Sump Coffee Stout - Ethiopian Roba
Perennial Artisan Ales

 

 

Beer: 2018 vintage Sump (Sump Ethiopian “Roba” coffee)
Brewery: Perennial Artisan Ales (St. Louis, MO)
ABV: 11.5%

Pouring from a 2018 bottle into a whiskey tumbler glass, this beer pours out like motor oil; thick and as black as night. It slowly forms a finger and a half worth of tightly packed, mocha colored bubbles to rest on top. The crown holds with moderate retention. 5

The nose brings a fudgy chocolate sweetness mixing with a balanced, creamy coffee; slightly roasted with no astringency. The way the coffee tangles with the sweetness slightly resembles coffee cake. It has an underlying bark like presence. 4.5

The taste follows suit. Layers and layers of different chocolate; fudge, cocoa nibs, milk chocolate. Coffee is there, but not with a huge prominence. I would’ve expected it to play a bigger part in this, but it seems they are just using it to accent the beautiful base. Fresh, clean, slightly roasted and creamy coffee with no astringency whatsoever. There is a touch of earthy spice in there as well; slightly resembling cinnamon, without any of the stinging aspect. An earthy wood, almost tree bark like finish. 4.75

The mouthfeel is heavy medium-heavy; it’s thick, but honestly not as thick as a beer that pours like this would be expected to be. It’s also smooth and creamy throughout the entirety. Hardly any sign of the almost 12% ABV. As stated, it’s extremely smooth. Would be perfect if it was just a touch thicker. 4.75

Overall, this is such a great base beer, with a nice touch of accenting coffee. Extreme balance throughout, never leaning too heavily on one aspect but instead letting them all tangle beautifully. I could see how barrels could do wonders to this. 4.5

 

 

On tap at Bailey's.

Black with a dark brown head with good retention and lacing, this looks great. The nose is dominated by the coffee with a very light fruit Ethiopian coffee character. Really light roast coffee, mildly fruity, mildly nutty. The base beer is quite excellent. Plenty of roast, creamy coffee, dark chocolate bitterness. Dark chocolate character is quite excellent. The palate opens super creamy and full bodied with plenty of coffee and dark chocolate. The coffee expression in on point here. Clean, fruity bright, mildly roasty, it pairs quite marvelously with the deep and flavorful base stout. Roasted grain, dark honey, mild caramel flavors are present. Full in body and softly carbonated, this is delectable on the palate. Excellent stuff.