Stout
Crate Brewery

i am really glad i tried this one, branching out from the sort of samey, pale, hop driven beers in here that ran together a bit. this is a solid stout, deep and roasty and with some structure, but also incredibly drinkable, just off dry, smooth as can be, and neither bitter or sweet at the end. it doesnt need a ton of nuance to be good, and the earthy coffee and charred elements are plenty to drive the flavor, especially with the soft bready edges provided by the english yeast, which i appreciate more in this one than in any other beer we had at crate. its smooth and simple, with a mineral profile i can taste and understand almost like its a traditional pils type, odd in a dark beer, but it jumps out at me here. it also teases some oak at the end, not the vanilla part, but that mellowing mature sort of character. its got light carbonation but it doesnt need more than it has. warms up well too, so fine as a sipper or as a crusher. i wasnt over the moon on any of the beers we had here, but this was among my favorites, a standout from the pales for sure. recommended.

 

This Stout looks the part. It pours with a heavy appearing viscosity and smells as Stout should. The let down is the watery mouth feel and how the flavour backs off not packing the body and richness one would expect of a good Stout.