L'Espresso Robusto
Sun King Brewing Company

Growler thanks to heliosphann.

Pours dark brown, near black with a nice creamy light tan head that settles slowly.

Scent of dry malts, caramel, coffee beans, and a hint of vanilla. A good scent overall, but there is a bit of chalk presence that is holding it back.

Taste of coffee and dried dark fruit initially, more dry coffee follows and finishing with sweet roasted malts, hops, and caramel. Tasty and balanced.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and a little thin with a good mellow carbonation.

Thanks to heliosphann for this 32 oz. growler. Arrived yesterday.

A: The oatmeal stout is a nice and thick, a dark brown/black color that reveals lighter brown colors near the base of the glass. A cream-colored head, decent on pour, was quick to waste away.

S: The smooth creaminess of the oats stands out, sweet amongst the the roasted stout aromas. Slow to emerge, the espresso gradually comes to the front with a full java aroma that is mildly bitter. In bigger sniffs, the oatmeal and espresso meld into one full scent.

T: The stout has a fairly low carbonation level, working nicely for the full flavors that it delivers. Stout aspects, roasted with chocolate and toast, begin with an acrid bitterness. Oatmeal adds a creamy flavor, a lactic sweetness to combat the acrid stout. Coffee lingers third in line throughout the beer. While it isn't as strong as the stout and oatmeal, the inclusion of espresso adds a fuller flavor. Citrus hops add a sweet counterpoint to the roasted malts and coffee; they are fleeting though.

M: The mouthfeel is set up by the oatmeal, creamy and smooth. The bitter stout and coffee flavors are cooled down as a result of that oatmeal. A good stout that, if I may offer a suggestion, could use more coffee.

D: A 32 oz growler is the perfect size for the ale, big enough to have 2 or so glasses but not too big that I'm struggling to finish it. A little more of a coffee emphasis and I'd want a 64 oz growler.

Poured from 64oz growler.

A- Pours a almost black color into my glass....when held up to the light (sorry Luke I looked with your glass) I could see some brown hues on the sides of the glass. One finger light tan head that dies fairly quickly leaving whisps of foam on the top. Lacing is light and soapy at falling back into the beer.

S- Big roasted coffee smell with this one. Almost a little in your face...throw in some lighter toasted malts in there and you have 95% of the aroma. Throw in some lighter hints of bitter chocolate and you pretty much have everything in order. Light hops in the very end that seem to come and go with each whiff.

T- Upfront taste of coffee with this one. Not as much as in the nose which turned out to be a nice surprise. Malt backbone comes into play right there after till the very end of the beer. There is a light chocolate note with the malt that comes through more and more as the beer warms up adding a sweetness to the beer that I thought it was lacking when it was colder. Hops come through as light bitterness in the tail end of this beer.

M- Medium mouthfeel. Carbonation was good for the style. Coffee notes and some light chocolate notes were left on the palate and some bittering hops were added to the longing aftertaste with this beer. Clean tasting through and through.

D- This was a very drinkable beer that I could find myself drinking a lot of. Nothing too heavy makes this the perfect session like stout. I would recommend this to almost everyone except the big complex stout drinkers as this might not be what they are looking for.

64oz growler fill at the brewery. Served in a Sun King Pint glass.

A: Pours very black, with a slight brownish tint on the fringe. A finger of lightly tanned, fluffy head fades quickly to form a nice halo on-top of the glass. Lacing is pretty good at times, but doesn't stick around much.

S: Roasted coffee dominates. There's some slight chocolate bitterness, but not much else besides that.

T: Coffee is pretty prevalent, but not quite as intense as the smell indicated. A malty backbone is definitely present, but doesn't provide much besides a slight chocolate tinge and a little sweetness. As the beer warms I detect a slight hop presence, but nothing substantial.

M: Light-medium bodied. Carbonation is good, but overall the mouthfeel feels a little thin. The typical smoothness from the oatmeal doesn't really come through as much as I'd like, and overall it drinks more like a Porter like than an Oatmeal Stout.

D: Being lighter than expected, and having a lower ABV (around 6% I believe) makes this fairly sessionable. The bitterness from the coffee wears on the palate somewhat, but other than that you could consume quite a few pints of this (which I did).

Robusto is not overly complex and pretty one dimensional, but I still found it to be enjoyable. Personally I would have liked more of a thicker, oatmeal stout feel. Still, Sun King delivers another highly drinkable brew.