The Nightswimmer
Stormcloud Brewing Company

Pours a chestnut hued mahogany with a thumb of mocha colored head. Above average lacing & below average head retention

S: Vanilla cream, coffee dark fruit notes, nose persists

T: Roasty coffee, a little vanilla, just a kiss of phenol, cocoa & dryness up front, leafy hops as well. Chicory notes as this beer warms up, dry with cocoa, dark fruit/jammyness & just a little peppery hops, hints of iron. Finishes with some cocoa, leafy hops & a little chicory

MF: Medium body, smooth carbonation, thins out a bit once warm

The Belgian-Style on this is on the fringes, a sipper to be sure, but nice stout

From a 16oz can

Pitch black pour with a tan head. There is no lacing on the glass.
Aroma is a bit light. I get some hints of chocolate and dark fruit.
Taste - there is a lot of chocolate in this beer. It has a sweet milk chocolate element in it. It also has a dark chocolate flair. The two mellow each other out.
Body is good for 7%. The feeling of chocolate lingers and coats my throat.
Tasty beer and a pleasure to try.

 

 

Poured from a 12 oz can into a stemmed tulip glass

Pours the dark, dark brown (nearly black) with a big khaki head that dissipated slowly, leaving behind a small amount of lacing.

The aroma is lightly toasted dark bread and milk chocolate, with notes of coffee and brown sugar. As the beer warms I also get faint hints of dark fruit. From the description I expected some hints of Belgian yeast, but I did not get any of that.

Similar to the aroma the taste is of bready, toasted malts and creamy, chocolatey coffee. There are hints of brown sugar and dark fruits, but no real hints of Belgian yeast, or any real yeast character at all. Medium/full bodied and moderately carbonated, with a creamy mouthfeel.

Overall, this was a very nice stout that I quite enjoyed! Thanks to @Whyteboar for this one!!

 

Poured at fridge temp. Pours black with light brown head. The nose is great. Roasted malts, tar, dark bread, dark chocolate, and some smoke. Maybe some coffee grounds as well. The taste is really interesting. A mix of sweet toffee and cocoa with some bitter coffee and charred wood notes. Plums, raisins, and molasses. Mouthfeel is medium bodied. The aftertaste is a mix of sweet toffee and oak.

Pours the deepest, darkest brown with a slight cappuccino head that dissipated fairly quickly.

Creamy coffee jumps out on the nose. Milk chocolate sits in the background. Gentle roasted grain rounds out the aroma.

Taste mirrors smell. Creamy, sweetened coffee and milk chocolate fill the mouth. A wisp of bitterness kicks in towards the end of the sip. The sweetness is mild and works well with the beer.

Moderate to lighter body.

This is a very solid stout. The brewer notes dark fruit flavours in their description which i don’t get at all, but that is just fine. Very enjoyable

On tap at The Sovengard in Grand Rapids. Solid stout with a hint of something - I guess it’s Belgian but wouldn’t have guessed it.

 

 

12 ounce can into tulip glass, canned on 3/5/2020. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 1-2 finger dense and fluffy tan head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Thick foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, raisin, prune, fig, date, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark bread/crust; with lighter notes of molasses, licorice, smoke, charcoal, peppercorn, clove, herbal, wood, grass, leather, tobacco, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/black/roast/bready malts, fruity/spicy yeast, and moderate earthy hop notes; with big strength. Taste of big dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, raisin, prune, fig, date, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark bread/crust; with lighter notes of molasses, licorice, smoke, charcoal, peppercorn, clove, herbal, wood, grass, leather, tobacco, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate pine, herbal, woody, grassy, peppery, roast, charred bitterness; and yeast spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, raisin, prune, fig, date, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, dark bread/crust, molasses, licorice, smoke, charcoal, peppercorn, clove, herbal, wood, grass, leather, tobacco, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts, fruity/spicy yeast, and moderate earthy hop flavors; with an awesome roast/hop bitter/sweet and spiciness balance; with no cloying/acrid/astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering bitter/spiciness. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/silky/bready/grainy, and sticky/chalky balanced mouthfeel that is great. Light lingering resins through the glass. Minimal warming alcohol for 7%. Overall this is an awesome Belgian stout. All around awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts, fruity/spicy yeast, and moderate earthy hop flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the modestly bitter/charred/drying finish; not overly aggressive. Awesome balanced rich malts, Belgian yeast, and earthy hops. Minimal residual sweetness with lingering bitter/spicy dryness. A really enjoyable offering, and outstanding style example as expected of the brewery. Definite hybrid with the American style with the overall hop presence.

 

 

 

Wonderful little Stout. Poured from crowler to shaker pint. Beautiful black color with a few fingers of khaki head. No lacing. Nice roasty and cocoa aroma which leads to flavors of smooth powered cocoa, roasted malts, and Belgian hints of banana and clove. Deliciously complex and inviting.

Taste: Rich, complex, solid chocolate or black malts, hint of cocoa, dark fruits, Belgian yeast.
Baker's chocolate, dark bread nose.
Black/Brown, opaque, Delicate tan ring lace on the head. Medium full body. 40 IBUs