Vermont Spruce Stout
Rock Art Brewery

Vermont Spruce StoutVermont Spruce Stout
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From:
Rock Art Brewery
 
Vermont, United States
Style:
Foreign / Export Stout
ABV:
8%
Score:
83
Avg:
3.66 | pDev: 7.38%
Reviews:
13
Ratings:
52
Status:
Active
Rated:
Aug 03, 2020
Added:
Jul 28, 2014
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  7
Colonial style ale brewed with pumpkins and spruce tips to offer some nice chocolate notes at the end.

50 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 3.75 by Velivolus1 from Vermont

Aug 03, 2020
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Reviewed by Lone_Freighter from Vermont

3.91/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Poured into a snifter, the appearance was a fairly thick burnt dark amber/brown close to black towards the center of the glass. Yields to a slim white semi-foamy head that doesn't leave much lace. And what was there of the lace was spotty.
The aroma had some dark roasted malkts, dark toast, spruce needles and a touch of pumpkin/squash like notes.
The flavor leads with the roasty to sprucy sweet to bitter hints. Some of that pumpkin/squashy sweetness rolls in but it's super faint. Slight aftertaste of roasty to toasty nuts, coffee beans and dark chocolate.
The mouthfeel was about medium bodied with a fair sipping quality about it. Some dryness and an airy effect of sorts pushes the finish to be quick and somewhat sprucy.
Overall, nice as a pretty good Autumn sipper but seems to cover up a fair amount of the 'foreign/export' stout style. Somehow, I'd still have again preferably for me.
Jul 19, 2019
 
Rated: 3.75 by Velivolus from Vermont

Apr 02, 2019
 
Rated: 3.53 by moltch from Massachusetts

Mar 01, 2019
 
Rated: 3.5 by PhineasMcClintock from Massachusetts

Nov 14, 2018
 
Rated: 3.59 by edthehead from Maryland

Jun 16, 2018
 
Rated: 3.48 by ikidunot from Canada (ON)

Apr 11, 2018
 
Rated: 3.63 by mjw2808 from Maryland

Dec 31, 2017
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Reviewed by rand from California

3.38/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.25
22 oz bomber into a snifter

Jet black in color, as an easy pour yields a stiff, off-white head that leaves scant lacing.

Vintage stout aromas as notes of carob, molasses, and burnt sugar swirl. Maybe a touch of pumpkin spice at the edge of the bouquet.

Flavor profile follows the nose, with strong, roasty, toasty, earthy tones dominating. Bitter, unsweetened cocoa and oak play against molasses and licorice. Leans more bitter than sweet, and there's very little of the added spruce or pumpkin spice. Has a unusually water complexion for the style, which leads to a relatively short finish with lingering bitter residuals.

Not a bad drinking stout, but nothing in here justifies categorizing the brew as an export stout, while the added ingredients do not impart nuances of flavor or depth.
Jul 15, 2017
 
Rated: 3.91 by zotzot from Vermont

May 05, 2017
 
Rated: 3.75 by Gkruszewski from New York

May 01, 2017
 
Rated: 3.66 by JamieDuncan from Maryland

Jan 25, 2017
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Reviewed by BeerAndGasMasks from Virginia

3.56/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
From the bottle, it pours a dark brown with a light tan head that lasts a while. Some lacing on the glass. A bit of the forest in the nose, along with roasted and black malts. Taste is similar, but i don't notice any spruce or piney flavors in the taste.
Jan 25, 2017
 
Rated: 4.1 by bubseymour from Maryland

Jan 22, 2017
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Reviewed by beerloserLI from New York

3.53/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A light black pour with a frothy tan head. The nose is malt and sugars and not terribly floral. A big roasted malt flavor hits on the very first sip. A sweet and sugary flow that finishes rather bitter. A good flavor mix that builds at it warms. Nice notes of roasted malts, sweet pumpkin pure and bitter pine. The pumpkin is pretty subtle and I really start to get more of the spice notes of cinnamon and nutmeg. The pine really seems to add to the hoppy feel of the stout. The mouth feel is on the lighter side but the flavors really hold up.

Overal, pretty decent stuff. An interesting brew with lots of flavors to keep your palate guessing.
Jan 18, 2017
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Reviewed by Holderness from Massachusetts

3.86/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Pours a fairly dark brown that is noticeably paler than most stouts I've had. Two finger tan head retains well but leaves only a moderate lacing on the glass, instead staying as a single mass as the beer in the glass diminishes. Smells strongly of a forest of conifers, with notes of smokey maltiness, juniper berries, scotch, and brown bread. Taste is much the same, but with a strong hoppy bitterness and remarkably little of the bakers chocolate and coffee that I've grown accustomed to in stouts. Hard to discern the pumpkin -- I think the malts drown out the taste entirely. Definitely has a strong, backwoods feel to it that might be too bitter for some. Moderate carbonation. Overall, makes for an authentic feeling and tasting brew that goes well with those long winter nights in the northeast. Not so sure about elsewhere, though....

78/100
Dec 29, 2016
 
Rated: 3.55 by WillieThreebiers from Connecticut

Dec 12, 2016
 
Rated: 3.56 by oriolesfan4 from Maryland

Oct 19, 2016
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Reviewed by sandsonik from Rhode Island

4.06/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25
L - looks black, until held to the light. Very small head which quickly disappears. Looks like an imperial stout.
S- roasted malt, definitely get the pine and something undefinable, reminds me of melon but must be the pumpkin.
T - very piney finish, sweet mid sip. I can't say I taste pumpkin. There is the suggestion of coffee even though I don't think this has any coffee. Different, to be sure. Pleasant, almost too bitter on the finish.
F - thin mouthfeel, yet not a lot of carbonation either.
O - I don't hate it. I don't dislike it. I like it but I'm not sure I love it - I'd like to date her longer and find out. She's definitely not like the other stouts I've met! Not a world class stout but definitely worth my time. 8% ABV completely hidden.
Sep 16, 2016
 
Rated: 3.46 by Jlabs from New York

Sep 09, 2016
Vermont Spruce Stout from Rock Art Brewery
Beer rating: 83 out of 100 with 52 ratings