iStout Affogato
8 Wired Brewing Co.

iStout AffogatoiStout Affogato
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From:
8 Wired Brewing Co.
 
New Zealand
Style:
American Imperial Stout
Ranked #989
ABV:
10%
Score:
92
Ranked #4,274
Avg:
4.22 | pDev: 7.82%
Reviews:
17
Ratings:
36
Status:
Active
Rated:
May 13, 2023
Added:
Dec 15, 2018
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  2
The "i" might be in lower case, but beware - this is a capital beer. Brimming with luscious roasted coffee and chocolate malt flavours drizzled over a scoop of velvety ice cream. iStout Affogato is balanced by a brisk bitterness and bold, hoppy freshness, remixed by the addition of lactose, coffee, and vanilla in the brew.
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Ratings by Ozzylizard:
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Reviewed by Ozzylizard from Pennsylvania

3.92/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
$ 9.49 (Including shipping)/14.9 oz can ($ 0.637/oz). Received 5/30/20 from Craftshack, San Diego, CA. Reviewed 6/14/20.
Marked on bottom of can “BEST BEFORE 20.08.22”. Stored at home at 42 degrees and served at 58 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter.
Appearance – 3.5.
First pour – Amber brown (SRM 18), clear.
Body – Black (SRM 40), opaque. When held to direct light, same.
Head – Large (Maximum seven cm, aggressive center pour), dark tan, high density, average retention, diminishing to an undulating five to seven mm crown fed by effervescence and a complete rocky cap. Some tiny pieces of lacing remain on the glass as the head retracts.
Lacing – Fair – Undulating narrow band of tiny bubbles, but at 10% ABV, we are pushing the limits of lacing anyway. See also above.
Aroma – 4 – Begins with the thick heavy smell of roasted malt eventually allowing a hint of coffee through. No hops, no yeast, no vanilla.
Flavor – 4 - The first swallow is bitter, the second much less so, and is the bitterness of coffee, not roasted malt. No alcohol (10% ABV, as marked on the label) taste or aroma. In fact, the comforting alcohol gastric warming of the typical RIS is missing; instead, we have the gastric pain of too-strong coffee – it makes it worth the cancer risk of OTC Zantac. No vanilla, no hops, no yeast. No diacetyl or dimethylsulfide.
Palate – 3.5 – Medium, silky, lively carbonation.
Final impression and summation 4. The aroma and taste are OK for a RIS, other than the painful bitterness I would have rated it at least 0.25 higher. This is more of a stout-flavored coffee than a coffee-flavored stout. One and thankfully done.
Jun 14, 2020
More User Ratings:
Photo of woemad
Reviewed by woemad from Washington

3.59/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
16 oz tallboy can purchased at Smokes & Suds, in Dalton Gardens, Idaho, for $7.79. According to the stamp on the bottom of the can, this is best by July 28th, 2024. Apparently this is an imperial oatmeal Stout brewed with coffee, lactose, and vanilla.

Poured into a stemless wine glass, this was a very dark shade of brown, virtually black. Initially, a bubbly looking mocha colored head was present, but it dropped quickly. No noticeable lace.

Initially, nothing but bitter,roasty black coffee in the aroma dept. As it warms, the vanilla comes out a bit, along with a bit of milky sweetness.

A bit sweeter in the taste than in the nose, but it doesn't melt together particularly well. Oddly, I get a bit of cinnamon in the back end, despite it not being mentioned as an adjunct.

Somewhat thin bodied, but with a creamy mouthfeel.

