Café Deth
Revolution Brewing

Eddieeight from Ohio

4/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is a quick rating. Purchased from a private collection. Didn't pour it out in a glass. Drank from the can. I like the black top of the can, usually tops are silver but this one's black and looks sharp. Plus the can has a skeleton on it which is cool. I can't smell the beer because it's in a can. Taste is mostly bourbony and just a smaller amount of bitter coffee. Overall not a bad brew but i drank it quickly so i can't give it a fair rating. Told you this would be a quick rating.

Yesterday at 01:04 AM

Roguer from Georgia

4.27/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Excellent head production and good retention for the ABV and barrel aging.

Huge and potent aroma, with waves of bourbon and coffee. The base stout almost smells weak behind the bourbon, but I suspect that will prove to be deceptive. Bourbon mash, oak, coffee, molasses, raisin, and red grape notes.

Flavor doesn't disappoint: it's hot, boozy, and rich. The bourbon is prominent, and the coffee is absolutely crushing. If you don't love coffee, this beer is probably not what you're looking for, as it's impossible to overlook. Very strong warming chest heat; thick, if not quite chewy.

Flavor profile is mostly summed up already: bourbon, oak, and coffee. There's a bit of brown sugar and chewy caramel, and some char and toast, but less than typical of other massive RIS. Honeycomb, raisin, rye bread.

If a near-15% ABV BA oatmeal coffee stout could be considered rather one-dimensional, then this one is. Fortunately, that one dimension is pretty damn good. It's almost like someone poured some coffee directly into my BA stout and then swirled it around.

Saturday at 06:07 PM

dafla67 from Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours dark brown. Aroma is heavy in the chocolate, bourbon with some vanilla. Taste follows nose but with coffee. Perfect amount of bourbon flavor. Medium mouthfeel. Awesome stout.

Mar 28, 2021

Sandis from Minnesota

4.75/5  rDev +8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

3/1/2021: Poured from a 12oz. can into a Toppling Goliath tulip glass. Caramel colored thick head. I didn't find the coffee strong in the aroma but the flavor is very smooth and creamy coffee goodness.

Mar 02, 2021

ZAP from Minnesota

4.19/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

L-Deep brown/black with ruby highlights. Little head.

S-Molasses, soy sauce, figs, vanilla, whiskey, and dark fruits (Cherries, plums)

T-Wow no coffee on the aroma but that is the first impression on the taste. Freshly ground coffee. Also some dark chocolate, vanilla, whiskey and dark fruits...molasses as well....coffee fades as you drink it.

F-This is full bodied and sticky sweet. Rich. Hardly any carbonation.

O-Big hitter that lives up to the billing. I'm glad the coffee is not a huge player in this. It's definitely on the sweet side. A nice sipper.

Feb 05, 2021

Saagey05 from Illinois

4.79/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Another great year for the DETH beers. This one was a bit liquory this year but still had a fantastic taste. I also thought this batch was a little thinner then in the past. The chocolate glavkr did mix well with the coffee this year making a nice balance compared to previous years

Jan 21, 2021

bret27 from California

4.27/5  rDev -3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

2020 vintage courtesy of _mark_s.
L: black with moderate thick mocha head.
S: bitter coffee Dominant, chocolate.
T: Combination of good coffee and chocolate/vanilla. Not boozy. Especially for ridiculously high abv.
F: medium-Viscous.
Overall: good. Coffee dominant stout.

Jan 13, 2021

Grave252 from Minnesota

3.92/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Cafe Deth is one of my favorites, but I cracked a can of 2017 and it was not great. Hard to tell if the can had imparted flavor or the beer had gone bad because the beer had a metallic taste that I couldn’t overcome. Perhaps just a bad batch, or too much age.

Jan 01, 2021

jrc1093 from Connecticut

4.24/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Canned on 10/13/20; consumed on 12/23/20

Pours an inky, black body topped with a finger of fluffy, dark khaki foam; head recedes fairly quickly to a thin, spotty few mounds of cap, a moderate, creamy, and consistent collar, and minimal chunks of webby lacing holding to the walls of the glass.

