Quadruple Shot - Salted Caramel
Tree House Brewing Company

 

 

Poured from the can at 40° F into a snifter glass and let warm for 10 minutes. This is the second, and last, can I have and treated this tasting as more of a journey in flavor profile than an appreciation of expertise in craft.

Look: Pours a rather viscous motor oil midnight black, though not as thick as other Treehouse stouts. A toasted marshmallow brown head quickly dissipates into solution which really opened up the caramel profile. There was no lacing on this, which I enjoy and seek out in a stout.

Smell: Espresso, muted caramel which becomes more prominent as the beer opens up. Heavy on dark fudge and light on vanilla drizzled oak. Probably the lightest on vanilla stout I’ve had from Treehouse. Regardless, this is going to be good.

Taste: Wow. Oceans of charred caramel complements the heavy chocolate malt backbone. Shockwaves of espresso coat the palate and dried stone fruit lingers upon swallowing. I’m picking up notes of fig and dates, and very subtle hints of red grape or blackberry. The salt really comes alive after a moment between sips. The longer this sits, the more pronounced the caramel and chocolate brine becomes.

Feel: Thinner than it looks. Low carbonation yields a fantastic syrup quality but is closer to maple syrup viscosity than the advertised chocolate syrup. Very chewy, which I like. Swirling over the tongue causes the underlying carbonation to explode creating a fountain chocolate cola experience.

Overall: The folks at Treehouse are known for IPAs, but these stouts always blow me away. This is one of the better canned offerings I’ve ever had. Depth meets breadth here in the wide ranging, but complementary, mix of chocolate, caramel, coffee, stone fruit and salt.

 

 

Poured from a can at fridge temp. Pours thick like syrup! Holy crap. Black as night with almost no head. The nose is salted caramel, chocolate fudge, vanilla, a slight oak note, and a bit of dark fruit.

The taste is fantastic. Coffee grounds, roasted malts, salted caramel, dark chocolate, bitter wood, vanilla, maple, and raisins. Sweet, but this is nicely balanced by the roasted malts and coffee notes. Lovely beer overall.

 

Very attractive stout, pouring thick like motor oil, with a dark brown head.

Plenty of coffee on the nose, along with cream, caramel, chocolate, and molasses. The caramel doesn't stand out particularly from the natural imperial stout base.

A touch thinner on the palate than I expected given the ABV, but it's a smooth, creamy body with little bite.

Flavor profile starts out somewhat muted and homogeneous, but it very quickly develops in waves. First, a strong but rich roastiness develops, likely as much from the malt base as the coffee. Very quickly, the salted caramel rears its head, providing a sticky semi-sweet richness. This will actually last well after the finish, including a sticky caramel note in the throat.

Full tasting notes include red grape, toast, coffee, molasses, chocolate, vanilla, caramel, and light to moderate char.

These quad shots are NOT shy with the chocolate notes but it takes a back seat to the caramel, which I find surprising. Along with the caramel there is some milk chocolate, cocoa powder, and just a hint of salt. This is a pastry stout that works.

 

Dark syrupy black with a thin crispy brown bread color head.
Gentle roasted coco nose.
Sultry candy, a rare caramel taste shows past the chocolate notes.
Silk fluttering across the tongue.
Candy beer. You know what it is from the label and it shows up honestly.