Persevere
Tree House Brewing Company

 

 

Pours black as ink and had a decent tiny tannish head. No lacing whatsoever. Nose is slightly cherry and chocolate for some reason. Not sure why the cherry. Taste is slightly charred with a smooth chocolate flavor. Not the expected burn/warmth. ABV is not listed if I had to guess 9%

 

Sampling a 12 oz bottle poured into my snifter. I picked up this beer at the brewery in Charlton and have had in my cellar since purchase, which was at least 9 months ago. Seems like it should be fine, although I wish the label had the ABV on it.
The beer pours a dark black coffee color with no light passing through the glass.
A dense creamy tan head of just under 1 cm foams up even with a gentle pour. this foam sticks around as a sturdy edge layer and some wispy surface islands. I do get some dense lattice when I swirl the glass.
The aroma on this is robust. I get deep fudge brownie notes and also some marshmallow and a bit of brown sugar. There is some bourbon and sweet vanilla in there too, but no boozy heat or spiciness. the vanilla and marshmallow sweetness seem to dominate as the glass sits longer. Bourbon notes are also leading. No hop character.
First sip reveals a medium to thick body with very fine and slightly tingly carbonation. The texture is a little sticky and coats my lips with each sip. Beer feels like a pretty big imperial stout, but again, no ABV on the label. Id guess in the 9.5% range.
Flavor follows the nose. Fudge brownie, vanilla and marshmallow sweetness with a bit of dark chocolate and bourbon coming along on the finish. I also do get a bit of warmth on the swallow, but not spicy or bitey. No hop character here either.
This beer is a pretty big bourbon based stout with a good dose of sweetness. Pretty solid stout, could see it being too sweet for many, the marshmallow hit is pretty significant.

Drank from a 12 oz. bottle purchased at Tree House Brewing Company, Charlton, MA
Served in a tulip

The beer poured a shimmery and viscous, total pitch black, like used motor oil. A tiny, saddle brown cap of froth topped the liquid and quickly transformed into a thin, lasting collar. Minimal streaky, spotty lacing cascaded down the sides of the glass after each sip.

The aroma was impressive. Coconut came through strong. Dark chocolate was noticeable as well. Bit of vanilla too. This definitely reminded me of a Mounds candy bar. Sweet brown sugar notes were also apparent. Coffee appeared as the beer warmed. Hint of alcohol. Later in the session, the vanilla bean presence really intensified. The chocolate and the overall sweetness came forth as well.

The flavor profile was solid but a bit rougher around the edges than I expected. Malty and robust. Roasted malts were most apparent. Hint of char. Caramel malts were noticeable too. Coconut appeared in the center. Some vanilla as well. Touch of sweetness. More roast and char on the back end and the finish. Touch of lingering booze and bitterness after the swallow.

The mouthfeel was somewhat disappointing. It was medium bodied and fairly nondescript. Definitely a bit thinner than I anticipated given the style. The liquid contained a fine, subtle effervescence.

Persevere is a solid imperial pastry stout but definitely not one of Tree House’s more notable takes on the style. The adjuncts and the barrel notes were fairly subtle and the roastiness too strong. I am glad I tried this but would not go out of my way to seek it out.

As pastry stouts go, it requires a tremendous amount of perseverance to wade through even the most modest pour. And even though the twelve ounce bottle of Tree House's barrel aged, coconut, vanilla and cocoa stout might look like an individual serving size, tackling it alone might result in death.

Inky and tar-like, Persevere pours scantly headed before falling still. In its wake grows a sultry scent of fresh baking cakes and pastries, chocolate, nuttiness, whisky spice, coffee and cream. Expectedly sweet, the unrelenting slather of malty-laced sugars coat the tongue immediately with molasses, fudge, heavy cream and chocolate syrups.

As the stout seeps into the middle palate, its dessert-like effects share more sensible coffee, campfire and woodsy hops for a slight sense of balance before the barrels and spices show up. Coconut, caramel, vanilla and charred oak add to the complex flavors while the finish resides on the sweeter side of bitter-sweet with hints of whisky warmth.

