Campfire Stout
High Water Brewing

Pours out smooth and dark, like a liquid chocolate. Smells of a s'more stout for sure! Smooth, creamy and satiny mouth fill. Initial taste is of the stout to me and then moves on to the marshmallow then chocolate and finally at the very end? Graham cracker. Perfect for those darker days when rain is upon you and you've got a fire going someplace. Mmmmm .. definitely chuggable but why would you want to? This is a very drinkable beer, but one you'd want to saviour. Best stout that I've had so far!

 

Beer is black in appearance, with a rocky tan head. Nose suggests graham crackers. Lightly-carbonated. This beer is sweeter than I'd like; still, it's worth trying.

can into glass
Very light brown, moderate head. Dark as beer can look. Sweet, chocolate and spiced caramel tinged, subdued, dark roasted grains, make up the aroma. Thin bodied and a primary flavor of heavily toasted wood with a very slight , spiced caramel note, that is somewhat restrained and finishes with a thin, toasted wood character.

 

Pours a very black color like coca cola, produces a thick head that isn't very retensive.

Smells of dark chocolate and bourbon.

Taste of graham cracker and marshmallow right up front in the mid or realize the bourbon smell was just chocolate. Fades into a very mild bitter finish, clean.

This is my first stout when pouring it kind of intimidated me a little bit but after drinking it's definitely a great beer.

Appearance: Pours a deep black color, with a khaki color foam head. Leaves behind some lacing.

Aroma: Sweet toasted chocolate malts, vanilla bean, gram cracker, toffee.

Taste: Chocolate malt, toffee and marshmallow up front, followed by an ever so subtle bitter twang: fades into some graham cracker notes. A Good balance and a clean finish.

Overall: Wow. This is one is thoroughly enjoyable and fantastic stout. From the aroma, to the flavors, the beautiful color, and a smooth, creamy, silky like mouthfeel. It all comes together wonderfully. This is a perfect brew for cool/rainy weather. I find myself wanting to savor it.

22oz bottle poured into a snifter

A- pours black in color with a one-finger creamy light khaki head that has long retention after the pour, leaving some lacing behind

S- initial aroma is of vanilla beans, chocolate and graham crackers. A light roasty undertone, along with some caramel and toffee. The vanilla note really sticks out

T- sweet and malty up front with a note of milk chocolate, followed by a creamy marshmallow note and a bold hit of vanilla. Mid-palate brings out light undertones of graham cracker and roast. The finish gives more chocolate and vanilla, which sticks around on the linger

M- medium body with moderate carbonation leads to a creamy mouthfeel that continues into a silky, velvety finish

O- a fantastic s'mores beer with a vanilla note that really pops

Distinctive

 

With a straight black color, it has flavors of chocolate phosphate, roasted marshmallow, light mocha and subtle hint of toffee. Meanwhile, the aroma follows the palate with more sweet marshmallows in tow. It has aftertastes of deep mocha and subtle sweet sugar, while the mouthfeel is well-rounded and fitting of the style. For a beer flavored with graham crackers and marshmallow flavorings, this is a fantastic drink! I also recommend their Sugaree Maple Pecan Pie beer, as well as the Blueberry Cobbler from Atwater Brewery and the Blueberry Ale from Sea Dog Brewing Company. Another great flavored beer that is also in a stout style is the Blueberry Maple Stout from Saugatuck Brewing Company.

Pours dark brown. Thick foam. Unremarkable aroma. Unexpectedly bold flavors. Chocolate marshmallow and graham cracker. Sweet but not too sweet. Finishes a little smokey. Much better than expected.

 

Was surprised to see this in my neck of the woods. Did not disappoint.

Looks really dark, as everyone else says - that's about it.

Smells heavily of chocolate with some toffee and molasses.

Tastes very molasses-y which can be a turnoff. Has a bit of a tang from the molasses as well which personally isn't for me but many may enjoy. The flavor is mostly sweet though. I probably wouldn't buy it again but I'd definitely recommend it to the right person.

This is a standout in a crowded market. Some of these things can have an ABV that's a bit too high for my liking, or they just have no clear flavor. This strikes a perfect balance of flavor and drinkability.

Look is dark brown, rich and thick.
Smell is semi-sweet with roasted nut notes.
Taste is definitely smores, but not in an oversweet way. The toasted/charcoal flavor helps it stand out and balance out any sweetness.
Feel lasts gently on the palate, but you don't forget what you've just had. Good balance.

Overall, just a great take on a niche stout.

 

 

 

 

I really liked this stout and that's saying a lot because I normally don't like em. It's got that full flavor of a stout but still manages to be light and drinkable. I can taste the malt but can't really taste the graham cracker. Still a great flavor though. Wish this had a higher abv, I think it would have taken the flavor to the next level. Overall great.

