Death By Affogato
Oskar Blues Grill & Brew

Review: 2151
Name: Death by Affogato
Brewery: Oskar Brewing
Location: Anchorage, AK
Style: Porter
ABV: 6.5%
Date: 05/11/2020
Here's another beer I've probably overaged, the second one in my collection. I'm serving it in a pint glass at 46 degrees. The pour produces a frothy, foamy two-fingered head with poor retention, leaving no lacing on the glass. The beer's color, a deep, inky black, and opaque, is a striking SRM 38, making it stand out even among porters.
Nosing the glass, I smell malt and coffee for the initial aromas. The coffee is medium-roasted with notes of char, earthy, and light bitterness. The malt profile has a bit of smoke, toasted bread, lightly roasted cereal grains, and malty sweetness. Other aromas are caramel, vanilla, chocolate, and cream. I notice a bit of oxidation with a light paper bag and a musty smell.
The flavors are a fascinating fusion of coffee and malt. The bitter, medium-roasted coffee profile is beautifully balanced by the toasted bread and roasted notes of the malt. Additional flavors, including caramel, chocolate, cream, vanilla, raisins, and a hint of smokiness, contribute to the complexity of the taste. However, the noticeable oxidation, with its paper bag and musty notes, suggests the beer is over-aged.
The mouthfeel is a luxurious experience, with a smooth and creamy texture that caresses the palate. The tannic finish adds a sophisticated touch, while the medium body and low carbonation contribute to the overall indulgent sensation.
Besides the over-aged beer, it is an alright porter with lovely coffee flavors. I wanted the coffee flavors to have more umph to them. The few coffee beers that I have consumed were more coffee-forward than this one; they were dripping with coffee.

 

 

 

 

Death by Affogato is a hard hitting porter from Oskar Blues. Most porters I had were roasty but not robust. This one has a light body, but has tons of cocoa powder and coffee flavor. The coffee is very fruity, rather than bitter. Hard to believe this isn't an imperial either at 6.5%. Very well done.

IG: @firesidewithphil

 

 

 

 

 

Poured from 12-ounce can into a "snulip" glass. Deep opaque blackish-brown in color, with a spongy tan head that left some spotty lacing as it settled. Huge aromas and flavors of chocolate-covered espresso beans up front, with notes of vanilla and dark roasted coffee. Good carbonation, which to me makes the feel a tad on the thin side. Nicely balanced, not too sweet, and nothing really overpowering the palate. A little oily on the finish, with some lingering tartness and astringency. Overall, an excellent beer that delivers what the brewer promises.

Canned 5/11/20
Pours a med-large frothy pillowy tan head with good retention, sticky lacing, basically black beer

Nose starts with big espresso, fresh roasted coffee beans and rich espresso, some earthy raw vanilla as well, a bit nutty, burnt lactose sugar, caramel, nosing deep brings some cocoa and raw dark chocolate, with the lactose it has a chocolate-coffee ice cream character

Taste brings rich cocoa and dark chocolate up front, some smooth coffee, less espresso than the nose but rich coffee, again creamy lactose leading into more chocolate and coffee ice cream, and then into rich raw vanilla, a touch nutty again, a bit of caramel and sweet toasted malt, semi sweet and sticky finish, lingering lactose, coffee, cocoa, and a bit of vanilla

Mouth is med to fuller bod, creamy rich, med-lighter carb

Overall nice sweet porter without being too sweet, and big chocolate, vanilla, and coffee ice cream characters, so decent

 

Canned 5/11/20

Beer 300!! I can’t believe we’re finally here. Anyhow, the Death By series is always interesting me despite the fact that I haven’t tried many of them. Affogato is an incredible dessert so I’m hopeful

Pours a very dark brown with a finger of light brown head that quickly dissipates to a ring of bubbles and leaves no lacing

Aromas of roasty coffee, dark chocolate, vanilla, and caramel. Very fudgy and chewy even in the nose

Starting things off I pick up a ton of bittersweet chocolate. Not much happening until finish, where it explodes with butterscotch, espresso, vanilla, and powdery chocolate

A medium full body with moderate carbonation leads to a super smooth drink. A bit watery, but that’s expected for a porter. Finishes mostly dry with lingering sweetness

This one was pretty good, at least better than the reviews here make it out to be. Everything you could ask for in a non BA porter. Cheers to 300!

 

Black in color with only a fraction of light penetration. It quickly dissipated to a fingernail covering most of the top. Light lacing. There’s a quarter inch of of brown on top. The aroma is of espresso. I’m tasting espresso, vanilla, and lactose. The mouth is very dry and oily.

 

It doesn’t get much more chocolatey than this, when it comes to porters. Appearance is not normally a big factor for me, but very impressive head on the pour. Taste is like eating a milk chocolate but also a dark chocolate all at once, featuring kind of sticky feel - not thin in the least. I don’t get much by way of coffee, but that’s OK. High-ish abv is nice and brings warmth to the feeling of drinking one or two of these. This is a good lactose porter for sure.