Long, Dark Voyage To Uranus
Sawdust City Brewing Co.

Appearance: Two fingers of head that produced ample lacing, stuck around for a good long time with an opaque body as black as night. Everything I expect from a good stout.

Smell: Does need some warming to come out of it's shell, but once it does strong toffee malt with coffee, chocolate and a slight touch of vanilla. The potency could be stronger (especially with the vanilla) but all in all I'd say solid stuff here.

Taste: Starts with toffee malt and a touch of roast burnt stout which for a brief pause touches vanilla and then is then cast aside quickly by a train of dark roasted coffee, chocolate and black liquorice of which the last I wish wasn't present. I'm not certain if it's a trick of the malt, or the alcohol being unmasked which is causing it, but I wish it would go away.

Mouthfeel: The carbonation is great as the stout comes across and creamy and the fact the head never disappeared is a great positive. The transitioning needs a bit of work, as I'd like to see that sweet vanilla and toffee have a stronger and longer presence before the punch at the end. The aftertaste is mainly coffee which is what I do want to have in a coffee beer and maybe the faintest whiff of vanilla makes it's return here.

Drinkability: Thick, as a good RIS should be and it does a good job of being more then a slow sipper, but not a guzzler which is where great stouts reside. Carbonation doesn't create a gassy experience as the beer settles down well and it certainly has me interested in sipping it. That all said though, I wouldn't want to drink this on a regular basis, as I could see it wearing out it's welcome quick.

Final Thoughts: This is an all around great one off stout, which if it could deal with the liquorice and sweeten itself up slightly would be phenomenal for me. For yourself though, you'll probably find it even more agreeable then I found it. There is certainly some room to improve here for me at least, but I don't think you could go wrong picking up a can of this. Thumbs up.

 

 

Dark brown with an amber tinge when held to the light. Topped with a finger of dark beige head.

Smells of coffee, chocolate, cocoa and tobacco. It has a slight roasted, smoky note.

Tastes complex, of fragrant aromas, dark fruits, liquorice, dark chocolate and coffee.

Medium, oily body, with moderate, foamy carbonation.

Got in Huntsville, drinking in Muskoka, Feb 20th, 2018. Very well done brew by Sawdust City.

 

From a 473ml can, dated 11/22/17. Served in an imperial pint pub glass.

Pours super dark like cherry cola at night with the lights out, black and featureless in the glass, with a big three-fingers of chocolate frappe-like head. So-so OK retention with big gobs of bubbly lacing.

Nose is nutty and chocolately, with must, earth and blueberries.

Taste is alkaline, like unsweetened dutch-process cocoa, with marshmallows. Roasted-to-the-edge-of-charred dark bitterness, marshmallow, almonds, cold coffee grinds, tree bark, and something a little jammy. Ends dry and musty with just a bit of booziness evident at the finish.

Feel is smooth and mouth-coating, medium bodied which still somehow comes across as sort of light? maybe owing to the unexpectedly lively carbonation.

Overall, a more than satisfying dark roast RIS which drinks like a way smaller beer but which, at 9.5% abv, sure as hell gets the job done.

 

Pours dark as night with a coffee colored head that hangs around for the duration.

Smells of coffee, chocolate, dark bread, and earthy hops.

Taste is bitter coffee and chocolate, backed by a nuttiness that has a bark flavor. It finishes dry with wood and earth notes.
It has a smooth mouth feel and low carbonation. This starts out with some good flavor but fails to come together in the end as the bark and earth are a little off putting.

 

Look: Pitch black like space with tan head that quickly recedes.
Smell: Sweet malt roasted qualities
Taste: Heady beer with roast, boozy and coffee notes. Dry finish of hops.
Mouthfeel: Fills the mouth with warmth and flavour.
Overall: Solid effort from the folks at Sawdust City. I enjoy having a can or two of these around over the winter.

 

Serving: Can
Canned: Nov-24-2016


A:
Pours a fairly viscous black
with a couple fingers of kind of airy tan head. Settles to a puffy collar with some lacing in its wake. (4)

S:
Sweet malt roast, roast nuts on the street in NY, currants, coffee, dirt. (4)

T:
Nutty with some roast accents and a berry-like sweetness in the middle. (4)

M:
Slightly boozy, a little thin, medium carbonation, roasty linger. (3.75)

O:
Nice version of the style, smooth roast and fruity character to off-set.
Dark with a ruddy-brown cap in the glass. It smells pretty berry-like and the flavor follows suit. There is some roastiness but it doesn't cross into harshness. The mouthfeel is too boozy and not rich enough for what I usually like in a big stout, but other than that this is an enjoyable beer.
Would definitely have again (despite the name/concept); worth your time. (4.25)

 

473ml can bottled on Nov 24, 2016 @ 9.5%.

Appearance - Pours a dark chocolate brown with two fingers of bubbly mocha head.

Smell - cocoa, roasted malts, coffee bean, caramel, and earthy and leafy hops.

Taste - Intense flavours of cocoa, coffee bean, and roasted malts upfront followed by the caramel and earthy and leafy hops. There is a pleasant charred characteristic to this beer.

Mouthfeel - Medium to full bodied with light to moderate carbonation. Finishes velvety and chewy with the hops lingering. A warmness from the alcohol is present.

Overall - A beer that displays intense flavours. Each ingredient is not trying to overpower the other with all ingredients working together to make a cohesive and balanced brew. Another gem from the folks at Sawdust City.

 

 

Looks amazing, darker than dark and great tan head. Tastes as good as anything out of Quebec, this is fantastic, probably the best imperial stout currently brewed in Ontario.