Full bodied and achingly sweet, any more than a couple of ounces of the beer would be defined as utter gluttony as its cloying tastes and batter-like textures render it difficult to drink. A long and plush malt linger leaves the beer about as drinkable as peanut butter, but at least its alcoholic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

My ratings say it for me. I love stouts and this is one of the best, regardless of breweries, I have had! I count myself lucky to have been at TH when it was being sold. After I did this review I looked at other reviews and found one from JJKBerLvr that said everything I wanted to say and more. Interesting that he included a list of his favorite stouts at the end of his review. I have had 8 on his list and we could be brothers. Bless him

12 oz bottle poured into a red wine glass. Pours pitch black with a medium tan head. Less retention and lacing than most TH stouts in my experience. Aroma and flavor feature semi-sweet chocolate, bourbon, vanilla, dark roasted malts, and maybe a hint of coconut. I wish this had delivered more on the coconut, which would have taken this beer to the next level. Mouthfeel is thick and viscous with medium-light carbonation. Overall, it's an awesome beer but not quite at the level of some other TH stouts I've had.

Viscous black with a short but densely creamy tan head that retains well for a short time before slowly receding to a fine ridge.

I definitely get the fudgy qualities they market this as having, but the vanilla is a little too forward of the tangier, sweeter variety. While there is some char in the exhale, it’s just a little lighter and less imposing than I’d prefer, allowing old school porter-like roasts to surface instead. The coconut is totally absent.

Still, it’s a fairly drinkable medium-light at first, while the lightly bubbly carbonation then seems to thicken it a little before the slightly chewy, semi-dry yet warming finish.

Pours very dark and thick, minimal head. Really nice coconut aroma mixed with milk chocolate, sweet vanilla, and faint bourbon barrel. Like a mounds bar split in half and dipped in whiskey. Flavor is sweet malt, chocolate, light coconut, very sweet. Viscous texture. Overall a good beer, a bit too sweet and I would have liked more coconut.

10/25/22
12 oz bottle
4.25 rating

Poured from a bottle into pint glass in October 2022. I do not see a bottled on date, but I drank this about 1 week after purchasing the bottle at the Tree House brewpub.

Appearance: As with many imperial stouts, very dark black with a thin dark brown head. Head was only 1 finger high, and lasted a minute. It leaves only a little lacing on the glass, and ended with a thin tan head still on the beer. Head bubbles were very fine.

Smell: Strong aroma of bourbon, chocolate, and coconut. There is also some caramel, vanilla, and some other sweet aroma like black licorice, but overall the bourbon and coconut dominate the others. It is a very nice balance of aromas, and good contrast.

Taste: There is a nice balance between the chocolate, bourbon, and sweetness from the coconut flavors. There is some smokie roasted flavors, some caramel, vanilla, and coffee flavors, and a little amount of bitter hop flavors to enhance the taste and add some complexity. There is a strong alcohol presence, but it is balanced nicely by the sweetness. The taste is an excellent mix.

Mouth-feel: Thick like liquid licorice, but with a smooth body. Not overly smooth like a Milk Stout.

This is an excellent, complex Imperial Stout, and it has a variety of flavors that adds a nice complexity to the beer. Although this is a big beer, it is very smooth and enjoyable to drink. This coconut sweetness nicely contrasts the bourbon flavor, and is a nice balance to the alcohol. This reminds me a lot of Founder's CBS and KBS stouts which are some of my favorite beers. At $10 for a 12oz bottle, I just wish it was not so expensive. Another outstanding beer by Tree House.


See my Founders CBS review for a list of my current favorite stouts.

 

Pours opaque, jet black in color with one quarter inch head. Smells of roasted malt and alcohol. Taste is fudge brownies with big vanilla and coconut....so coconut Oreo. Heavy body, low carbonation, slightly sweet. Wow is this good. A milk stout with coconut that is sweet but not overly so. Tree House is killing it lately with their stouts.