz bottle into a snifter glass.

A: Pours a thick, foamy two finger head. Good retention on this one. Lacing is spotty on the glass. The body is a typical stout black, not too light and not too dark.

S: A subtle sweetness is shown. With a deep waft a layer of malt is present. A bit weak on the aroma.

T/M: A super sour stout. Sweetness resembling caramel. A coca cola sweet note, mixed with a hint of cold, old coffee. A very smooth and light mouthfeel on this stout, I would not think it were a stout if I had not looked at the glass before drinking. For the sour notes, I feel that it makes it a very unique aspect of the brew, but I feel not what many people would expect or want in a stout. I feel even hardly a stout, more or less a sourtout if a thing could be conceived. The mouthfeel is a very light and smooth sensation. The lingering taste of sour cherries is a plus.

D: Not on the high side of cravablity. The flavors do call back for more, in the realm of this not tasting like a typical stout. I would recommend this brew for someone looking for a sour stout, but would not seek out. I can make it through this brew, but not what I would like from a stout.

Notes: This is a truly unique brew. If it were light in color and called a sour, wow it would be all there, this stout on the other hand has shown to be overly sour and could be seen as off-putting.

Dark brown that appears black in the glass with a massive tan head that had good retention before settling to a thick cap. Not much for lacing though. Nice roasted malt aroma with hints of chocolate and toffee. The flavor gets interesting with a touch of diacetyl that seems to be intended. There is also a mild acidity. These two elements kind of overpowers the roasted malt elements. Just a hint of the roasted malt in the finish. Bitterness is low. The only other dark beer that I have like this is New Glarus Old English Porter. Although I have not had an English Stout like this, maybe it belongs in the English style more than the American Stout category. Like the other Bavarian Barbarian beer I have had, the body is just too thin and watery. Carbonation is Ok. An interesting stout with some unique flavor. Lacks substance in the body which is its weakness.

Another from the variety pack of bombers, gotta say I like the bomber cases...

Poured fromthe bottle a deep, dar brown with tan head tha dissipates quickly, and some slight lacing.

Smell isfeintly roasted malt, with slight chocalatey, toffee undertone.

Taste is all roasted slightly sweet malt, with a stronger chocalety, toffee taste than smell.

Mouthfeel is solid, good body, flavors cling the sides of the tongue.

Very drinkable, could have more than a few, surprised to see ot comes in at 6%.

I've had a couple Bavarian Barbarian beers on tap in the past, but not this one, and nothing bottled. Looking forward to trying this one...

Pours dark brown, with some mahogany highlights at the edges, with a finger and a half or so of tan head. Doesn't keep very well, only a very thin and uneven lace, and really doesn't leave much stick either.

Smell is initially very chocolaty and pleasing. There's just a bit of roasted malt there too, and a dark fruit note. As it warms there is some slightly buttery caramel that becomes more prominent, and it takes on a cola-like sort of quality.

The taste on the other hand is dominated by the caramel flavor. It's a gooey, almost syrupy sort of caramel, overly sweet and buttery. There is some chocolate here too but not much roasted malt or bitterness to balance out the caramel. Slight lactic sweetness too. Finish remains sweet; oh man could I go for something bitter right now.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, with pretty modest carbonation. It's relatively smooth and given how sweet it is it's really not cloying, but it would finish cleaner with some roasty or bitter flavor in the finish.

This is decent, but I'm not wild about it and I'm not sure I'd go for it again. The initial chocolate aroma was promising, but I'm not wild about the very sweet, buttery caramel flavor, especially absent much roasted malt or bitterness to balance it out. Leans too far to the sweet side for my taste.

Out of 22 ounce bomber bottle picked up at Wegmans Williamsport for around $4. Poured into a nonic pint glass. The stout appears a dark brown color with a good inch or so of light ecru foam. Zero lacing. Nose and flavor consist of medium roasted grains, butterscotch, toffee, slightly sour, earthy, bittersweet chocolate, caramel, mild coffee notes. Just about medium bodied with light carbonation and a bitter, flat aftertaste. Not too bad for the price.

Pours a dark brown that has light around the edges with good head that fades with lingering lace. Coulda been darker

Smells sweet, with chocolate and caramel.

Solid stout taste. sweet on the mouth with lingering bitterness, both from roasted malt and hops. Chocolate notes, a touch, just a little touch of espresso.

Mouth is smooth and good. drink is the same. a nice american stout.