Icarus
Worthy Brewing Co.

a golden stout, the style that just wont die, not that i dislike them, but how many people are still searching for these, its a been there done that sort of vibe for me most of the time, even though this is pretty good. i also have a hard time adding them to BA as stout, its a generous use of the term, its just a flavored golden ale type base, oats or not, it doesnt make it a stout to me. anyway, they packed this in cans which i think is a bold bet, wonder if they will sell it well enough to keep it around. anyhow, its done with coffee, chocolate, vanilla, and lactose, and its just a little forced and overdone to my senses, even though i like some elements quite well. brassy to bronze toned beer with some color richness even though its light and pretty clear, maybe taking some color from the coffee, and it has a less rich and frothy head than i want from something calling itself stout, but the carbonation is fine. the nose on this is pleasant with the coffee and milky malty sweetness driving it, a bit desserty with definite caramel before the chocolate and vanilla, bold but appealing, still grainy enough to me to seem like beer. the flavor is much sweeter, and instead of like cocoa nibs, there is more of a chocolate flavoring, even the vanilla instead of being fresh scraped pod its a little cheaper to me, and the lactose is a lot, this is quite sweet. the coffee is roasty and has cocoa notes of its own, it is without acid and without much bitterness, could perhaps be a little more intense to approximate roasted barley, but i like what it brings in here, probably the best of the added elements. the malt stays forward which i like, the flavors are pleasant and cohesive, and this does have some protein and some body to me, like the mouthfeel isnt way off from the stated mission, sweet as it is. a decent beer in a style i keep wrongly thinking has gone extinct, a little outside of what i know these guys for, but a reasonable effort, the coffee aspect is good and there is some real interest in here. not a six pack beer for me, but some people are going to love this...