Bean Counter
Taxman Brewing Co.

Dark brown body with lighter edges, huge beige head, tons of lacing stick around. Aromas of coffee, cinnamon, spices, and in the background cocoa, vanilla, and caramel. Taste has the caramel with big brown sugar, meeting the spices, cocoa and malt right away, then coffee is next on the journey, finally it all comes together with vanilla, whispers of dark fruit, airy yeast, and booze. Feel is textured by the coffee and spices atop a malty body, yeast softness translates more as it warms. Very well made, great for the holidays

 

 

 

 

 

Poured from the can into an imperial pint glass.

A: Pours a nice cola looking color and consistency with a tan head that leaps up and then fizzles down somewhat quickly.

S: Sweet chocolate and coffee dominate. Brown sugar and some spiciness in there. Caramel. Vanilla. Roasted malt.

T: The taste is surprisingly sweet and approachable. Light toasty notes and a brown sugar sweetness. A cola-like character, along with an almost Belgian taste (sweet and somewhat yeasty).

Overall this was an enjoyable and unique brown ale. It was Belgian enough to be noticeable but with a nice coffee and chocolate character to keep things more on the American side. I'd get this again for sure!

Had Bean Counter poured from 12-oz. can, no date, into chalice.

Pours almost black, only showing whiskey brown color at backlit edges, with creamy 1/2-finger head that collapses to a partial film and ring, and leaves practically no lace. The aroma is the ticket: first coffee and cocoa, then roast malts, and finally spices, perhaps cinnamon, as warms. A smooth chocolate and caramel start leads to coffee and roast malts, then some hop bite joined by spices as warms and by accumulating ABV warmth for an interesting but still rich, malty brown ale finish.

Had on tap at the brewery. Pours black with light brown lacing. Pleasant burnt coffee aroma. Refreshing and light brown ale with a coffee finish. Some faint notes of cocoa nibs and vanilla. It’s a bit thin. Overall pretty good.

Pours black with a finger of khaki foam. Aroma is medium roast coffee, chocolate, toffee, spices, and roasted and toasted malts. Coffee is heavy, but in a delightful way. Flavor profile is chocolate, roasty coffee and rich, luscious brown sugar. Roasty and toasty malts form the foundation of each sip. Mouth feel is slim and smooth with a very fine grittiness on the back. It has a medium-thick consistency. Overall, coffee is rich, which is expected and enjoyed based on the name, but comes off a touch thinner in the flavor profile.

Served in a 15.5oz Spiegalau tulip from a 12oz can.

 

 

 

Pouring from a 12 oz. can into a whiskey glass this beer pours like cola (maybe even darker) and forms an amazing finger width, creamy, khaki colored crown that holds up well.
The smell is caramel and chocolate malts mixing with slight medium roast coffee.
The taste brings that coffee roast up front a little more before turning to the balanced sweet side of chocolate, caramel and vanilla.
This is a very smooth drinking brew. Very well balanced. Smooth, creamy, slightly dry on the finish.
Overall, this might be a new go to. It could hold up with a lot of porters...

This is another entry for New @jkblr Sunday, MKII, or CANtinued (Week 717) since I did not have a ChANce to run through all of the beers that were sent to me on my initial foray.

From the CAN: "Belgian-style brown ale brewed with coffee & spices"; "Bean Counter is a Belgian-style Brown Ale brewed with Nicaraguan coffee roasted by Tinker Coffee Co. A rich base of caramel and roasted malts is enhanced by a generous dose of coffee, cocoa nibs and Mexican vanilla beans, making Bean Counter a complex dark ale perfect for cool nights around a warm fire."; "Declare Yourself"; "Belgian Inspired American Crafted"; "33 IBU".

I was surprised on the Crack! when it revealed itself to be a brimful craft CAN with nowhere for the tongue to go. I went with a quick Glug since I wanted to get it deCANted into the awaiting glass without further ado. It did a pseudo-cascade, forming two-plus fingers of dense, foamy, rocky, deep-tan/light-brown head with decent retention, leaving some nice lacing in its wake. Color was Dark Brown to Very Dark Brown (SRM = > 27, < 34) with NE-quality clarity and garnet highlights. Nose was a pleasant admixture of spiciness and coffee roastiness. Mmm. It was evocative of some Mexican chocolate Stouts that I have had. Belgian? If they say so. The style is a bit of a catch-all, so just about anything goes. Mouthfeel was big, rich, full & creamy. It was as though a scoop had been ladled onto my tongue! Mmm. The taste was true to billing - loads of coffee & lots of spiciness along with a chocolaty sweetness. There was a lot going on, but it just seemed a bit much overall. Finish was dry, which is what happens when you begin adding spices to beer. It was an interesting beer, but a one & done for yours truly. YMMV.

2018-11-18
12oz can served in a big snifter. Don't remember where I got it or how long I had it. I don't see a date on it.

Pours black with a small head and not much carbonation. Smell is belgian -- dates and spices.

Taste is (surprisingly) sharply bitter. I don't get much coffee, but there's a hint of it. I get spices that I can't name from taste.

Mouthfeel is light and pleasing. Overall...it's not bad. But I think the things it puts accent on are just not the things I really enjoy.