Aroma leaves immediate impressions of rich chunks of bakers chocolate and raw cocoa upfront, laced with undertones of bourbon in the form of caramel and oak, developing into the bittersweet roast of nutty coffee; burnt vanilla imparts sweeter touches to a quiet, roasty char as an underlying yet indomitable bourbon presence closes the bouquet.

Taste opens with dusty bakers chocolate sporting bourbon edges building steadily across the profile with a roasty bittersweetness; oak, caramel, and lightly smoked toffee progress over the mid-palate as milk chocolate a deepening, oaky roast explores more detailed notes of dark chocolate malted milk balls and a mild background coffee roast intertwined with distant hints of dark fruit on the back end and finish.

Mouthfeel features a medium-full body gliding along with palate with a low carbonation, sporting a moderate heft via a mild char and becoming steadily slick into the back end as a drawn-out warming coats the palate amd peaks through a roasty, moderately dry finish.

Despite its designations, this stouts amplifies its coffee additions with an ample, concentrated subtlety, playing off of the sweetness of the bourbon barrel and roaster qualities of the base stout for a richer, quietly layered experience; a coffee stout exchanging flamboyance in favor of a more expert, precise touch.

Dec 24, 2020

drdiesel9483 from Ohio

4.44/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Look - great black thick with a nice tan head
Smell - rich dark chocolate coffee vanilla caramel
Taste - rich dark chocolate caramel slight coffee
Feel - medium full body with a light carb
Overall - great stout could use more body

Nov 29, 2020

WunderLlama from Massachusetts

4.49/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz can poured into a snifter

Canned 10.13, opened 11.28

One finger creamy taupe foam cap over a dark brown cola liquid , settles to a thin layer , no lacings

Fragrant aroma of coffee, chocolate, caramel

Taste is chocolate, coffee, slight char, roast malts, caramel, bourbon

Bourbon flavor but with no heat,medium sudsing medium mouthfeel, not syrupy, 14% abv well hidden

Good stout

Nov 29, 2020

Brutaltruth from Ohio

4.49/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

WOW----

This Fine brew pours from the 12 oz can in a snifter with a
pitch black hue with thin dark cola highlights and a very nice
head of light brown foam that settles to a thick ring, thin dusty
layer, and displays some subtle lacing. Nose of bourbon, coffee,
oak, vanilla, char, light cream, dark chocolate, and rich caramel
notes. Flavors follow on the note with the nose with bourbon,
oak, rich caramel, dark chocolate, light cream, dark fruit notes,
and moderate char with deep roasted goodness. Nice mouth feel;
full body, smooth as silk, light carbonation, coating, lightly slick,
and finishing roasted and lightly dry and warming.

Overall-----MEATY, BEATY, BIG, AND BOUNCY!
What a stout!!!!!!

Wish it was in a bottle for aging.

Get you some!

Cheers

Nov 25, 2020

BryanB from Illinois

4.67/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Damn need perfect barrel aged stout. Bourbon boozey flavor maybe a little strong for some, but I enjoy it. Especially as a sipper while watching football on Sunday.

Nov 06, 2020

hoptheology from South Dakota

4.56/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz can, dated 10/19/19 (to my disdain upon opening - no legible date on this 4 pack)
Purchased in Evansville, IN at Beer Snob Bottle Shop.
Pricey son of a beach, this one, which was another surprise, as there was no tag below it.
Boulevard Smokestack Snifter.

Pours a total motor oil black with a creamy beige head of 1 finger, sticking around a short while before settling in to a thin beige ring.

The aroma is basically a dead ringer of BCBS Coffee. (Same city, could be a similarity in their brewing water and supplies.) It has the added depth of sticky caramel, dark chocolate, sappy bourbon barrel, and more dark chocolate. It's incredible, it's saturated, it will make your eyes water.

