Anchor Argonaut Collection: Flying Cloud San Francisco Stout | Anchor Brewing Company
Brewed by:
Anchor Brewing Company
California, United States
anchorbrewing.com
Style: Foreign / Export Stout
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 7.40%
Availability: Rotating
Notes / Commercial Description:
A Dublin-style brew made with English Maris Otter pale malt, two black malts, and flaked barley. Nugget and Golding hops provide a spicy, floral complement to the deep, dark-chocolaty maltiness and dry finish.
Added by elNopalero on 01-24-2013
Ratings: 200 | Reviews: 58
4.18/5 rDev +5.8%
look: 5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
From notes taken 02/02/17:
Pitch black in glass, though clearly dark brown when tipping it back for a sip thins it out. Head is probably the darkest I have seen, so in head terms you might call it a “dark brown,” although it is more of a medium brown on an actual color spectrum. Quite lacey. I can tell it is thick and viscous from looking at it as it pours. To nose, roastiness and char, some toffee or cocoa sweetness. Even more chocolate to taste, dark. But even roastier than that, with some dark fruit tartness in the background. A little toffee and smoke in finish. Tobacco and burnt meat and booze in retro-olfaction. Full body, no question. Velvety and sloshy, with tingles on tip and edges of tongue, and cheeks. Very astringent but balanced out with sweeter, acidic flavors.
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look: 5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
From notes taken 02/02/17:
Pitch black in glass, though clearly dark brown when tipping it back for a sip thins it out. Head is probably the darkest I have seen, so in head terms you might call it a “dark brown,” although it is more of a medium brown on an actual color spectrum. Quite lacey. I can tell it is thick and viscous from looking at it as it pours. To nose, roastiness and char, some toffee or cocoa sweetness. Even more chocolate to taste, dark. But even roastier than that, with some dark fruit tartness in the background. A little toffee and smoke in finish. Tobacco and burnt meat and booze in retro-olfaction. Full body, no question. Velvety and sloshy, with tingles on tip and edges of tongue, and cheeks. Very astringent but balanced out with sweeter, acidic flavors.
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3.97/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
Picked up a four pack at a brewery tour in late Aug & noticed the bottle date was 1/14/16 (6JN); this tasting is on 1/9/17, roughly 1 year from bottling. If Anchor is selling this at the brewery 7 months old, I don't think they can take issue with my rating it at 12 months. It was enjoyable when I got it so thought it'd be worth an experiment.
Poured into a snifter. It's almost pitch black with the slightest blush of dark brown when held up to the light. Thin layer of brown head dissipates quickly to rim of bubbles. Aroma is lightly roasted malt with light caramel/toffee and a hint of chocolate. I detect no hops at 1yr.
Mouthfeel is rich for a moderate Abv stout. There is good body and light carbonation on the tongue. Taste is a decent balance of roast with a light malt sweetness to balance it out. There is spiciness that makes me think of rye, though probably comes from the other specialty malts used. The full, roasted flavor may have been accentuated by the age, and while that's not off-putting, it is more present than I expected.
Overall it's a good export stout. It probably didn't' improve with age but was still enjoyable. If I find it fresher I will revisit my review.
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look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
Picked up a four pack at a brewery tour in late Aug & noticed the bottle date was 1/14/16 (6JN); this tasting is on 1/9/17, roughly 1 year from bottling. If Anchor is selling this at the brewery 7 months old, I don't think they can take issue with my rating it at 12 months. It was enjoyable when I got it so thought it'd be worth an experiment.
Poured into a snifter. It's almost pitch black with the slightest blush of dark brown when held up to the light. Thin layer of brown head dissipates quickly to rim of bubbles. Aroma is lightly roasted malt with light caramel/toffee and a hint of chocolate. I detect no hops at 1yr.
Mouthfeel is rich for a moderate Abv stout. There is good body and light carbonation on the tongue. Taste is a decent balance of roast with a light malt sweetness to balance it out. There is spiciness that makes me think of rye, though probably comes from the other specialty malts used. The full, roasted flavor may have been accentuated by the age, and while that's not off-putting, it is more present than I expected.
Overall it's a good export stout. It probably didn't' improve with age but was still enjoyable. If I find it fresher I will revisit my review.