12oz canned 9/24/18 (20 days ago) poured into a tulip pint glass at fridge temp 7.8% ABV 33 IBU. The beer pours dark brown with brown highlights and mocha brown head. The head recedes to a film and leaves some lacing. The aroma is very coffee forward obscuring the cocoa nibs and vanilla beans described on the label. The taste is a nice balance of coffee, cocoa and vanilla with some Belgian character and bitterness to keep the sweetness in check. Mouthfeel is medium to thin bodied, adequately carbonated and mostly dry in the finish. Overall, very good. A very creative take on a Belgian Dark Ale, oddly reminiscent of a "Mexican stout" in additives and overall profile.

 

Poured from 12oz can into a tulip.

Appearance: rich brown hue with amber highlights and practically no haze. Head is a finger of frothy tan foam; I like it.

Smell: I get a lot of coffee and not much else. The coffee is good, no doubt, but there's not much in the way of complexity here.

Taste: the coffee is first and foremost, followed by a very Belgian-ey dark ale character. The flavors are pretty good up front, but there's a lot of phenolic and alcoholic noise in the mix which, for me, detracts a bit from enjoyability.

Mouthfeel: medium-rich body with a good level of carbonation and a nice creaminess indeed.

Overall: this is not a bad beer at all; however, for me, the phenolic notes don't play super well with the coffee. I feel like a few iterations on this recipe would do wonders.

 

 

 

From the 12 oz can in a snifter via a friend from work---Thanks Justin!
This nice ale pours a murky dark brown color with a nice frothy head of off white
to light tan foam that settles to a thick ring, thin layer, and features some rather nice
sudsy lacing. Nose of mild coffee, roasted malt, light brown sugars, subtle chocolate,
and vanilla. Flavors follow the nose with cola and light coffee sliding over mild
vanilla and brown sugar notes with subtle coffee and cocoa on the rear with a touch
of warming booze. Decent mouth feel, low carbonation, subtly dry yet a touch on the
watery side. That said it is still a fantastic diversion from the standard Belgo American
fare with it's own take that is unique and nicely done.

Cheers

12-13

 

 

 

Pours a frothy, tan head. Nose is dominated by coffee. Black color. Starts with a ridiculously smooth, frothy mouthfeel. Big, bright notes of floral hops and coffee; there is some kind of spiciness behind it all, but I can't pinpoint it. The floral hoppiness lingers, blending and complementing the fruity and toasted coffee notes. The finish is toasted malt and floral hops lingering.

This is really, really good. The mouthfeel is amazing, and the combination of floral hops, fruity/toasted coffee, and spices works so well. I initially doubted the spicing, but it's very subtle, so it just adds some really nice complexity.

 

 

 

A solid brown coffee ale with lots of good flavor. It really packs in a lot of coffee notes and the chocolate helps to sweeten all the bitterness to a nice level. Overall a solid offering.

A - Dark body, brown-black and opaque, light tan head absolutely huge, moderately quick to fade. Lots of sticky lacing.

S - Yeast and a small hit of coffee and chocolate.

T - Strong yeast front, with banana and bubble gum, quickly to a middle of chocolate, molasses and coffee, and a cocoa snap in the close.

M - Slightly sticky, moderate body, and fairly clean close.

O - A tasty Belgian, big coffee, and lots of chocolate notes. Very good.

22 oz. bottle into a tulip glass

A - A moderately hard pour produces a 2 finger head that is tan in color and foamy in appearance. The head dissipates rather slowly to a this wispy layer that is slightly heavier than a lacing. The beer itself is an opaque black, like motor oil, with only a sparse amount of carbonation visible around the very edges of the glass. Once the beer is drunk down a bit, the color changes to a deep dark reddish hue. 4/5

S - Deep, dark roasted coffee really comes across strong in the aroma along with a bit of vanilla bean. Smelling this beer is like sticking my nose into a bag of whole coffee beans. Just a hint of dark chocolate and pumpernickel act as undertones to the coffee aroma. Very strong roasted aroma. 3.75/5

T - The same dark roasted coffee with a bit of vanilla bean, just like the aroma, hits the tastebuds right away. This transitions to notes of dates, pumpernickel bread, roasted malt, caramel, and a coriander spiciness. The roasted coffee flavor really dominates here, just like the aroma. No real hop profile to speak of. Very earthy and roasted overall with just a bit of sweetness. 3.75/5

M - Carbonation tickle up front but this gives way to a full bodied smooth creaminess that rather quickly lightens up to a medium bodied feel with quite a bit of drying that lingers on the palate for quite some time. Drinks more like an Irish Dry Stout than anything. 4/5

O - Overall this beer is very appealing and has a nice combination of flavors and aromas. Unfortunately everything is so dominated by coffee that it is hard, at times, to see through the coffee and find the other notes. Decent balance between bitter and sweet but definitely leans towards the bitterness provided by the vanilla and coffee. At times this one is more like an Irish Dry Stout than anything. 3.75/5

This was given as a Christmas present from by brother in-law while in Indiana! They call this a Belgian brown - and it essentially taste like a toasty american brown ale with a fruity, spicy Belgian yeast which gives it some complexity and depth. It is certainly an interesting flavor profile, like a dubble with a shot of espresso. It pours dark brown, with a khaki head. Smells like roasted malts, dark fruit, caramel, vanilla and some yeasty spice. Taste follows nose, with some slight banana and coriander, mingling with roasted malt, coffee and caramel and some big vanilla.

Great beer that I do appreciate, but I am not sure all the flavors come together like they could, just not my favorite flavor profile. I think I would just prefer a well made dubble without the espresso and vanilla - it all kind of confuses my palate - but I could see Belgian fans liking this unique spin in the style.