Night Watchman
City Star Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

i had the coffee version of this recently, and absolutely loved it, so i was stoked to try the base beer, but its not even close to as good i dont think. ends up somewhere more between a brown ale and a porter, a lot lighter in shade and thick with sediment than was the coffee edition, almost seems like an entirely different base beer. a lot more chocolate and toasted nuttiness in nose and taste than of specialty dark and roasted barley malts. it lacks that depth. i like where it lands though, on an earthy cocoa malty thing that tastes really nice. it just doesnt seem like a stout to me, and now that ive had it with coffee, i realize how much it contributes to the beer on the whole. hints of chocolate covered raisin and bran muffin, it tastes really nice. not sure why all the sludge in it though, maybe bottom of the keg? it felt thick and less alive than it should as a result, but i dont think its a flaw in the beer, maybe just an unfortunate pour. solid beer, everything these guys make is pretty good, but the coffee edition of this is exponentially superior in my opinion.