Canned 12/23/20

These Smores-esque stouts seem to be everywhere these days, but this is one I've seen on the shelf since the beginning of my beer buying years. I've never really given it much thought, but after years of seeing it in the same exact spot on the shelf, I figured I would just go for it

Pours completely pitch black with 3 fingers of dark tan head that slowly settles to a thin cap and leaves decent lacing

Immediately upon smelling this beer I can tell there is a stark contrast and delicate balance between the sweet and roasty elements. I'm picking up on aromas of honey graham crackers, smoked malt, sugary vanilla, milk chocolate, dark bread, and light earthy hops

Usually when these things are out of balance, it's in favor of the sweet, but in this one the roast dominates the palate, sadly masking the flavor a bit especially up front. On the front end of the sip I'm tasting molasses and dark malt. The swallow opens up a bit, bringing notes of smoked malt, graham cracker, dry peanuts, and lightly bitter roast

A medium body pairs with very gentle carbonation, resulting in a smooth yet strikingly crisp beer. Finishes mostly dry from the roast

This was promising from the crack of the can when the nose really opened up, but it ultimately couldn't live up to be something stellar. Still, I enjoyed it for what it is

First thing I tasted was milk chocolate and a mild bitterness with it followed by a marshmallow and graham cinnamon finish that had a biscuity undertone. It has a light mouthfeel and finishes quickly.

 

 

 

Poured from a bomber into a Dogfish Head tulip

L: Dark, dark brown pour... nearly black with a finger of tannish head. Decent lacing.

S: Rich and roasty... sweet cocoa and graham cracker.

T.F: Roasted grains... sweets and chocolate. Lighter marshmallow. The graham cracker comes through fairly well... some roast bitterness for balance. On the lighter end of medium bodied... smooth and well carbonated. Lingering roast and graham cracker to finish.

O: Decent flavor and delivers what it promises. Would benefit from a bit more ABV/oomph. A little light, but overall solid.

 

 

 

 

Campfire Stout from High Water Brewing. $ 7.49(Including shipping)/12 oz can ($ 0.624/oz). From Craftshack, San Diego, CA. Received 9/21/20. Reviewed 10/2/20.
Can stamped on bottom “03/25/20”. Stored at home at 42 degrees and served at 60 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. Final temperature 62 degrees.
Appearance – 3.5.
First pour – Brown (SRM 20), clear.
Body – Deep brown (SRM 30), opaque. When held to direct light, same – no trace of ruby.
Head – Large (Maximum 4.5 cm, aggressive center pour), latte, medium density with a few large rocks, average retention, diminishing to a three to four mm crown and a thin complete cap with rocks.
Lacing – None.
Aroma – 4 – Molasses, chocolate, and caramel, rather subdued. No hops, no malt, no yeast.
Flavor – 3.5 - Begins slightly bitter and metallic with weak chocolate. No hops, no yeast. No alcohol (6.5% ABV, as marked on container) taste or aroma. No diacetyl or dimethylsulfide. Ends with a bit of lactic acid.
Palate – 3 – Medium, watery, soft carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 3.5. This is an award-winning beer? This can must have been terribly mishandled before it got to me – metallic and sour. Watery – more like a porter than a stout. One and done.

 

 

 

 

 

*Poured into a Teku glass from a 16oz can*

This stout poured an almost pitch black color and had a finger thick khaki colored head. This was very carbonated looking, with some rising bubbles; unfortunately, there wasn't a whole lot of retention to it. The head dissipated quickly, leaving a thin lacing around my cup.

Undoubtedly, this beer smelled like straight up S'mores. I was worried that this would smell too artificial, but the aroma was actually pretty decent. I ended up getting balanced notes of marshmallows, graham crackers, milk chocolate, and brown sugars throughout, giving me a nice mellow S'more aroma.

Despite being advertised as a s'mores flavored stout, I didn't get a whole lot of s'mores on the taste. Unfortunately, this smells better than it tastes. I got a mellow molasses-like sweetness upfront, which faded quickly into notes of roasted malts, slight char bitterness, and a coffee-like roastiness. I was only able to perceive notes of s'mores in the aftertaste, which wasn't very strong to begin with.

The feel on this beer was also pretty decent as well. It felt medium bodied, and was dry from start to finish. The beer being highly carbonated, I thought that this was pretty smooth and very easy to drink. The s'more aftertaste wasn't lingering at all or very strong. I was hoping for a more bolder and well rounded mouth feel, but I wasn't disappointed with what I got.

Overall, I really enjoyed the nice rich s'mores aroma on this beer. But I found that the smell was better than how it tasted. This isn't a bad tasting beer at all, far from it. It was just a bit disappointing not being able to taste more of the s'more flavors.

Look: Pitch black and thick. 1.5 fingers of khaki head with excellent retention.

Smell: Roast malt, sweet marshmallow, a slight metallic note.

Taste: Very sweet chocolate and marshmallow, followed by a metallic-tinged roast malt bitterness and a very small hint of cherry.

Mouthfeel: Surprisingly not as creamy and smooth as expected. A little thin, with medium carbonation.

Overall: This feels like a beer that's not quite at its prime. It's overall good, but it COULD be great.

Love this stout