A Stout With Coffee - Feat. Sam James Coffee Bar
Bellwoods Brewery

I am back rating some new Ontario stouts I received in trade from thehyperduck. Thanks man! Today it is a coffee stout from Bellwoods. This is one in a series of stouts made with coffee beans from various local sources. This one is coal black with a substantial even tan head. The nose is all bitter roasted coffee, yup there's some coffee in there. It's a medium roasted chocolate malt body, a little sweetness there to take the edge off the coffee notes. Well-balanced between crisp and smooth, inviting repeated sips. A very nice coffee stout. And once again, my thanks to the hyperduck for giving me an opportunity to try a beer impossible to obtain in my local market.

473 mL can from Maud's; dated Dec 29 2023 and served barely chilled.

Pours utterly black, producing about an inch of soapy, foamy, brown-coloured head that lasts for a little over three minutes. Afterwards, a creamy collar surrounds a sudsy cap, with a wavering ring of lace clinging to the glass - lookin' good so far. Fresh coffee grounds on the nose, with plenty of dark chocolate too; I'm also getting hints of potting soil, roasted nuts and a touch of maple candy.

This is a really nice coffee stout - a little sweet initially, with caramelized sugars, vanilla and dark chocolate giving way to big roasted coffee flavours. Chocolate-covered coffee beans and cocoa powder are followed by bitter coffee grounds, with baker's chocolate and suggestions of dark fruit continuing into a bold, roasty coffee aftertaste. Medium in body, with low carbonation that gently agitates the palate; tongue-coating, smooth and fulfilling for only 5%, with the generous helping of oats making a huge difference here. I really enjoyed this stout, and the caffeine perked me right up.

Final Grade: 4.1, an A-. I've only had a couple of ASWC variants to date, and while I'm hesitant to call Sam James Coffee Bar my favourite of the two, there's no doubt that it's a good coffee stout that I'd happily purchase again. The coffee flavours are potent, but there's plenty of chocolate too, and the level of sugary-sweetness is about on par with how I prefer my cup of java. If you're addicted to coffee and you also appreciate a good stout, then this is a beer that you will definitely want to seek out and try for yourself.

 

 

Pours a dark cola brown and settles in between dark cola brown and black in the glass with a creamy tan head that provides a surprising amount of lacing.

The nose is roasty coffee, some more coffee, and then another dollop of coffee for good measure, with maybe a smidge of cocoa as well.

The coffee is roasty forward, center, and back on the palate as well, with a really nice cocoa flavor emerging at the back of the palate as well. Very nice.

The mouthfeel is medium as expected and fits the beer. I’d drink this again and again.

pours dark with thick head tha follows the glass down good malty smell - more malty than cofee - coffee taste comes out in the after taste

A- This pours a standard dark brown, almost black color....much like a dark roast coffee sans creamer. The carbonation appears to be smooth and rich, with some noticeable columns of fine bubble rising to the top around the inside of the glass. The lacing seems to be somewhat muted, with what starts out to be a decent looking film of clingy foam, before it does a swift glide straight back into the brew. Overall it looks alright, but nothing overly charming.

S- Has a fairly deep initial aroma of black coffee and oily pre ground beans.....deep blackberry/blueberry/currant covered with dark chocolate fruitiness, alongside vanilla creme, charred malt varieties, and a finish that showcases some Earthy dryness and more berry like coffee bean. Very nice!

T- Initial flavors of creamy coffee with just the right amount of sugar added! After the first wave of flavor, more stout like tastes show up on the palate, with dark unsweetened chocolate, burnt brown sugars, charred chocolate and perhaps black malts, a certain oily fruitiness from the coffee beans used, and a slightly acidic tart black coffee finish round this one out!

M/O- Creamy, medium/full body and smooth carbonation makeup the mouthfeel here, and reminds me of a nicely made espresso, with vanilla infused cream. Full flavoured and highly drinkable, this would pair well with a bbq'd steak or perhaps would make a great T-Bone marinade! I appreciate the 5% alcohol, which keeps this not so heavy, yet you definitely know this is a stout....noted that this does seem to sweeten up as it warms....very nice overall!

smell like coffee taste like stout w coffee good beer

 

 

 

473 ml can from the LCBO - About $5 CDN for this one. Canned November 13, 2022. Served cold into a tulip.

Appearance - Very dark in color, virtually black. Two fingers of frothy light tan head are also poured and rest on top. Great retention and a punch of streaky lacing abounds.

Smell - Huge coffee nose up front and not a whole lot else. Freshly brewed with great aromatics. Robust and not too sweet but not too roasty either.

Taste - Loads of coffee, bitter but not overdone, some nice subtle sweetness in the brew and finishes with coffee. As another reviewer has mentioned, the coffee does the talking here. Maybe a touch too sweet in the aftertaste if there's any complaints.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied, light carbonation, easy to drink, not that much unlike drinking cold brew.

Overall - Very very good Coffee Stout. No frills and simple, the coffee does the talking and the stout follows through. Well worth a purchase.

 

Got this from Emma & Terry. Cheers!

From a 473ml can into a pint glass. Cheers!
Canned 2 August 2022
Featuring Sam James Coffee bar

APPEARANCE: Murky black pour yields a 1+ finger, slightly foamy looking, brown head with good retention. Black body with no carbonation evident. Head slowly fades to a solid wisp and clings to the sides of the glass. A slight wisp remains leaving touches of lacing as it empties.

SMELL: Piles of creamy coffee on this one. Roasted espresso and vanilla cream. This is a coffee and cream bomb. Lovely.

TASTE: Lots of creamy coffee with vanilla cream and roasted malts up front. Very coffee forward. Bold finish of creamy coffee, vanilla notes, roasted espresso and cacao. Lots of coffee lingers here. Bold, roasted and flavorful.

PALATE: Medium-fuller body and medium carbonation. Creamy and enough weight, goes down smooth and finishes a touch dry. Roasted bitterness lingers.

OVERALL: Really good coffee forward stout. It’s billed as a stout with coffee, but you could just as easily describe it as a coffee with stout. Very flavorful with a great look and feel too. If you like coffee, you’ll love this one for sure. Cheers!

Very expresso and roasty.