Stoutling
Off Color Brewing

 

 

 

 

16 ounce can - $3.75 at Woodstock Beer Market in Woodstock, Georgia.

Appearance: Pours a dark brown, mahogany body with an initially frothy, ivory-toned head. Scattered lacing on the descent.

Smell: A toasted breadcrust, tobacco leaf aroma with very, very faint, far-off hint of roast, soot and fruitiness.

Taste: Toasted breadcrust, a slight, amiable toffee sweetness. Low, light herbal tone presents as a modestly sweetened black tea element, but then hits a smoky tone and leaves with an impression like Virginia pipe tobacco. Lightens to a cola quality without the soda-like bubbles or anywhere near the sweetness. Very mild background fruitiness. Closes out with flicker of that tea and tobacco.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light body. Medium-light carbonation.

Overall: Interesting little beer at 3-something percent.

 

been way too long since i had a new one from these guys, still one of my favorites anywhere in the country, this is a unique no sparge stout, low enough alcohol to perhaps not need it, tastes sort of like second runnings of something else, but its clever and good and i love the art as always, what an appealing and indeed esoteric little beer! more brown than black from the pint can but still with some apparent body, a creamy tan head, and just a bit of murkiness to it, but active and intriguing. the nose is dry, cocoa forward, and somewhat simple, with a bit of a toffee thing to it, almost an english maltiness, brown sugar, crusty bread, and raisin, not as roasty as most beers calling themselves stout, but enough bitterness and depth for it to seem well proportioned anyway. the flavor is cohesive and expectedly quick, but i get nuances of smoke, fig, and dark leather, its earthy, a touch more sweet than it smells, and with a fresh ground coffee wrinkle, rather compelling, wintery, and soothing. a light cola note in this, some almost woodiness, it warms up well. a little less than amazingly well refined, and the ferment isnt as polished as i am used to from off color, but its part of what makes this what it is. neat recipe and process, solid overall, neat to have so much flavor and color in such a low alcohol brew. this kind of thing will never be trendy, so i respect them packaging it and sending it out. off color always delivers!

16 oz can into a pint glass.

A: Clear deep dark brown color with a ruby red glow to it and a decently-sized tan eggshell head.

S: Roasted malt, bread, oatmeal raisin cookies.

T: Bitter dark roasted malt and chocolate flavor with some nuttiness that improves as it warms.

F: A little thin and watery; not all that unexpected given the low ABV.

O: A wonderful cold-weather session stout.

16 fl oz. can, no date on this one. Acquired the 6 (six!) pack from the local Binny's. "Light Stout" clocking in at 3.17% abv, definitely will be a first time for me here.

A: Its got a nice color - super deep dark chestnut / mahogany. Some light shows through. Solid finger of creamy mocha colored head. Spotty lacing.
S: Nice aroma, smells tame & sessionable. Notes of cocoa, vanilla, cream, touch of smoke or wood, maybe some subtle hop presence when you really look for it.
T: This thing definitely has a huge & interesting malt profile, to be damn sure. Smooth & creamy from the pale malt, kind of nutty / Oktoberfesty from the Amber / Crystal, and dark and stouty from the barley, chocolate & black malts. Gives this beer lots of depth for such low abv - waves of chocolate, vanilla, & cream, with a soft herbal hop bitterness underlying.
F: Smooth & creamy. Crisp carbonation, hugely drinkable / slammable. This is an excellent autumnal / breakfast beer for damn sure.

Overall, enjoyed much more than expected. The quality of this offering stands out for sure, and I'm definitely not mad about a 6 pack of tall boy cans.

Off Color Brewing Stoutling -----4/5.

 

 

 

 

16 ounce can, no canning date I could find but thought this was released over the past couple months or so. Served in a snifter, the beer pours dark brown/black with about an inch light tan head that stayed around for a bit. Aroma is nice, the brew smells like dark bread, dark chocolate, roasted malt and some coffee. Taste is pretty much just like the aroma, but there's also some graininess and toffee flavors noticeable too. Mouthfeel/body is light, it's smooth and easy to drink with a good amount of carbonation. I thought this was a good overall brew, wish this one would be available year round since it's hard to find good lower ABV stouts other than around St. Patrick's Day. Definitely worth a try if you're into sessionable stouts.

Lighter black pour but a huge tan head and lacing abounds. Smell and taste are the same: roasted malt, char, earth, hint of dark chocolate and a whisper of vanilla, smell leans a touch sweeter. Feel is a touch watery though, but roast does well to cover along with smooth malts. A sessionable dry stout that is perfect for day drinking in winter

 

 

 

Released 1/6/23; drank 1/31/23 @ the Yarchives.

Mostly opaque brown/orange appearance.

A rough pour yielded a big khaki head; a thick curtain of tree-rung lace.

Ginger, sarsaparilla, hay & a bit of (oddly pleasant) cow dung! Unique, to say the least.

Medium mouthfeel.

Ginger & sarsaparilla flavors up front; dry wheat & faint medium roast coffee bean notes on the finish.

Again, quite unique; there's a lot of flavor here for a sub 4% stout. I'm not sure I'd want one for a session, necessarily, but it's a a good end-of-the-night beer when you've been overserved. Worth trying, for sure!

I'm liking how Off Color is developing a range of lower-calorie/ABV beers because these beers are good to wash down lunch; which is often leftovers or something made and eaten in a hurry. So a low ABV beverage brings dignity to a break in the middle of the day that should be more enjoyable. Stoutling is the tenth low-ABV (under 4.5) that I've had from OCB... some of them quite good in their style.

I just bought a 4-pack and will review Stoutling after my next lunch !
But Overall, Stoutling makes for a pleasant winter session. It's only disadvantage is has to be compared to other Irish Drys that are double the ABV.

2/3/23 I didn't have the second can with lunch as I hoped, but I did have a late afternoon snack of sweet rice cakes when the sun was setting. And Stoutling did its job; washed down the snack and didn't overpower my mouth. If OCB should release this next year, work on making it more dry... and it will be better than the competition and without the calories. Cheers ! Slainte'!