This seems mediocre and muddled. It's by no means a drain poor, but it's not something I could ever see myself having again, particularly for that price.
May 13, 2023
Photo of colts9016
Reviewed by colts9016 from Idaho

3.92/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
1861
Name: iStout Affogato
Brewery: 8 Wired
Location: Warkworth, NZ
Style: Imperial Coffee Stout
ABV: 10%
Date: unknown
Saw this beer in Jackson Wy and thought, why not try it? I am using a tulip glass and serving it at 50 degrees. The pour created a frothy and creamy one-fingered head with poor retention. The quick dissipation left no lacing on the glass. I am charting the color around SRM 34, dark brown with mahogany hues. It is a dark beer with no clarity. The appearance is okay for this style. I have seen beer with higher ABV have a longer-lasting head. Just a minor detail for this style.
Nosing the glass, I smell dark coffee, vanilla, molasses, dark roasted malts, bready, a subtle char, slight smokiness, earthy, and a light floral. The coffee aromas dominate the nose.
An unusual bitter sour flavor permeates the flavors. I taste dark espresso coffee, vanilla, a bit of cream, smokiness, char, Maillard, molasses, caramel, bready, and earthy.
The mouthfeel is bitter and dry. The body is medium, has a medium carbonation, and has a long finish.
A few issues I have with this beer. It tastes all coffee and little of everything else. I do enjoy a coffee stout, but I want a bit of balance with it. The bitter coffee is a bit distracting for my palate. It is a solid coffee beer,
glad I got to try it.
Mar 05, 2023
Photo of GreesyFizeek
Reviewed by GreesyFizeek from New York

4/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
On tap at The Sheffield in Rochester, NY.

This one pours a fairly dark black color, with a small head, and not much lacing.

This smells like roasted malt, very roasty coffee, dark chocolate, licorice, and smoke.

This is an old school coffee stout, which is kind of rare and refreshing in this era of beer. There’s a lot of coffee, and it’s dry and roasty, but without being too bitterness. There’s a good amount of chocolate and roast, and even just a positive hint of smoky licorice and herbal flavors.

This is medium bodied, slightly creamy, not thin, but definitely not thick, with a good drinkability.

In a sea of pastry stouts, this definitely stands out a tad.
Mar 03, 2023
Photo of tone77
Reviewed by tone77 from Pennsylvania

3.79/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Poured from a 14.9 oz. can. Has a black color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of coffee, smoke. Taste is coffee, chocolate, smoke, light vanilla. Feels full bodied in the mouth and overall is a quality beer.
Dec 11, 2022
 
Rated: 4.35 by Chuckdiesel24 from Illinois

Nov 25, 2022
Photo of DoctorZombies
Reviewed by DoctorZombies from Florida

4.35/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
No canning date. 14.9 ozs. Best by 7/28/24. Poured at 54°. Dark tan head of mixed bubbles settle to a fizzy head with ok cap retention; solid ring, some soapy lace initially as well as a covering of micro dots; no legs on swirl. Chocolate and roast coffee nose. Coffee front and center followed by bitter roast; semi sweet chocolate; looking for vanilla; roast coffee finish. Smooth (lactose) creamy feel; medium body; moderate minus carbonation; no warmth from 10% abv. Overall a very enjoyable coffee stout; well balanced with a good amount of coffee, roast and chocolate; pleasant roast bitterness linger.
Oct 26, 2022
 
Rated: 5 by 1971bernat from Virginia

Oct 13, 2022
 
Rated: 4.22 by Abstractspirit from Rhode Island

Aug 25, 2022
 
Rated: 3.41 by BirdsandHops from Oregon

Aug 16, 2022
Photo of MonDak_Joe1953
Reviewed by MonDak_Joe1953 from Minnesota

4.09/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
14.9oz can. Stamped on can bottom is best by date of '28.7.2024' (the digit '4' in the year dating rolls off over the bottom lip).
Black colored body, with a mahogany back lit edge. Some foam head with an aggresive pour but this quickly dissipates. Leaves very small spots of lacing.
Aroma is upfront coffee but exudes some dark chocolate also.
Taste is quite coffee bitter (dark, dense coffee), with richly roasted dark malts. Any sweetness is momentary and whiffs away. Dark chocolate is chalky and dry. Very dry in the aftertaste.
Medium mouth feel. Each quaff dries the mouth. Okay carbonation.
There is some vanilla, but the dominate flavor is bitter coffee. Rating will depend on how much sweetness versus bitterness one wants in a stout of this type.
Apr 05, 2022
 
