Hipster Brunch Stout
Odd Side Ales

Wow.... good stuff! dark, thick, sweet. definitely a sipper... meant to be enjoyed and savored. ... trust me, if you drink these fast they will knock you right on your ass..... smells bourbony.... comes across as coconut while drinking.... sweet, dark chocolate, slightly mapely... almond joy in a glass... dessert beer. highly recommend.... Draft da bah

 

Dated 2019. Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a Dogfish Head tulip

L: Oily black pour. Barely-there mocha colored head... negligible lacing. No light penetrating this one.

S: Roast, cocoa, sweets, and booze.

T.F: Sweet up front. Loads of chocolate. Lighter espresso and vanilla. Maple syrup.... bacon is very faint. Wouldn't pick it up if I wasn't looking for it. More roast and cocoa. Oily and medium to thick bodied. Low carbonation. Lingering sweetness/syrup with some roast for balance.

O: Overall a very solid dessert stout. Sweet/tasty.... not quite as good as CBS, but in the same vein.

 

12oz bottle - poured into a stemmed glass at 40°F.

Pours a fairly heavy-looking crude oil black, forming absolutely no head, and sitting pitch black in the glass, still as night.

Nose: Fairly deep, heart, dark roast forms the classic imperial stout backdrop, with coffee winning the fight for first appearance. The coffee is decent - a bit generic, but no sharp or off notes. The maple is subtle compared to some of the breakfast juggernauts, but it certainly makes an appearance - fairly natural, and lending a pancake quality. I'm not sure about bacon, but I do detect a hint of smoke, which nicely compliments the roast. The barrel is just barely there - extremely muted.

Palate: Hipster Brunch greets the palate with a menage jais trois of dark roast, coffee, and maple. The roast had a bold dark chocolate quality to it, almost like a chocolate liqueur. The coffee is roasty, supplementing the roast while holding back bitterness, and the maple serves to tie them together in a sweet, candied maple bow. Still not getting any bacon - for better or worse, but I can sort of imagine a drop of liquid smoke lending this dry applewood note. Again, a whisper of blink-and-you'll-miss-it barrel showing up in the finish. The sweetness is reigned in, as some coffee bite, dark roast, and subtle smoke lay down the finish, with a slight dry woodiness persisting.

Mouthfeel/Body: Despite its appearance upon pouring, this stout is quite surprisingly thin. There's some weight in the form of the 11% ABV, but essentially no malt heft or viscosity. Not a big chewy stout - quite fluid and sprightly - perhaps to its detriment. Low carb comprised of ultra-fine, sparse bubbles.

Overall: I'll start with the obvious... This is quite similar to CBS - particularly the roast profile and chocolate liqueur note. The maple is stronger here, there's less barrel, a touch less sweetness, and that subtle smoke. It actually reminds me of an imperialised Maple Bacon Coffee Porter a bit. With is lack of barrel character and thin body, it doesn't hold a candle to some of the big boy breakfast stouts. It's certainly more drinkable, it's fairly well-balanced, and it has some nice maple character. Not one I'd seek out, but it's a good breakfast stout and the flavours are in the right places.

 

 

 

Since I see no bottle date, judging by the freshness I'll guess 2019? Label says "Keep cold, drink fresh" which is an good mantra for 95% of beer, especially barrel aged coffee stouts (my favorite). 1/2 price at the coolest local beer store imaginable, they have everything (of course) but I go there seeking the occasional 1/2 price master. and this fits the bill.

Aroma is coffee, chocolate, maple, bourbon and the taste follows, more coffee in the aroma than taste (again, drink fresh) and that's ok. Sweet, smooth, strong, delicious. Really reminds me of the recent CBS releases, though I preferred the coffee forward 2018. would certainly get this again, there may be one left on the shelf? Did I mention 1/2 price. Yes.

 

 

 

Beautiful dark chocolate pour with light beige foam that settles to a thick rim and surface foam. Nice aroma of maple, vanilla, and oak. Complex and well-rounded taste of maple, oak barrel, smoke, and vanilla bourbon, and a faint touch of roasted coffee. Syrupy thick mouthfeel. Overall a fascinating elixir of ashen maple syrup goodness.

Hell of a good beer for $5.

Thick, SMOKY, and sweet.

 

One off my new favorites . Very smooth at beginning finish with a little bitterness sweet all the way through....

Slight lush brown head... Limited retention... Inky black color... Subtle but inviting nose... The maple syrup and bacon are present, but not overpowering... Sweet palate highlighted by maple syrup and vanilla along with some faint smokiness from the bacon... Bourbon notes rise on the finish... On the fuller side of medium bodied... A bit sticky... Unique and quite satisfying, but I'm not sure it is something I would drink with regularity...