Stave
Hidden Cove Brewing Co.

Pint on draft at El Rayo in Portland.

Appearance: Deep, dark brown. Two-finger tan head.

Aroma: Pretty rich. Chocolate, coffee, dark malt. Roasty.

Taste: Follows nose. Full bodied. Stout-like. Chocolate, espresso up front. Bitter finish. Some dark fruit. A little alcohol bite, but not what you'd expect from a highish ABV beer.

Mouthfeel: Flavorful and full.

Overall: Very nice porter. Odd choice for a burrito place, but enjoyable nonetheless.

Deep, dark brown--no light passes. Small but lasting head. Some streaks for lace.

Sour cherry comes to mind on the first sniff. The smell is very similar to a Flemish Sour.

The taste is like the smell. The sallow is lip puckering, but the aftertaste draws out some mild cocoa. Rich body with a low carbonation. No pecans nor bourbon that I can tell.

 

Really good barrel aged beer. Taste is pecan, wood, char, and bourbon. If anything, I wish the pecan was a bit more pronounced, but this is still a really interesting beer that I could do a couple of.

On-tap 3/21/2015 at Natty Greene’s Tavern, in North Attleboro, MA served in a snifter glass.

A: The beer is a deep dark brown color, with a thin off-white head that fades quickly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains licorice, dark fruit, some coffee, some chocolate, some alcohol and a faint touch of hops.

T: The taste starts out with a burst of tart dark fruit flavor that is quickly followed by an alcohol sting. There are very faint flavors of coffee and chocolate and a very mild hops presence. The malt character is thin and there is not much balance. The after-taste is sour.

M: Crisp but not smooth at all, medium body, light-to-medium carbonation, finish is very dry and slightly sticky.

O: Not very tasty, does not go down easily, not too filling, strong kick, not a good representation of style, this is definitely not one of the better beers I’ve had in the style.