Brewers Series--Mocha Stout
Side Launch Brewing Company

From a 473ml can packaged on 2026/01/15. Poured into a pint glass. A one finger tan head on an opaque black. Some brown around the edges. The head diminished to a layer. Some patchy lacing.

Coffee and toast in the nose. The taste follows the nose. Lots of roasted malt flavours. Again coffee and toast. Some chocolate appears toward the finish.

A pretty light body with good carbonation. Overall a decent American Stout.

473 mL can from the LCBO; dated Jan 15 2026 and served barely chilled.

Pours an opaque inky black colour with glints of burgundy around the edges; it's topped with less than a finger of tight, creamy beige head that sizzles away within ninety seconds. A thin collar and a sparse cap survive, with modest lace deposition after each sip; looks fine so far. Medium-roast coffee on the nose, with hints of dark chocolate, char and roasted malts.

It's a decent mocha stout, though I'm getting way more coffee than chocolate - too bad it's decaf. It still makes for a fairly bitter stout; I'm also getting cocoa and chocolate, in addition to the decaffeinated coffee. And yes, I can tell the difference, even in the context of a coffee beer. Caramelized sugars add a touch of sweetness, finishing with big roasted malt flavours, followed by an ashy, bittersweet aftertaste. Light in body, with soft carbonation that rolls meekly along the tongue, resulting in a smooth, slightly thin mouthfeel. Less drinkable than expected, given the low abv.

Final Grade: 3.66, a B grade. Side Launch's Mocha Stout has solid bones, but it could've been a lot better. I get that there are legitimate reasons to use decaffeinated coffee in a beer (vs. actual coffee), but are there really that many caffeine-sensitive beer drinkers clamouring to buy coffee stouts? Is that market large enough to be worth catering to? I have no idea, but If I were sensitive to caffeine, I feel like I'd just avoid coffee beer entirely. Maybe this is a selfish request, but I wish brewers would use real coffee, because they'd probably end up with a better product to sell. I might give this another shot next winter, but for the time being I'll file it under "ok".

May 3 2026

At my lady Pamela's house; canned and chilled, 473mL in a pint glass. From the Huron Church Rd. LCBO in nearby Windsor, Ontario. Canned September 12/25. My 11th beer from the Collingwood, Ontario brewery, and 4th for 2026. Wildly adored by Sundae the cat...