1,207 characters
4.27/5 rDev +8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.19/5 rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
3.88/5 rDev -1.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
4.06/5 rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Pours an absolute black with a thick (2 1/2 cm) caramel colored head. Wonderful head retention. Lacing is dull and barely present. Aroma is spicy with notes of roasted and toasted malts, bread, and spicy floral hops. A sip brings in a dull pale, roasted malt quality, which never bolsters up or gets too loud. Additional flavor notes include chocolate, bread, and spicy, floral hops. Mouth feel is filling and velvety, with a bit of a fizzy, dry finish. Overall, it's a really fun dark beer. It finishes dry, which may be off putting for some, but otherwise it's a fun little brew with plenty going on.
Served in a 12oz snifter.
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look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Pours an absolute black with a thick (2 1/2 cm) caramel colored head. Wonderful head retention. Lacing is dull and barely present. Aroma is spicy with notes of roasted and toasted malts, bread, and spicy floral hops. A sip brings in a dull pale, roasted malt quality, which never bolsters up or gets too loud. Additional flavor notes include chocolate, bread, and spicy, floral hops. Mouth feel is filling and velvety, with a bit of a fizzy, dry finish. Overall, it's a really fun dark beer. It finishes dry, which may be off putting for some, but otherwise it's a fun little brew with plenty going on.
Served in a 12oz snifter.
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3.72/5 rDev -5.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.86/5 rDev -2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Pitch Black with a tan head. Smells like cherries and roasted malts. Taste of cherries, vanilla, dark malts, sweetness. Smooth mouth feel, very taste clean.
Overall, This is a good clean beer.
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look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Pitch Black with a tan head. Smells like cherries and roasted malts. Taste of cherries, vanilla, dark malts, sweetness. Smooth mouth feel, very taste clean.
Overall, This is a good clean beer.
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3.79/5 rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.63/5 rDev -8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
4.08/5 rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pours near black where no light shines through. Beige head with many streaks from each sip.
Sweet with a barley wine aroma. No hop, but lots of cherry sweetness.
The taste is an extention of the smell. Deep sweet cherry with an unsweetened chocolate flavor. Thinnish body with a high carbonation level. Yet, this is a chewy beer. This is a bit of a cross between a sweet stout and a dry barley wine, or a dry stout and a sweet barley wine.
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look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pours near black where no light shines through. Beige head with many streaks from each sip.
Sweet with a barley wine aroma. No hop, but lots of cherry sweetness.
The taste is an extention of the smell. Deep sweet cherry with an unsweetened chocolate flavor. Thinnish body with a high carbonation level. Yet, this is a chewy beer. This is a bit of a cross between a sweet stout and a dry barley wine, or a dry stout and a sweet barley wine.
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4.22/5 rDev +6.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Aroma is dark/roasted malts, very English yeast and mild dark chocolate. The flavor is dark/roasted malts, English stout yeast, fruit/dark fruit, mild dark chocolate and an acidic/slightly spicy finish.
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look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Aroma is dark/roasted malts, very English yeast and mild dark chocolate. The flavor is dark/roasted malts, English stout yeast, fruit/dark fruit, mild dark chocolate and an acidic/slightly spicy finish.
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3.68/5 rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
This beer is just as a foreign export stout should be: intense malt-flavors attenuated by fruity hops. Despite a high-level of hop-flavor, this beer remains not bitter and semi-sweet, though not as sweet as the dark malts underneath this hop profile would otherwise lead one to believe.
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look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
This beer is just as a foreign export stout should be: intense malt-flavors attenuated by fruity hops. Despite a high-level of hop-flavor, this beer remains not bitter and semi-sweet, though not as sweet as the dark malts underneath this hop profile would otherwise lead one to believe.
286 characters
3.75/5 rDev -5.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.81/5 rDev -3.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Appearance: A full-on bubble show presentation; the mocha head settles in at three inches, stripping dots of lace on the way down; the liquid is a translucent cola color
Smell: Roasted grain, chocolate and a hint of molasses
Taste: Roasted grain and chocolate forward, with cinnamon and burnt coffee bitterness building through the middle; some molasses adds sweetness to the finish
Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation
Overall: A little too grainy and a little too sweet, leaving a rather schizophrenic impression; not bad but not a favorite
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look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Appearance: A full-on bubble show presentation; the mocha head settles in at three inches, stripping dots of lace on the way down; the liquid is a translucent cola color
Smell: Roasted grain, chocolate and a hint of molasses
Taste: Roasted grain and chocolate forward, with cinnamon and burnt coffee bitterness building through the middle; some molasses adds sweetness to the finish
Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation
Overall: A little too grainy and a little too sweet, leaving a rather schizophrenic impression; not bad but not a favorite
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Anchor Argonaut Collection: Flying Cloud San Francisco Stout from Anchor Brewing Company
Beer rating:
82% out of
100 with
200 ratings
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75