Dormancy
Bale Breaker Brewing Company

Not sure why people think this an imperial stout, I see nothing on the can implying that. "Stout with Coffee" That's it.
So, for a coffee stout it looks really good in the glass - stout black liquid and a tan head that was at least an inch high. Lots of lacing is left behind as well.
The taste, well, they did say it was a stout with coffee, the taste tells me they were not shy adding the coffee in this. It may be the most coffee forward stout I've had. The malts are obviously present, cacao instead of chocolate (there is nothing sweet I can discern) and the dark bread flavors seem to come from burnt toast. I really like it!
The feel is appropriate for a coffee stout with no lactose or oatmeal additives, not crisp but on the thin side.
OA, I don't drink a lot of "small" stouts, but this one would scratch the itch of an imperial stout quite nicely. If you like stout with your coffee, give this a shot.

 

Pours a dark brown with a medium tan head that stays. Aroma is slight chocolate. Taste is slightly bitter coffee. Not a coffee drinker so not all that good in my opinion. BOD 1-5-2024

Poured at fridge temp. Pours black with about a half inch of light brown head. The nose is full of dark roasted coffee and dark chocolate. The coffee is super intense on the nose.

The taste is really nice. Again, the coffee is intense. More than most coffee stouts. This is some quality coffee used. Dark chocolate, charred wood, vanilla, and burnt toast.

The mouthfeel is creamy, with a nice bitter/burnt aftertaste. Great beer!

Canned 8/24

Damn, the coffee is potent here. It's dark and roasty and lightly nutty and there isn't a trace of sweetness to be found. It's been way too long since I had a non-imperial, non-barrel aged coffee stout. Thanks Ryan, this is disappearing it very rapidly.

Sampling a cellar temp 12 oz can poured into my snifter. The can is date stamped 11/04/2024. Received the can as part of a trade recently.
The beer pours a rich cola brown color with a dense creamy beige head of about 2 cm. Beer color is light for an imperial stout. This foam fades slowly to a sturdy surface covering, leaves a dense lattice that coats the glass.
Aroma on this beer is roasted malts and dark chocolate and some unsweetened coffee. Not really any hop presence on the nose.
First sip reveals a medium body and very fine sort of prickly carbonation and very smooth texture. Not really sticky or super full feel that can often happen with imperial stouts. ABV is kinda low for an imperial stout TBH.
Flavor is very similar to the nose advertises with heavy roasted malts and some bitter baker's chocolate notes and unsweetened coffee. Not boozy and no hops anywhere. This tastes like a coffee stout should, with no additives nor sweeteners. Not sure I would call it an imperial stout on ABV, lighter color, and physical parameters. Im glad Ive had the opportunity to try this beer and glad to have a few more cans in the cellar.

On tap at Bale Breaker Seattle

A: Pours dark brown nearly black with a frothy khaki tan head that settles to a light layer and laces nicely.

S: Roasted malt, fresh ground coffee, earthy char, faint smoke, dark chocolate, hints of dark fruit, molasses, and burnt sugar.

T: Roasty, bold coffee, char, a touch of smoke, super dark chocolate, earthy faintly herbal, hints of dark fruit, graham cracker, molasses, and burnt sugar.

M: Medium body, moderately prickly carbonation, slightly creamy.

O: Been on a Fresh Hop kick on this Seattle Trip (Gotta get 'em while you can!) so those beers have been the first ones on the tap list that I've gone after, but I knew this had a good reputation so I had to squeeze it in before I left. Really I wish I had time to enjoy a full pour of this one. Fantastic coffee stout!

 

Poured from a 12 ounce can dated 1-31-23 into a tulip glass.

Look- Black, opaque, medium brown creamy head, plentiful visible particulate at the margins, above average head retention and lacing.

Smell- Coffee, roasted malt, chocolate, medium strength of scent.

Taste- Coffee, roasted malt, chocolate, between medium and high strength of flavor.

Feel- Medium body, average carbonation, highly bitter, highly creamy, mildly mouth coating, mildly mouth warming.

Overall- This was a fantastic core rotation beer from this brewery. It had an awesome appearance with above average head retention and lacing. The bouquet and flavor packed a great coffee punch. The feel had an abundance of creaminess and some mild mouth warming/coating properties.

 

 

Enjoyable, solid coffee stout with lots of roasty, earthy, almost bitter coffee character.

A-nearly opaque black with modest head
S-like cold brew coffee
T-The coffee comes across better on the palate, below avg sweet, avg bitter.
M-Light(+) body but it finishes nicely with something resembling oat whip on the swirl. Avg carbonation.
O-Simple and qell executed breakfast stout. Nothing particularly special

 

Poured from 12oz can into a mug. Canned 2/10/21.

Appearance: rich, extremely dark brown. Not quite black, as there are some highlights around the edges. Head is a finger of creamy tan foam. Nice!

Smell: quite a lot of coffee with a nicely malty backbone and a bit of chocolate to hold things together. A little sweet, and there's also a little vegetal character from the coffee, but it's quite good.

Taste: wow, lots of coffee, perhaps even more than the aroma! There's plenty of sweet malt, and not quite as much chocolate as was present in the aroma. It's not bad at all, quite tasty, but kind of one-note.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a good carbonation and creaminess.

Overall: this is a good stout, and a nice end-of-night treat, but I will say it's just a bit imbalanced.

12oz can from Pilgrim market. Near black pour with a thin cap of beige head. Roast malts and coffee vie for attention in the aroma, plenty bitter. Taste adds a smidge of chocolate to coffee/roast mix. Straight up stout.

Dark espresso brown, almost black. Head is a lovely milk chocolate color, though it disappears quickly. Smell is mocha espresso turning to plain espresso. Taste is malty, chocolaty coffee that’s firm at first, and then becomes just coffee. Feel is very smooth, one of my favorite parts about this beer. This stout might not command your senses like other high class beers, but Bale Breaker does a solid job of building a beer on coffee beans rather than hops.

Black with three plus fingers of tan head. Rings and splotches of lace appear as the level drops.
Smell is cocoa dark roast coffee.
Taste is dark roast coffee a little sweet cocoa.
Mouthfeel is medium with proper carbonation. Finish is lightly dry and medium bitter.
Overall a very fine Stout. Must love coffee!

Look: Jet black with a huge brown head forming that pillows up nicely and already leaving behind good lacing
Aroma: Cold-brewed coffee, roast, some chocolate notes, and coffee beans
Taste: Follows nose well but everything is significantly stronger and deeper, especially the coffee. Layers of coffee, chocolate, and roastiness pile on each other before closing out with some sweet coffee and chocolate notes
Mouthfeel: Smooth, silky, zero harshness from the strong coffee and chocolate flavors, medium carbonation, and a soft finish
Overall: A delicious breakfast stout here. This beer impressed the hell out of me the first time I had it and it is still a winner. A great coffee stout from a brewery known for their killer pale ales/IPAs solidifies the “don’t judge a book [brewer] by its cover [profile]” mantra’s trueness

Very dark brown body, nearly black; extremely thick and stick light tan head. Immediate dark roast coffee aroma; bitter chocolate and charred grain. The taste also produces a strong black coffee and espresso flavor; the chocolate taste sweeter than it smells; a mildly acrid bitterness at the finish. Heavy body; slick and oily on the palate; pretty sweet mouthfeel overall yet also finishes with a strong dryness in the background.

One of the finest straight-forward coffee stouts I've experienced. At 7.0% ABV, I find it to be on the low-end of imperial stouts alcohol-wise. In fact, the coffee and chocolate components pretty well hide the alcohol content. This beer surely hits the spot...