The flavor on this thing. The FLAVOR. It's just massive. Even a year later. The coffee sticks around. It's a mean bean dark chocolate bourbon dream. Tons of dark chocolate, tons of spicy coffee bean, vanilla, fried plantain, bourbon, and slight pancake/fried bread.

You have to chew this beer, it's very thick and sticky. It could be a choking hazard. Heat is through the roof but oh so welcome. Boozy, burning, slightly dry, majorly sticky.

Overall, one of the home runs of the barrel stout world and there's tons of respectable barreled beers that this one steps on. A total killer of a beer. Do it.

Price paid : $37.99 / 4 pack (ouch)
Would buy again : I'd make sure it were fresh, even though this is still phenomenal.

Oct 22, 2020

Roy_Hobbs from Connecticut

4.46/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Appearance is as dark as night. I could hold this up to the sun and I don't think even a smidgen of light would make it through. About a finger of thick khaki colored head with fairly good head retention.

Smell is wonderful. At first whiff, I get coffee rolling off of it in waves. The more I let the aroma sink in, the more I was picking up the booze, figs, and the underlying base.

Taste is multi-layered, and really good. Coffee, chocolate, some char notes and more rotate through the palate. This is nice and complex and a great sipper.

Feel is fairly thick. Moderate carb, nice finish.

Overall a very good beer.

Oct 17, 2020

firesidewithphil from Illinois

4/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Cafe Deth is the coffee variant of their BA series Deth's Tar. I am not a huge fan of the base beer but it was quite good with the plum variant, so I gave this a shot. Cafe was the strongest by far, letting you know it's a true BA stout. The coffee isn't really there but it was a bit better than Deth's Tar.

IG: @firesidewithphil

Oct 03, 2020

beergoot from Colorado

4.38/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Black as India ink; decent, lasting, light tan head. Rich smell of cocoa, mocha, coffee grounds, some vanilla. Sweet notes of milk chocolate, coconut and vanilla; alcohol presence is there yet well-hidden with the malt sweetness, only really opening up at the finish. Heavy, slick and oily mouthfeel; dense, muted residual sugars; boozy heat rises near the finish.
for
Another rich and boozy taste treat from Revolution Brewing. Highly recommended for fans of barrel-aged RIS'...

Jun 28, 2020

CraftFan5 from New Jersey

4.76/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

30 April 2020 - Beer #82

Corona Day #49

Acquired via trade

Appearance: 5 - black as tar. Yep, I went there. Minimal head, but loads of lacing.

Nose: 4 - almost no barrel or coffee. I get just a very intensely roasty stout.

Taste: 5 - like Astronaut Status, the excellence is subtle. Not at all boozy, you wouldn't believe it was almost 15%. Definitely some coffee, but very understated. Nearly no barrel, but I almost taste some cinnamon. Highly complex, but again, subtle.

Mouth: 5 - thickens as you chew it. Coating everything all the time, but not overly sticky.

Overall: 5 - a beer-lover's delight. I think I may have enjoyed the regular Deth's Tar better, but they're hard to compare; this is a completely different animal. A good animal, though, like a chinchilla or a barred owl.

Cheers!

May 04, 2020

ajm5108 from Pennsylvania

4.19/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Traditional optics. Aroma is barrel forward - dark chocolate fudge, vanilla, rolled oats, wet oak, bourbon. Coffee is there but never fully presents itself. Palate is super fudgey, deep cacao / baker’s chocolate upfront, medium roasted coffee ducks in-and-out, hot on the backend with some bourbon & oak. It’s a good beer, sure, but I really wanted more expression from the coffee. I appreciate the fact is doesn’t bombard you with coffee flavor, and it definitely supports the beer profile nicely, but it feels just a little bit lacking. Mouthfeel is very thick & coating

Feb 04, 2020

bbtkd from South Dakota

4.4/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Revolution Café Deth, 14.8% ABV. Pours thick and black with a short brown head. Nose is dark fruit and coffee. Taste is chocolate, caramel, bourbon, and coffee, moderately sweet, slightly bitter. Excellent mouthfeel, overall outstanding to near world class.

