After The Party
Neshaminy Creek Brewing Company

Unretired, unrepentent, at 3.5% ABV one could enjoy all day for the vitamins. Irish dry stout is good for you!
a) Pass the test, head, lace, and last a bit scant.
s) roast coffee freshly blackened, like a good Bewleys.
t) All the flavor- char, coffee, herb, grass of a good dry stout...
f) But a tad thin.
o) Among the best session stouts in the globe.

12 ounce can into pint glass, no can dating. Pours crystal clear very dark brown color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky light khaki head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Thick soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big nutty dark roasted coffee, dark chocolate, cocoa, caramel, brown sugar, and toasted dark bread; with lighter notes of molasses, dark fruit, smoke, char, herbal, grass, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of coffee, roast/bready malt, and light-moderate earthy hop/fruity yeast notes; with great strength. Taste of big nutty dark roasted coffee, dark chocolate, cocoa, caramel, brown sugar, and toasted dark bread; with lighter notes of molasses, dark fruit, smoke, char, herbal, grass, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate herbal/grassy hop and roast/char bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of nutty coffee, dark chocolate, cocoa, caramel, brown sugar, toasted dark bread, light molasses/dark fruit, smoke, char, herbal, grass, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of coffee, roast/bready malt, and light-moderate earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; with a great roast/hop bitter/sweet balance; and minimal acrid/astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from hop/char bitterness. Medium carbonation and light-medium body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready, and fairly sticky/chalky balanced mouthfeel that is great. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 4%. Overall this is an excellent dry stout. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of coffee, roast/bready malt, and light-moderate earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the modestly bitter/drying finish. Nicely rich roast/bready malts and fruity/nutty coffee complexity; balancing earthy hops, and restrained English yeast notes. A very enjoyable offering, and spot on style example.

 

 

 

 

 

The beer pours out into a Duvel glass a solid looking black with a 1/4" dark tan head that recedes slowly but visibly to leave a small ring of foam around the glass and a small irregular island of thin foam on the surface. Sipping creates a few scattered patches of foam that soon slide back down the glass.

The aromas are dominated by roast espresso and dark roast malt. There's also some light nutty character and a hint of dark chocolate.

The flavors are much as expected, with the roast expresso and dark roast malt up front and sharing center stage. There's also some dark chocolate, a very light almost nutty sweetness and an almost charred bitterness that seems less charred as the beer warms.

The mouthfeel is light bodied and slightly prickly with the light but persistent moderate carbonation. The finish begins as flavors begin to fade, with the sweetness disappearing first, to be followed by the nutty dark chocolate. The dry ending is moderately bitter and the bitterness seems as much from the persistent roasted coffee and dark roast malt as does from the hops.

Overall I definitely liked this beer and thought it touched most all the bases for a dry stout pretty well. The espresso flavors add an interesting complexity to the dark roast malt which I'd like to explore further with another can or 3 before they disappear off the shelves.

 

 

Great coffee flavor and a bitter finish.

Solid black with light ruby/amber highlights when held up to the light. Thin ring of khaki head that stuck to the edge of the glass.

Lots of espresso and roasty coffee in the nose. It smells a bit like one of those hazelnut flavor shots you can add at Starbucks.

Pure cold brew flavor. The malt seems buried, but what is there is pleasant. Bitter chocolate, caramel, toffee, and a little bit of vanilla. Surprisingly bitter finish.

Moderate carbonation and a thin body. Honestly a little watery, but with a dry finish.

Just kind of one dimensional aside from the unwelcome bitterness. I'm not going to run out and buy more, but I'd happily drink it again.

12 oz can poured into a Sam Adams Perfect Pint glass.

Appearance
Near black with ruby highlights. Has 1 finger of tan head that dissipates quickly.

Nose
Espresso, cold brew coffee, hazelnut, caramel, and dark chocolate.

Taste
Espresso and medium roast coffee. Light earthy char with notes of caramel.

Mouthfeel
Light bodied, crisp, dry, and moderately bitter.

Overall
Has a fantastic note and the coffee really drives this beer. An excellent twist on an Irish Dry Stout.