Holy Cowbell
Beavertown Brewery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pour from can into half pint glass. This is surprisingly good stuff. The hops and roasted malts combine curiously well resulting in aromas and flavours of spices, particularly cardamon. I often think that canned beers are overly fizzy but the carbonation in this is spot on; smooth and relatively creamy as stout should be. Overall a bit of a winner. Nice one Beavertown. Cheers!

 

 

330 ml can, Three Brothers, Bristol - Pours dark brown with a medium tanned foamy head. Medium carbonation. Nice lacing. Smell - roasted malts, chocolate/coffee. Fruity hops - mango/grapefruit. Taste - sweet, roasted malts as well - chocolate/coffee. Hoppy background, light smoky notes. Nice well balanced variation on a stout.

 

 

India stout and not a black ipa. That's to notice because you'll notice it in the taste. It's not on the grapefruits : It's not an Ipa! It's a hugely hopped stout. I like it. Coffee, grass and a bit of pine. A bit light on the mouthfeel but it's make it suite drinkable

 

 

330ml can served in a shaker pint. 22/09/16 printed on the bottom of the can. Pours the color and clarity of cola with a tight, half inch, mocha-colored head that disperses into an oily slick. Spots of lacing are present during the tasting. Nose expresses cocoa, roast and a distinct hoppy quality. Taste is a bit blah - roasty, char and watery with a feint cocoa character and an earthy bitterness towards the back end. Mouthfeel is light-medium in body with an assertive carbonation. Overall, it's definitely a hoppy stout, but it's pretty lacking in the flavor department. Somewhat disappointing given the promise presented by the aromas in the nose.

 

03.04.2016

Beavertown – Holy Cowbell India Stout
American Stout – 5.6% - 330ml can - Best before 22.09.16

Appearance: Very deep brown, almost black. Completely opaque with a huge head that looks like a frothy cappuccino.

Aroma: Smell is bitter dark chocolate, leather and moist tobacco and fruity hops.

Taste: You get a slightly soapy, resinous flavour which is actually very nice upfront, then it’s coffee, dark sugar and molasses in the middle before an ever so slightly bitter finish. Surprisingly sweet for what they are calling an India stout and very nice for it. You do get the coffee aftertaste with this but it kind of creeps in very pleasantly.

Mouthfeel: This is where this really comes up trumps in my opinion, being so smooth and velvety, and has a large amount of body considering its 5.6% abv.

Overall: Fantastic, possibly my favourite yet from all of the British craft cans that I've tried (second only to Black Betty). I'm not usually an IPA or stout fan but I absolutely loved this and Black Betty (black IPA) from Beavertown. Will definitely be getting more of this in. 9 / 10.

First had poured from 330-ml. (11.2-oz.) can, purchased with several other selections to take away from pub, into water glass. At time, I read "Stout" on the label, skipping over the "India," and made a note that Holy Cowbell is not a very stout stout, but a pretty nice black IPA. Well, yeah.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I refuse to acknowledge Black IPA as a style.

A: Black with a beige head.
T: Lots of burned toast. Nice and earthy. Tastes creamy but the mouthfeel is quite light and fizzy. Lots of nice American hops but it's a dry beer. Really would benefit from a bit of sweetness.
O: Pretty good.

 

 

 

 

 

• Look – 3.75 – but couldn’t see it, drank from the can.
• Smell – 4.0 – Roasty and sweet smell.
• Taste – 4.0 – Nice dark and hoppy. Bitter in a quasi – roasty sense but not as strong as a porter or stout. It is what it says – an India Stout.
• Feel – 3.5 – Light body, more in line with a black IPA rather than a porter or stout.
• Overall – 3.75 - OK, I’d equate it with the black IPA craze, but I’m not really into them. Don’t think I’d drink again, but glad to have tried it.

330ml can into a tulip. Paid £2.80 for a single can.

Pours a pitch-black opaque body that remains unchanged when held to the light. A vast, four-finger in height, dense, dark tan coloured foamy head hangs around for an age, maintained by a huge amount of fine carbonation. It leaves layers of impressively thick, sticky lacing as it gradually dissipates.

On the nose heavily charred dark malts and bold resinous piney hops dominate but also noticeable are notes of mild roast coffee, sweet milk chocolate and caramel. Similar to the aroma, burnt malts and grains lead the heavily roasted flavour profile upfront, trailed by a touch of sweeter malts, tangy fruit, milk chocolate and lightly roasted coffee. Hops enter towards the middle providing balance with a mild piney bitterness that fades slowly, lingering long into the finish. Medium to full-bodied with exquisitely fine carbonation the mouth-feel starts out luxuriously soft and creamy, before transitioning to chewy, prickly and fairly astringent as the hop and yeast profiles become drying towards the back end. Intense roasted dark malts combine with bitter hops and robust earthy yeast to provide a long and smooth finish. Dry, complex, smoky, woody, leathery notes linger to leave the palate with an interesting tobacco-like impression.

Overall this is a great beer. At only 5.6% ABV it expertly balances drinkability without compromising on flavour, complexity or character. This little beer packs a punch! Recommended.

Pours black with a small head.
Nose shows heavy piny and resinous hops with a whack of roasted malt behind.
Similar flavours, lots of dry roast and a hint of smoke followed by big piny, spicy and resinous hops.

 

From zombier. In Duvel glass. Playing KB Dark Side. Pretty good for a black beer. Nice hop flavor, not only coffee but something more soft and tasteful.

 

A 330ml can with a BB of Dec 2015. Purchased a little while back from Trembling Madness in York. The label calls it an India stout.

A: Poured into a Duvel tulip. Can conditioned. A very dark reddish-brown hue that appears pitch black in the glass. Yields a huge head of creamy light-brown foam that lasts for a few minutes before subsiding to a patchy surface layer. Nice lacing.

S: Aroma of dark, roasty malt with hints of burnt grain, coffee, mild cocoa, pine, weed, citrus peel, earthy yeast, subtle molasses and stewed hops. Plenty of dark malt and hop notes - good stuff.

T: Tastes of intense roasted malt with a hoppy character and a powerful bitter finish. Notes of burnt grain, coffee, cocoa, mild molasses, pine resin, dank weed, peel, grapefruit, citrus, earthy yeast and stewed hops. Faintly sweet, followed by a muscular hoppy bitterness upon swallowing.

M: Mouthfeel is smooth and tingly, with spritzy carbonation and good body. Hop oils stimulate the palate. Pretty astringent, accompanied by an aftertaste of bitter roasted malt, coffee, piny hops and earthy yeast.

O: Tasty - a nice hoppy stout. Confusing for the senses but enjoyable. Looks good, while the aroma and flavour are seriously stuffed with roasted malt, coffee and pine-laden hop notes. Earthy yeast lurks in the background. Decent body. Long on flavour - worth sampling if you like dark, hoppy brews.