Jan 18, 2020

woodychandler from Pennsylvania

4.57/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.5

Welcome to this week's opening salvo in New Beer(s) from @jkblr Sunday (Week 777), MKIII! I had CANsidered CANtinuing with these next ones at the end of last week, but @jkblr gave me the wave-off & I aborted the mission at that juncture. Today, I am getting an early start in the hope that pacing will enable me to get them al in over the course of the day. We shall see.

From the CAN: "Imperial Stout with Coffee"; "Limited Edition Deep Wood Series"; "A weaponized quantity of freshly roasted whole bean coffee from Dark Matter Coffee Roasters imbues our Deth’s Tar Barrel-Aged Imperial Oatmeal Stout with assertive coffee aromatics without overshadowing the base beer on the palate. Pair with rich food or enjoy on its own. Keep cold. Enjoy now. We mean it."; "Imperial Stout aged in Bourbon Barrels steeped with Coffee"; "Brewed In Chicago".

OMFG! "Weaponized?!?" It sounds like my morning cuppa joe that has been known to cause fainting in the unsuspecting. I am retired U.S. Navy sailor whose day used to revolve around the drinking of coffee. We used to experiment with Mess Decks coffee to get it just right, finally hitting upon sprinkling ground cinnamon atop the grounds before closing the lid for the perk to begin. CANother time, in a small batch in the Armory, we used Black Powder! Talk about weaponized coffee, it was like liquid Benzedrine & we were so amped up that we held a field day in MT52 to the point that it gleamed! Onward.

The Crack! of the vent served as a precursor to what might follow. It revealed a brimful craft CAN that gave me a startling spritz across my fingertips! 8=O I then beCAN a slow, gentle C-Line Glug into my awaiting goblet, watching as it formed a quick two fingers of fizzy, foamy, bubbly, deep-brown head that quickly fizzled into mere wisps. 8=( Color was obsidian Black/Opaque (SRM = 44), allowing ZERO light penetration. In fact, light seemed to be bending towards it, as though a liquified black hole were in my kitchen with me! Where is The Gelt Gang when I need them?!? Nose had a pronounced booziness along with an evident coffee presence. 8=O

I was the Administrative Assistant to the Project Supervisor on the Self-Defense Test Ship (SDTS) (XDDG-31) from 1994 to 1997 & while I was pissed that it was squandering my shore duty, my boss, a former commissioned officer, was not averse to tippling in the evening once the anchor had been set. We would sit on the fantail, smoking cigars & drinking (usually) bourbon-laced coffee. This beer reminded me of those evenings.

I also got a vegetal smell, like freshly-picked peppers or tomatoes from the garden. Hmm. I just acquired new neighbors (again) & I am hoping that they will allow me to grow some veggies in their bed this Summer. Following my surgery in mid-June, I ate nothing but FF&V (fresh fruit & vegetables) for nearly a month. People were bringing veggies for me & I was gobbling them up. I like that smell, is my point.

Mouthfeel was medium, but a bit thin for this exalted style. Would Kate the Great have approved? Perhaps not. Once I had that first draught in my mouth, I just let it roll around on my tongue to allow it to a) warm & b) get a better sense of it. The bourbon-aging was unquestionable! Phew. It really came with a fusel alcohol heat & punch. Phew. The swallow felt like I had ingested barium as I could trace the length of my esophagus into my stomach a it traveled. I rocked back, feeling like I had taken a solid punch to my solar plexus! Phew. Once I recovered from the initial shock, I was ready for a seCANd go-'round. This time, I was better prepared for what was CANming & I could better register/appreciate the coffee's presence. By gar, this was no playin' around! No wonder @jkblr suggested that I take my foot off of the gas at the end of last week! Phew.

