Sump Coffee Stout
Perennial Artisan Ales

This is for their 2025 offering:

Pours a very dark, not quite black, brown; pour is steady, not very thick, but also not particularly thin. Small toffee-colored bubbles form like a little galaxy quickly coming into and going out of existence. RBorsato mentioned a "clumpy floating mass" in a previous review, which also formed on the top for me...a little off-putting

I'm a huge fan of Perennial's Abraxas. It's one of my favorite stouts, I'll usually make a beeline for it. With such a high bar, I was expecting a bit more from Sump and my first impression was that I wasn't sure what to make of it.

The aroma left a bit more to be desired, I wish it was a bit more potent. But it does offer a hint of what's to come:

The first sip was a little confusing for me initially, I didn't know what to make of the flavor. The coffee notes and malts kind of compete with each other instead of playing together, and the chocolate notes get kind of caught up somewhere in between. It's a bit boozier than I was expecting, and instead of making the other notes taste sweeter, it ends up being more of an explosive mishmash than a layered experience. This beer demands that one slows down in order to be able to appreciate it fully, and only then does it reveal its nuances.

After the initial discombobulation, the coffee note rises to the surface, and then I understood a part of the confusing flavor that I couldn't quite put my finger on: old school KitKat Bars from maybe the late 90's and early 2000's. Lovely! Then a hint of toffee, followed by a whisper of dark chocolate covered raisins

It gets better as it warms up, as many stouts tend to

Mouthfeel is luscious, not too thick, but also not quite velvety. Carbonation is mild, pleasant.

Would I choose to drink this beer again? Probably....

From a tall aluminum can, this beer is oil-black, viscous, and capped with a chocolate-milk colored head. The aroma is full of coffee and vanilla. Heavily roasted notes...dark roast. Espresso. The high ABV is really well hidden. Thick and hefty body. Coffee flavor continues through the finish. There is some sweetness, but it is layered into the beer, behind the coffee and vanilla flavors. Full, flavorful, rich, and tasty.

Black pour with a good‑looking, medium beige head. The aroma leans into espresso, dark chocolate, and a touch of leather. It starts slightly sweet before the coffee character takes over, bringing a pleasant roasted bitterness that lingers just right. I loved it.

Appearance: Pours the color of coffee grounds with a one finger tan head that pancakes down and leaves squiggles of lace

Smell: Roasted malt with dark chocolate and fruity espresso tones; some black cherry in the mix, as well

Taste: Roasted flavors forward with dark chocolate and espresso flavors building; a bit fruity with black cherry essence; after the swallow, there is an unusual sweet but metallic flavor

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with moderate carbonation

Overall: Not bad but seems a bit overrated to me

 

 

Pitch black with a clumpy floating mass. Big rich robust roasted malt aroma and flavor with more dark chocolate than coffee. OK balance; not enough coffee character. Full to medium bodied with a big dark chocolate roasty finish.

A little too syrupy, sweet and boozy for me. But if you like those things you will love it. I had a difficult time rating the smell. I did not like it all on the pour, but my glass smelled great after drinking it. I just got booze at first, but after it was delicious dark chocolate. This is one I will have to try again and perhaps update my rating when I do

Picked up a single 16 oz can from the Appalachian Vintner in Asheville on 6-20-25 for $8.99. 2025 version with "2 36D" stamped on the bottom; consumed 8-17-25. Cold stored since purchase.

Beer poured jet black with a very nice tan head.

Nose is very nice as i am getting dark chocolate from the medium roasted malts while the coffee addition combines nicely and does not overwhelm the malts.

Taste is spot on; the medium roasted malt base follows the nose and gives a dark chocolate flavor with some roastiness. Coffee addition initially is bold but blends in very nicely. Hopping is nicely done and balances leaving a nice roasted coffee flavor after each sip.

Mouthfeel is near perfect, full bodied with each sip being velvety smooth.

Overall, definitely amongst the best coffee stouts, right up there with Speedway!

OK, they are trying to say it's black as an oil sump. Or the pit of my sump pump (not that black). Not a great name.

It pours like a sump. A little head but not much. The aroma is coy. A little candy comes through but no coffee bomb, just a hint. Same with the taste - it is balanced and not overly flavored. Delicious and easy drinking - amazing that it has any alcohol let alone over 11%.

Recommended. A bit pricey, but you aren't going to drink a whole mess of them!

