George Hunter
Castle Danger Brewery

 

Had on tap at 7West TapHouse in St. Cloud MN.

I wish I could find more stouts like this.

Perfect lazing all the way down the glass.

It’s real “tight” on first sip and as it warms it really opens up and all the toffee flavors come out, along with just the perfect amount of hops.

Extremely drinkable.

Perfect with a Philly cheesesteak on a cold night.

 

Pours clear dark brown with a thick mocha head that yields grudgingly and leaves generous lacing. Aromas is modest, dark roasted malt and a whiff of campfire smoke. Flavor follows the nose, with some walnut joining the party. Feel is medium bodied, low in carbonation almost as if it were a nitro beer. Overall, decent.

on tap in my kegerator, poured into porter/stout glass

A - 2 fingers of light tan over a pitch black body, laces the glass nicely; beautiful

S - roasted malt and chocolate with a touch of dark fruit

T - big chocolate flavor, black coffee, roasted malt; complex and well-balanced

M - creamy medium/full body, medium carbonation; just super smooth

O - very good all around; this is a nice one to have on tap

Nice foamy head. Thick feel. Dark roast taste of coffee, licorice, malt, and coco. Slightly heavy alcoholish feel on the after taste. Bold. At almost $12 a six pack its pricey but really good.

 

12 oz can into a Becker.
L: SRM 40 Pours black with a tiny bit of dark tobacco color at the base, very light carbonation, a 1/3" lightly rocky beige head that has good retention down to thick edge foam, medium-light sticky lacing.
S: Caramelized malts, a hint of chocolate, light molasses.
T: Toasted malts, dark toasted grains, dark bitter milk chocolate, molasses, a suggestion of dark fruits, a hint of char, lightly sweet. In the finish there is a note of resin and it has a light metallic taste in the linger.
F: Brisk medium to med-full bodied feel with a medium-full flavored center and a medium to medium-long finish.
O: Incredibly well balanced and completely delicious throughout. Very easy drinking with no trace of alcohol. A straight Stout without junky fake added flavors or booze/barrel. It is outstanding in its style.

 

 

 

 

Canned 12/1/20 & consumed 2/25/21: No nose; deep amber hue with nice tan head; medium m/f with smooth soft carbonation; taste is dark roasted malt with nuances of coffee and licorice / bark bitterness; finishes with some salaciousness.

This is a really good stout. What a bold flavor and great mouthfeel. Delicious coffee mixed with chocolate and cocoa. Great beer best served at cellar temperature that really grows on you as it gets warmer. This has quickly become my favorite Castle danger beer.

2023: Aromas of chocolate and wafer, cream. Flavors of chocolate, wafer, vanilla cookie. Minimal bitterness. Drinks light, creamy, clean.
Much different and not as impressive as previous years.

Compared to 3 Sheeps 15-2 1/2023: Pours lighter, milder head. Milder aromas. More milk chocolate, and wafer. Less dark chocolate, cherry, roast. Lighter and cleaner. Winner: 3 Sheeps

2022 :

Appearance: Pours a near jet black color with a moderate, foamy, light-tan head. SRM of 23-24. (3.75)

Aroma: Mild aromas of dry chocolate and mild roast, with a wafer aroma. Smells dense and rich with a velvety black forest cake. (3.75)

Flavor: The flavor follows with strong flavors of dry chocolate, tobacco, and cacao nibs. Hints of velvety cherry with red velvet cake. Some dark chocolate notes to finish it off.There’s possibly some other dark velvety fruit like berry, but minimal. (3.75)

Feel: Medium-bodied. More roast than I expected and in previous years. Smooth, flavorful, but a nice roast profile to balance the sweetness.

Compared to Pearl Street Al Caporter 2/28/22: Pours a darker color, milder, but darker head. Milder aromas. More dark chocolate and roast. Less smooth strawberry milk and chocolate. Heavier and more coffee and bitterness.