Now, it was time for some music. I am currently reading "Kick Out the Jams" by Don McLeese & listening to the MC5's album is the perfect acCANpaniment to this beer. Revolution, it is.

Man, an hour into this monster & I haven't even drank half of its CANtents! I feel like I am back in the ring, wildly overmatched with a MUCH bigger opponent. My eyes are watering unCANtrollably & I have broken out in a cold sweat in CANticipation of what was CANming next. My corner refuses to throw in the towel, although I am close to begging for sweet relief. 8=( Finish, while nearly finishing me, was hot & dry, not unexpectedly. Phew. At this point, though, I had a MUCH greater CANpreciation for the melding of the flavors. The coffee became more assertive as I drank through the CANtents & while the bourbon was unabating, it was less intense than it had been at the outset. Baby, if I was lookin' to get right, this has me on the path! YMMV.

Jan 12, 2020

Bshaw22 from Wisconsin

4.45/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Pours pitch black. Small tan head that dissipates.
Smell is bourbon, dates, bourbon, coffee. All distributed quite well.
Flavor starts with vanilla and coffee. Then moves to bourbon and dates. Really nuanced and changes as it warms.
Thick yet drinkable.
Very excellent beer for style.

Jan 04, 2020

Franziskaner from Missouri

4.18/5  rDev -5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Black as night with no light penetration. There’s a fingernail of brown around most of the rim. The aroma is of pungent coffee, vanilla, and bourbon. I’m tasting dark roasted coffee, vanilla, and bourbon. The mouth is very alcoholic, chewy, and dense.

Jan 04, 2020

Wolvmar from Michigan

4.62/5  rDev +5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Dec 31 2019
12oz can dated 10-11-19. Poured into a tulip glass. Bought at ML Liquor.

Pour: less head, less of a ring, fewer clouds. Not sure why so mediocre relative to last can a year ago. 4.0

Nose: booze, sweet malt, dark chocolate. 4.5

Taste: same as a year ago. Awesome. 4.75

Mouthfeel: same. 4.75

Overall: other than look, every bit as good as a year ago. Absolutely a top BA coffee stout. 4.75

Scores above are a combined rating of both reviews.

=====

Dec 21 2018
12oz can. Poured into a pint glass. Didn’t get a chance to find the canned on date. Bought at Barrels & Vines.

Pour: deep brown black color. Two finger dark tan head. Head lasted until finishing ina thick ring with thick clouds. Really good looking. 5

Nose: didn’t really get a chance to smell. But, got some dark chocolate, a little booze, some sweet malt. 4

Taste: big dark/semi-sweet chocolate up front. Dark, brandied fruit, burnt caramel, coffee and some booze; all well balanced. Semi sweet malts provide a backbone with slight bitterness throughout. Outstanding. 4.75

Mouthfeel: thick, viscous, luscious. Moderate carbonation. Coats the tongue but not cloying and finishes relatively clean. You can feel the oatmeal velvety smoothness. Outstanding. 4.75

Overall: ranks with BCBS, Bell’s Black Note, Artisan BA Paradise (forgetting the official name) and other top BA stouts. Absolutely try it if you see it. I’ll be looking for more. 4.75

Jan 01, 2020

Victory_Sabre1973 from Minnesota

4.53/5  rDev +3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours pitch black. 2 finger brown head. The head retention is just amazing for such a high ABV beer. As the head dissipates, it looks like it's boiling and bubbling. Eventually it calms down and slowly dissipates. No lacing on the glass.
The nose is slightly sweet, but also a pleasing coffee note mixed in. There's notes of caramel, toffee and chocolate as well.
Taste - pretty much same as the nose. Lots of barrel flavor in here. Toffee, caramel. The coffee also adds another bit to this puzzle, and, while not strong, it really is a good backbone to this beer.
Thick and full bodied. Slight alcohol burn, but that doesn't surprise me.
Solid BA RIS. Revolution makes some damn good beers.

Dec 29, 2019