 

Pure gold

 

Copenhagen 19/4 2024. 47,3 cl can from Kihoskh, Sønder Boulevard, Kbh. V. Dark can with a skeletal Jesus figure enjoying a pitcher of dark beer.

Pours opaque sark brown with almost no head. Settles as a tranquil dark sea. No lacing.

Aroma is medium intense with a sweet odor of dark malts and a sugary scent lactose and brown sugar. Whiff of alcohol and coffee. Roasted malts, brown sugar, toffee and fudge. Coffee with sugar. Liqueur.

Low carbonation. Thick, oily, soft, a bit sticky, viscous, flat texture.

Flavor is intense with a medium strong sweetness followed by a stronger coffee bitterness. Aftertaste is bitter. Lingering. Finish is dry with a touch of alcohol.

Rich Coffee Boozer.

Look: It pours black with a brown head. Head retention is average.

Smell: It has strong, rich coffee aromas. There are background roasted elements.

Taste: It has strong coffee and roast flavors. There are some chocolate elements and dark fruit. The dark fruits are plum like. There is a touch of vanilla in the background.

Feel: It has a velvety texture with some bitterness in the finish. There is also pleasant alcohol warming.

Overall: It has plenty of flavors and is not a one dimential coffee stout like many others. This has a complex aray of flavors.

Review: 2302
Name: Sump
Brewery: Perennial Artisan Ales
Location: St. Louis, MO
Style: Coffee Stout
ABV: 11.5%
Canned: Best By 12 July 2022
Date: 10 Jan 2025
I have surpassed the best by date by several months, oh well, it is a higher ABV beer and has been cellared this entire time. I think the beer will be okay, but I'm not sure; let us get on with the review. I am using a tulip glass and serving the beer at 50 degrees. The pour created a frothy, creamy, one-fingered, tan head with average retention. The quick dissipation left no lacing on the glass. The color of the beer is jet black with dark brown hues, charting at SRM 36, and is opaque. The beer's appearance is average for this style; regardless of the high ABV, I expected a longer-lasting head.
Nosing the glass, I am searching for over-aging, thankfully there is none. The first aromas I detect are dark roasted malts accompanied by a medium-dark coffee; those aromas are earthy, char, a skosh of smoke, and a light Maillard. Smelling the glass again, I detect light raisin, molasses, toffee, bready, toasted pumpernickel crust, malty sweetness, and floral. Most aromas comprise dark roasted malts with lovely roasted coffee notes.
The flavors start with this coffee. It is not bitter but has notes of char, light smoke, earthiness, and Maillard. Then, the malt profile starts with maltiness, brown bread crust, malty sweetness, and lightly toasted cereal grains. Sipping the beer again, I also taste molasses, raisins, caramel, toffee, a light vegetal hop note, dried cherries, and subtle floral notes.
The mouthfeel is creamy and finishing smooth. The body is medium-plus and has low carbonation.
I have drank Sump's cold brew from the local gas station cooler on a few occasions. This beer has a lovely coffee flavor with a firm malt backbone. I can tell the beer is slightly overaged, but I am not picking up the traditional overaging flavors. It is a welcomed drink on this cold January day. Overall, it is a solid coffee stout. I would drink it anytime I can get it.

 

 

2024 vintage

I can’t believe it’s taken me this long for me to get around to this classic. Just a straight up coffee Stout sounds like a great beer for a warm spring night. Let’s crack it open and find out what it’s all about

Pours completely pitch black with 3 fingers of frothy dark tan head that slowly fades to a ring and leaves decent lacing

Yeah as expected this is very much coffee forward in the nose. I’m picking up on aromas of burnt coffee beans, burnt caramel, dark chocolate, black cherry, red grape, dark toast, light vanilla bean, and molasses

It’s less of a coffee affair in the beginning, but it comes back full force on the back end. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting vanilla bean, red grape, milk chocolate, light roast coffee, toffee, molasses, dark bread, and black cherry. The swallow brings notes of burnt coffee beans, cacao nib, burnt caramel, molasses, res grape, brown sugar, cherry pit, and light leafy hops

A medium body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a smooth beer. Finishes mostly dry and roasty

This is solid, but honestly seems overrated for what it is

Nice pour. Good deep brown, with gorgeous head.

Not much on the smell.

Delicious. Pretty much a great coffee stout. I did like the vanilla variation a lot better, but this is excellent.