Giddyup
Sweetwater Tavern

Not for Non-Coffee Drinkers

 

 

 

 

64 oz growler into a pint glass. This was filled @ the Merrifield location.

Pours a deep brown/near black, with some ruby highlights coming out along the bottom, and about 2-3 big frothy fingers of mocha colored head. Retains with the thin and relatively creamy look, leaving a light smattering of foamy lacing behind. The aroma is an even mix of coffee and smoky smelling roast that has a bit of a burnt astringent feel going on with it. Sweeter notes of chocolate and caramel sit underneath, adding a sticky layer to the nose. That smoky character really starts to come out as this warms up.

The taste is roasty and dark up front, with plenty of hops and bitter coffee being present. A sweet presence of bitter chocolate and caramel malts (towards the back) helps give this some balance. This finishes burnt and bitter feeling with a good bit of that astringency hanging around in the mouth for a while. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, maybe even a bit lighter, with a sharper crispness to the carbonation. The more I work on this, the more it occurs to me that this is way too thin for a Stout that is trying to pack this much flavor into it.

A decent enough effort I guess from Sweetwater Tavern. While I appreciate the sub 5% ABV for sessioning reasons, this definitely could have used some more beef to really lend those dark flavors some richness. Worth a pint but I got bored with this growler pretty quickly.

On tap

A = Dark mahogany brown, small tan head, medium lacing.

S = Caramel, coffee, slight hops bitterness.

T = Some coffee and hops bitterness, dry, mostly tastes of caramel and roasted malt.

M = Medium bodied, mouthcoating a little too light, good carbonation level.

D = Okay, could happily drink this, but it lacked any real oomph.

This beer is a signature beverage at Sweet Water Tavern--I visited the restaurant in Sterling, Virginia, near Dulles Airport.


The beer arrived at the table with a respectable head that later gave way to some light lacing on the glass. The aroma was rich with coffee--breakfast coffee, not coffee from roasted malt, although the roasted malt did come through as the beer began to warm at the table.


Bitterness was medium and seemed to be derived as much from the coffee as from the roasted grain or from hops. Hop flavor and aroma were negligible. Mouthfeel was a little light and did not live up to the promise made by the aroma. Nonetheless, this was a delicious stout; sweetish, no doubt from the addition of lactose ("milk sugar"). Giddyup is very drinkable, indeed. Alcohol content seemed low enough to safely drink two or three pints with dinner.


If you happen to be a home brewer, this beer was recently "replicated" in partial mash and all grain versions in the current issue of BYO ("Brew Your Own" magazine). I have a 5-gallon batch in the secondary at present. Results yet to be determined.

Appearance: Arrives at the bar with a French Roast colored body and a tan head; the retention was OK but it did leave good lacing

Smell: Roasted malt and a lot of coffee aroma

Taste: Roasted flavors predominate at the start, although they are relatively understated for a stout; low bitterness, too but the finish is pure coffee

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with low carbonation; a bit lighter than what I would have expected

Drinkability: Unoffensive but I was hoping for something more along the lines of Speedway Stout when I read the description; I guess Sweetwater's market isn't ready for that type of craft beer

Black with ruby red highlights and a moderate brown head which leaves sporadic lace. Big coffee aroma and taste ! Good morning ! Very much like a pot of brewed American coffee ... maybe a bit too much. Light bodied for a stout with a very dry roasty finish and a big coffee aftertaste.

Note: This review was the growler version from Sterling, VA.

Virtually jet black in hue, w/ clear deep garnet perceptible around the edge of the glass. Dry, roasted barley and freshly ground coffee dominates the aroma, with malt sweetness and diacetyl present at a trace. Black coffee bitterness upfront yields to a softer roasted grain and moderate hop bitterness. Rich, deeply roasted coffee persists throughout. Lightly bodied, but sufficiently smooth in mouthfeel for excellent drinkable.. Finishes dry, & pleasantly bitter. Giddyup stout seems to be a dry stout brewed with a healthy amount of dark roast coffee. Very quaffable & tasty. The coffee makes this beer worthwhile, since malt character was a bit lacking. An ideal breakfast beer.