Compared to Firestone Walker's Chocolate Cherry Stout 1/3/21: Stronger aromas of chocolate, red velvet, cherry, and black forest cake. Less dry chocolate cereal or cookie.

Compared to Deschutes Obsidian Stout 1/22/21: Similar aromas, but slightly more lactose and less cocoa & espresso bitterness and alcohol. Smoother.
3/5/21: Pours a similar color, stronger head. Similar chocolate, but more dark malts of toffee & maple. Less dark chocolate and espresso roast. Maltier and less bitter. Not similar, should stop comparing.

to Founder's Dirty Bastard Ale 3/13/21: Pours a much darker and black color. More milk chocolate, lactose cream, and espresso roast. A stronger bitterness with less alcohol. Yes, this one has a dark chocolate black forest cake note to it, but not even close to the maltiness of Dirty Bastard.

Compared to Central Waters Satin Solitude 4/1/21: Pours a darker color. More chocolate, dark malts, caramel, and syrupy flavors. Less milky chocolate, banana pudding, and whipped cream.
4/30/21: More syrup and rich brown malts. Less milk chocolate and cream. Winner: George Hunter
3/27/22 (different than previous reviews): More complex malts of cream, bread and banana pudding. Less chocolate and roasted malt.

Compared to Destihl's Moonjumper Stout 4/18/21: Pours an identical color with a stronger and darker head. More malty aromas of caramel, nougat, syrup, and streudel. Far less chocolate. Less roast. Finishes more malty and smooth.

to Blacklist Dark 3/6/22: Pours a similar color, milder head. Similar aromas. More rich chocolate, bread, and dark fruits. Less bittersweet chocolate, dark espresso roast. Extremely similar.

Overall: A strong and rich chocolately stout. Has the definite rich, dark, and red velvety flavor with cherry and black forest cake flavors. Not quite as much as I remember from 2019 though as it has more lactose, cream, and malty smoothness than I remember. Still has a mild roast profile to balance it out but still allow it to finish sweet. Dark, rich, velvety. A delicious and perfect ABV stout at 8.0%. (Current Rating: 3.95+)

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2019-2020 review:
**Rating #100 for the beer**

Appearance: Pours a near jet black color with a moderate, foamy, light-tan head. SRM of 23-24. (3.75)

Aroma: Deep jelly and syrupy aromas of dark fruit. Raspberry, plum, strawberry coated in chocolate. Red velvet cake topped with fruit. Very different than I was expecting. (3.75)

Flavor: Follows the aroma. Strong flavors of jelly filled chocolate cake. Baked raspberries, plums, strawberrys underneath a red velvet cake with chocolate coating. No roast nor bitterness. Decadent. (3.75)

Feel: Medium-bodied for the 8.0% ABV. Syrupy. Low to average carbonation. Very creamy. Finishes only mildly bitter. Sweet, but not overly so, which is appreciated. (3.50)

Compared w/ Central Waters' Satin Solitude 3/27/20: Pours a slightly darker color. Similar aroma strength. Less chocolate and roast. More dark fruit and syrup. Slightly sweeter and creamier overall.

to Blacklist Dark 3/6/22: Pours a similar color. Milder head. More dark fruit and bread. Less bittersweet chocolate and dark espresso roast. A smoother and more malty finish and less bitter. Overall, very similar.

Overall: Not what I was expecting admittedly. Drinks creamy with dark fruit raspberry, strawberry, and plum coated in chocolate. Nice creamy finish. Leans sweet as expected. Different from the pack, nice berry notes. (2019 Rating; 3.73)

Pours black with a dark khaki head. Smell has molasses , coffee,vanilla, and chocolate. Taste follows nose with licorice,tabbaco, and roasted chocolate. Full rich mouth feel a solid stout by a top brewer in MN.

 

Dark black with tan edges, decent initial head with some lacing

Molasses, charcoal, dark roasted malt

Very roasty, molasses, char, no off-flavos - pretty straightforward but balanced

Solid mouthfeel.

Nothing fancy or unconventional here but checks all the boxes for a very solid brew.