Cowboy Thor
5 Seasons Westside

 

Bottle purchased from the brewpub.

Pours black with a very thin light brown head that recedes quickly into an oily black top.

Smells of lightly roasted malts with good amounts of Trappist yeast aromas that include bananas and figs. Lurking in the background are very light hints of smooth coffee however they're not as intense as I was expecting.

Tastes similar to how it smells. Mild roasted malt flavors are joined quickly by solid amounts of dark chocolate and smaller amounts of banana flavors. Hints of espresso sneak in midway through the sip and carry through to a mildly bitter ending.

Mouthfeel is good. It's got a solid thickness with moderate carbonation.

Drinkability is good. I finished my glass quickly and could have another.

Overall I agree with gford below in that the coffee flavors were a bit too muted. Still, the base beer is very good and so it's certainly not a total loss.

750mL cork and caged bottle.

Pours completely black with a small thick mocha head that recedes to a thin collar and leaves no lacing.

The aroma is very similar to the original Thor with less espresso than I was expecting. The Belgian yeast is very apparent with a fruitiness I wouldn't normally get in an RIS. The dark roasted malts and chocolate are more representative of the style.

The taste is one part roasted malts and one part yeast. Again, the espresso is very subtle and I don't get much outside of the original beer character. There are dark fruits and chocolate and a finish that's roasty but with an interesting sweet fruit character.

The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied with lots of carbonation and highly roasty.

I was really looking forward to opening this one as I thought the espresso would really add to the complexity of the underlying beer. Unfortunately for this coffee beer lover, the espresso character is extremely understated, almost unnoticeable. Still, it's a good beer if not very different than the original.

Appearance: Pours an appropriate, expected black body with a smallish, finely-textured, tan-colored head.

Smell: The aroma is led by the deep-scented espresso and roasted malts for a heady bouquet rounded out by baker's chocolate and sharp fruity accents of prunes, figs, and Concord grapes.

Taste: Again, as with the nose, it's big on roast, both from the added espresso and depth of dark malt character, carrying over the notes of dark chocolate and coffee. There's that same rich, vibrant fruitiness from the Trappist yeast one would find in the standard-issue Thor, having been left unhindered by the coffee. Any bitterness seems more easily attributed to the roasted malts and coffee than from any heavy-handed hop doses. Though a battle between the strong fruit character and roastiness ensues, in the end, they stride out side by side on the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Medium-high carbonation.

Drinkability: I'm really digging what the coffee brought to the table, making for a good brew that, with the generous addition of high-quality, caffeine-laden espresso, serves as a mighty fine midday pick-me-up.