Rated: 4.1 by Noelito76 from New York

Nov 15, 2020
 
Rated: 3.89 by sbuck from New Mexico

Sep 20, 2020
 
Rated: 4.24 by Samnem from Pennsylvania

Sep 15, 2020
Photo of Captain69
Reviewed by Captain69 from Illinois

4.06/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
one of those beers great from the first sip - flavors overwhelms you - coffee and vanilla taste all threw the drink - not a lot of lactose to make it a milkshake
Jun 07, 2020
Photo of Scotchboy
Reviewed by Scotchboy from Idaho

4.05/5  rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Review from notes: 16oz can poured into a snifter.

A: Opaque black pour with a nice finger of khaki head.

S: Coffee and vanilla, sweetness balanced with a dark roast, chocolate and cacao beans, rounded off with a nice underlying lactose character that binds the aromas together.

T & MF: The palate really follows the nose well with a bit of almond flavor thrown in for good measure, the body is elegantly smooth and creamy.

O: A well-executed Affogato stout with flavors and aromas that are well-rounded and pop to the forefront without any on character dominating.
May 18, 2020
Photo of StonedTrippin
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

4.25/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
this is money, im pretty sure the first i have seen from these guys in a can, not quite pint sized, sharp packaging, still identifiable as one of their beers, but sleek and modern looking, pricey, but im glad i went for it. its a nice variant of their big base imperial stout, which is great on its own. there is a ton of coffee to this, a desserty sweetness coming through in both chocolate and vanilla waves, and the robust dark grain is flavorful and smooth through the whole thing, never seeming overdone in any aspect, bold as it is. the coffee in here seems like good espresso, and there really is a melted vanilla bean ice cream quality to it in the taste, some mellow sugars through the finish, but not too much to drink, and an impressively well hidden alcohol strength. its got light brown sugar, milk chocolate, and wet tobacco notes, coats the palate with its viscosity but still drinks somewhat swiftly for what it is, more due to the complexity than the texture i think, lots to digest here and i can hardly set my glass down, im super intrigued by it, and i think they did justice to one of my favorite desserts here. just a little almost english yeast character to it as well diving it some needed beery depth. overall very tasty, even exceptionally good as this sort of thing goes, really enjoyed it as a late night sipper! hopefully more cans from them come around!
May 11, 2020
 
Rated: 3.79 by Bandi from New York

Apr 24, 2020
Photo of metter98
Reviewed by metter98 from New York

4.15/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
A: The beer is jet black in color. It poured with a thin and dense tan head that gradually died down, leaving some patches of bubbles on the surface and a narrow collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Light to moderate aromas of licorice and coffee beans are present in the nose along with notes of dark malts.
T: The taste has flavors of coffee beans and chocolate with notes of vanilla and dark malts with hints of lactose and associated sweetness.
M: It feels medium- to full-bodied and very smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: I really like how all of the different flavors of the taste melded together, particularly how the bit of sweetness from the lactose nullified any bitterness from the coffee beans and malts. It also does a rather good job at masking a good portion of the alcohol from the taste.

Serving type: can
Apr 24, 2020
Photo of beerloserLI
Reviewed by beerloserLI from New York

4.13/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
A straight black color on the pour with a frothy brown head. On the nose I get chocolate malt and charred smoke. Upfront on the drinking I get lots on nice chocolate malt mixed with a rather prominent lactose flavor. Very robust with a silky, creamy and smooth flow. The coffee note really builds in intensity the more I consume and as the brew warms. A decently bitter finish that has just enough stick to allow the flavors to linger well after each sip. Additional notes of caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, smoke, and charred oak. Full bodied with a sort of robust/creamy mix going on.

Overall, pretty good stuff.
Mar 26, 2020
iStout Affogato from 8 Wired Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 92 out of 100 with 36 ratings