Sweet Spot
Left Field Brewery

At my lady Pamela's house; canned and chilled, 355mL in a pint glass. From Erie St. Gastropub in nearby downtown Windsor. Canned August 1/24. My 21st beer from the Toronto, Ontario brewery, and 12th for 2026. Ridiculously recommended by Gracie the cat...

 

tasted more like an oatmeal stout. i got the vanilla and cocoa nibs all through my sip! nothing really different or special here..

 

Nov 19 2023

 

Look: Dark brown with hints of amber. Pours with a 1/2 finger tightly bubbled tawny head. The head disapates very quickly leaving a slight ring. The lack of head retention drags down the looks rating for me.

Smell: Light and delicate with hints of milk chocolate and vanilla. It is pleasing but understated.

Taste: Milk chocolate over a coffee with 2 cream backbone. Hints of vanilla, and yes marshmellow are in the mix, though both hover in the background, never moving to centre stage, finishes slightly sugary.

Feel: Medium bodied and silky.

Not my favourite offering from Left Field. This beer earns a firm B, but not good value for money given the higher prices Left Field charges. It reminds me very much of Double Upfrom Old Tomorrow Brewery, another wweet and creamy coffee backed beer. Double up comes in a 473 ml can vs 355 and sells for less.

 

355 mL can from a Left Field sampler pack purchased at the LCBO; dated Oct 6 2020 and served at cellar temperature.

Pours a dark cola brown colour - basically opaque, save for the crimson glints 'round the edges of the glass when it's held to the light. Half a finger of frothy, beige-coloured head is briefly situated atop, fading within a minute or so until only a thin collar and some filmy wisps on the surface remain. Smells positively enticing, with cacao nibs, milk chocolate and chocolate syrup, as well as suggestions of baker's chocolate, vanilla, marshmallow and coffee with cream.

A very well-rounded sweet stout, with flavours of cocoa powder, dark chocolate and roasted malts at the forefront; notes of marshmallow, lactose, chocolate syrup and vanilla follow shortly thereafter, with hints of chocolate-covered coffee bean and bitter baker's chocolate tying up the tail end nicely. Bittersweet aftertaste of cocoa, vanilla and coffee. Medium-full in body, with low carbonation and a soft, silky-smooth texture that feels fulfilling and luxurious on the tongue. Normally, one can of milk stout would be more than enough to sate me, but in this instance I wish I had a little bit more - this is just a rich, tasty brew from start to finish.

Final Grade: 4.13, an A-. Sweet Spot sounds about right - milk stouts are one style where you really need to get all of the contrasting ingredients just right to truly nail it, and SS is a home run as far as I'm concerned. It's a superb effort from one of Ontario's most reliable, underrated breweries - I'd definitely pick this up as a single can, and would encourage other BAs to try this if they can find it. Fans of Flying Monkeys' Chocolate Manifesto ought to love this one, as it's basically a lighter, much more well-balanced stout of a similar vein.

355 ml can served cold into a snifter. Part of the 3 pack of stouts from Left Field this Holiday season. canned October 6, 2020. Excited by the indication of Mocha Marshmallow Stout.

Appearance - Pours a nice dark brown color, a finger plus of fluffy tan head is formed at the cap and has good staying power, leaving behind some curtain style lacing.

Smell - Initially, a little coffee, a little chocolate, something sweet as well that isn't quite marshmallows. Underlying raw doughy aroma too. This will probably change once I take a sip... and actually it didn;t really change

Taste - Chocolate, with hints of coffee and does have some vaguely marshmallow like flavors. Maybe some vanilla in there too. It's rich but not that rich and a little sugary in the aftertaste. Overall surprisingly balanced and not overwhelming with sweetness, which is nice, but a beer advertised as Mocha Marshmallow Stout could get away with it.

Mouthfeel - medium-full bodied, soft carbonation, velvety texture. Pretty spot-on.

Overall - I liked Sweet Spot. Really I did, but I wanted to like it even more, so it ended up falling just a little short for me, I think an imperial version with 9-10% ABV with the sweetness heightened just a bit and the intensity of these exact flavors ramped up from an 8 to an 11 would make for a delightful brew. Even still enjoyable and worth a shot and a good reason to enjoy this taster's pack.