Big Black Cowbell (2016)
Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co

 

 

32 oz. half-growler bought at Whole Foods, Houston (Waugh St.)

L: black and tan classic look; a big pour pushes up a thick creamy head of tan foam that's stick; beer might be clear but it's so dark it's hard to see through it

S: floral and dark ... like a piece of charred cedar wood

T: super hoppy, floral hops that give the dark malt flavor a bitter bite resulting in a mix of char-wood flavor and bitter flower petals; alcohol never burns, never shows up in the flavor

F: relatively light for such a big beer; good carbonation seems to lighten it a bit; not overly slick or thick, very easy to handle

O: a big beer that's arguably too hoppy ... the big hop flavor is masking the malt; I won't have a chance to age this half-growler, but I'd love to buy a bottle and put it away for a year to see what the malt can do to those hops; it delivers about half of what it promises as a "hoppy stout", for it is surely hoppy, but there's not much stout

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Touch of chocolate initially then a very nice taste of hops and a nice smooth finish. Not too sweet and not too bitter. Just right in my opinion. I've tried many stouts and this definitely made my top 5 favorites.