Dissent
Steel Toe Brewing

12oz can, adhesive label. Date stamp on bottom lip is 'CANNED 01/14/26'.
Black colored body. Long lasting light brown colored head. Leaves behind thick webs of lacing.
Aroma is rich with roasted malts, chocolate, coffee, and bits of vanilla and char.
Taste follows the nose - rich and dark with resplendent flavors. Flavors of dark chocolate, with dark roast coffee coming in late. Bit of vanilla sweetness and some bitterness from roasted malt char. Essence of black licorice. The dark roast aspects remain in the aftertaste.
More than medium mouthfeel. Very smooth and creamy texture. Very dry finish. Very good carbonation.
Very expressive in the nose and flavors, with a foam cap that follows the body down to the bottom of the glass. Very easy to drink for the relatively higher ABV% - which is hidden behind the roasty flavors.

A - Dark body, black and opaque, short light tan head, tiny bubble lacing in ragged lines down the glass.

S - Pungent malt nose, a bit of hoppy pine and resin, citrus zest offers a bright note and molasses and roasted, toasted coffee notes.

T - Solid flavor, lush and pretty bright bread and chocolate, coffee and soft citrus highlights, and a smart acidity and just a hint of umami.

M - Subtle carbonation, slick on the tongue into a dry finish, with some resin build on the tongue over time.

O - A very solid brew, with a lot of the notes I look for in Black IPAs, but with a stronger malt thread. Pretty surprising satisfying all told, and exactly the kind of stout I love.

Appearance: Pour a completely dark color with a rich, dark strong head. SRM of 24. (4.00)

Aroma: Strong aromas of cocoa, bittersweet cocoa, chocolate, mild and dry roasted. Hints of smoked and toasted notes. (4.00)

Flavor: Flavors of rich, dark chocolate bittersweet Cocoa, a roasted and toasted finish. Lean, sweet, but also bitter. (4.25)

Feel: Heavier-body, average carbonation. Smooth, bitter and roasty finish. (4.00)

Compared to Einstok Icelandic Porter 3/2024: Pours darker, stronger head. Stronger aromas. More bittersweet and bitter chocolate. Less mild cocoa and airy notes. Sweeter, bitter, and heavier.

Overall: Listed as a Foreign Stout. It's dark, bittersweet, and roasty. Tons of flavor and complexity. Hits all three attributes of being dark, bittersweet, and roasty. Very enjoyable. (Rating: 4.10)

Appearance is beautiful. Dark and pours smooth like a thick stout. The foam is tan and consistent, a couple fingers worth, and slowly fades.
Smell is a bit faint. Roasted malt.
Taste is roasted (almost burnt) malt. Has a bit of the flavor like an Irish dry stout.
Mouth feel is smooth and little creamy.
Overall, a pretty good beer. If you are in the mood for something pretty dark, but not quite an imperial stout, this one is pretty good. It fills a certain spot in the dark beer lineup that I didn’t previously know needed to be filled!

Enjoyed this in a shaker pint glass at Broadway Pizza in Maple Grove, MN. The look was enticing - 1-1/2" luscious tan head which lasted long and offer up major lacing also. Couldn't look much better. Fluid was dark brown (stout or porter). Aroma was subtle with chocolate and roast along with hoppiness. Taste was very pleasant - creamy, chocolate, light roast, and a brightness from the hops which made it very drinkable. The hops did not really bring bitterness nor fruitiness and really worked with the malt recipe. Mouthfeel was creamy and full but finishing light.

I am sure I have this fine ale some years ago and I do love numerous Steel Toe varieties. I look forward to have this again.

As other reviews note, though me might quibble with the export stout designation, but…it’s a very well made beer however one classifies it. At the brewery, into a shaker, pours a dark mahogany with a finger of khaki head that reduces to a crown. Lots of roasted earthy malt on the nose, a little acridity, a little dose of bitter chocolate…all of that is there on the taste but it is much more full and satisfying. Mouthful is fairly full for the abv. Smooth, with an edge of hoppy liveliness.

 

 

 

Had on tap. Pretty classic representation of style, starting with the lighter black body with khaki foam and lacing. Smell and taste are clones: roasted malts, oat, dark chocolate, slight booze, and earthy barley. Feel is spot on medium in almost all ways, good roasted textures in smooth body. Technical marvel

 

 

 

Never had a bad beer from steel toe. What a rich flavor this one has. Gives that nice chat finish that goes work the sweety smell of chocolate, hazelnut and coffee.

everything these guys make is great, so of course i should not be surprised that they do this style so well too. i interpreted this to be a bit more of a black ipa than a stout in the traditional sense, its pretty hoppy as they go, although thats far from the the defining element of this delicious and sturdy brew. these guys do a lot of no frills kind of blue collar straight forward quality beer, and this is not overly complex either, with a familiar roasted barley base, a suggestion of coffee from it, and a smooth fuller body with a little bit of sweetness right in the middle for just a flash. subtle licorice here, but dont let that turn you off, its more of a mild natural earthy spice from the grain, really nice. the hops are northwestern type and plenty bitter, well beyond what i would normally expect to find in a stout, but the body and smoothness of a traditional stout are there, so its kind of the best of both worlds. there is more than just bitterness on the hops though, they have a nice piney and even dank property to them, all in the finish, which makes this a pretty interesting beer. whatever you call it though in terms of style, its excellent and super well made like everything from steel toe. very sturdy brew, feels like winter in the glass, some of the better black ale out there right now...

 

 

 

 

Draft pour to shaker. Near black with beige foam ring. Nose of coffee and lightly burnt malt. Taste is a blend of roasted malt, coffee, chocolate. Heavier feel and lighter carbonation.