Longshot Coffeehead Imperial Stout
Samuel Adams (Boston Beer Company)

 

 

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a tulip

L: Nearly black pour... 2 fingers of foamy white head. Solid ring of lacing.

S: Sweet roasted malts.. cocoa and coffee.

T/F: Follows the smell. Sweet roasted malts... too sweet, with dark sugars and chocolate. Not enough bitterness from the coffee and the roast to balance it out. Espresso is present but in the background... a little fruit with raisin and plum. Medium in body... syrupy... well carbonated. Finish is more sweet roast and light fruit.

O: Not a bad stout, but not a great one either. Lots of flavor, but too sweet for my palate... drinks almost like a milk stout. Definitely one to keep for a dessert.

Poured into a small chalice: color is solid black, good compact/dense head with fine bubbles, presents about 1/2 inch deep and lingers well finally dissipating to a ring.

Smell is more sweet than coffee, aromas include some deeper fruitier sweetness, like raisin and dark chocolate, espresso like aroma comes through secondarily.

Taste is similar with a sweeter than normal coffee stout flavor, but not bad, the sweetness has some depth with light fruiitiness (raisin like) and cocoa/dark chocolate; coffee/espresso is secondary and acts more like a bittering flavor; very simple clean, earthy hop presence.

Mouthfeel is a bit sharp, maybe from aged carbonation or aged coffee bitterness.

Overall a good sweet coffee stout, some have indicated an aged, belgian yeast like quality that brings some depth to the sweeter flavors.

L: Almost entirely pitch black with just a hint of dark brown at the bottom of the glass. A creamy tan head dissipates after a few minutes to a thin mocha ring, but tan rings of lacing are left behind.

S: Gingerbread and spice cake, warm and spicy, like cinnamon and cloves with rich toasted bread and molasses. There's some dark chocolate and toffee as well. Also raisin, fig, and prune. Not much coffee to speak of, though.

T: A big hit of cinnamon and clove upfront, followed by milk chocolate candy, molasses, caramel, and brown bread. Warm and spicy and rich. There's no coffee that I notice, but there's plenty of chocolate syrup on the mid-palate along with the bread and spices, which leads along to a brown sugar finish, along with some soy sauce/umami notes, that ends quite sweet and cake-like.

F: Quite big for its abv, rich and smooth and oily, slightly creamy, with a moderate carbonation. Slicky and sugary on the palate.

O: This is almost like a Ten Fidy Lite. It rides a little sweet, but is immensely flavorful way above its abv. Easily the best of this year's Longshot pack.

Boston Beer Co. "Samuel Adams Longshot Coffeehead Imperial Stout"
12 fl. oz. brown glass bottle, notched on the label "...enjoy before... SEP"
$2 @ Wegmans, State College, PA

Notes via stream of consciousness: "...aged on coffee beans and cocoa nibs...". Brown-black in color beneath an already short lived head of tan. Poor head retention to say the least. The aroma expresses a combination of chocolatey malt and yeasty fruitiness with just a light suggestion of coffee beans. The flavor mainly delivers a sweet, darkly caramelish malt, but there's also some chocolate and nuttiness, and then coffee in the finish. The nuttiness lingers and although it's sweetish it's really quite nice. Brown sugar and a hint of molasses as well. I don't get a lot of coffee but I get the cocoa nibs. And oddly, the fruitiness that was found in the nose which was more like apples is much more like sweet, plump, dark raisins. It's weirdly a little phenolic - is this Belgian yeast? That would be cool, but... I'm not sure where I stand on this right now with it being called "Coffeehead" and the coffee is secondary, but at the same time that actually works in the beer - in fact, I don't think I've ever had a coffee beer where the coffee was clear but still took a backseat to the other flavor notes. The more I think about it this is like a Belgian-style stout with coffee and cocoa as secondary notes. Odd. Unique. Almost compellingly - and remember I said 'almost' - compellingly drinkable in that it keeps pulling you back to look for more. I get a bit of fig, and some plum as well. Clove. The apple remains. What's the alcohol on this? Whoah, 7.0% ABV, I wasn't expecting that, it's certainly well hidden. The 22 IBUs, however, are not hidden but completely visible as being very limited as it's clearly sweetish, but I will say that somehow it comes 'round in the end and it's fairly dry. Did I already say that some of the nuttiness lingers? Well there's raisins and clove lingering as well, but just a hint of cocoa and only a light note of coffee. So I don't know what to say about this. It's a good beer, on the sweetish side but that's OK, and fruity and phenolic and not so coffee-ish... so make it a nightcap or dessert beer, and it's quite pleasant but the coffee is only about a quarter of it's components and really light at that. I think it's just mis-named. I'd certainly have one of these while sitting on the back porch as the sun sets after dinner on an early fall evening. And in honesty I've really enjoyed what I've had so far middle-of-the-day so I guess you could really drink it anytime. Medium bodied and gently crisp then smooth but not quite supple. Really, really nice, and to be honest, dangerously drinkable.

 

A-pours a coca cola color with a tan foamy head with average retention
S-lots of roasted coffee, caramel, a little burnt sugar, a bit muted
T-more coffee, sweet milk chocolate, caramel, sweet marshmallow, roasted notes in the finish
M-medium bodied with average carbonation
O- fairly standard brew, aroma was a bit lacking. Wouldn't seek it out but not bad in the mixed 6 pack

 

Pours a very dark brown, almost motor oil quality. Dense, light brown head forms and has some staying power.

Aroma is big and malty with some coffee blending into it as well. Some smoke, faint sweetness and coffee.

The flavor is sweet and toasty with a bit of coffee in there as well. Hint of alcohol. Pretty basic roasted flavor and the coffee is lighter than expected given the name.

Full bodied, well carbonated ale. Average overall.

 

 

 

Pours an effervescent ebony with a sliver of tan head. Good lacing & average head retention

S: Smells of mocha & vanilla,

T: Follows the nose, dryness & a little Creme Brule' up front. Super sweet cocoa & vanilla, a little dryness, & hazelnut as this warms. Finishes cloying sweet, a little watered-down coffee sneaks in

MF: Medium body, firm carbonation, thins out once warm, over-carbonated

Such a dissapointment. These Longshot sixers are no longer that interesting

 

The traditional very dark brown to black, with a finger of tan foamy head that settles quickly to a ring. Some mild lacing down the glass. The beer is about 45F out of the fridge, and I get some mild roasted malt, milk chocolate, and mild coffee in the nose. Gonna sip it, and, let it warm up a bit. In the meantime, cocoa is the first thing in the flavor, and a decent, but very mild coffee aftertaste. After letting it warm a bit, the chocolate is at the forefront, and is nice. If you are expecting Founders breakfast stout, don't waste your time. The coffee is very mild. Nice medium-thick feel, average carbonation,
and a little slick, almost creamy, and drier in the finish. Maybe should have highlighted the chocolate in the name.

Pours a very dark coffee color with a small tan head. Has a smell and taste of sugar coffee and yes raisin. Very smooth going down only negative is a bit to sweet but overall a good stout.

P- Third beer sampled from the Long Shot assorted 6 pack.Poured from a 12 oz bottle,into a large Funky Buddha snifter.Best by September 2017.

L- Thick creamy light khaki colored head that stands 1 finger tall,with good retention and sticky lacing.Silky black colored body,with no light showing through the glass.Very low on carbonation.

S- On the nose I get coffee,espresso,chocolate,dark fruit ( raisins ),cocoa,and faint earth notes.

T- The palate follows the nose with chocolate and cocoa up front,dark fruits in the middle,with coffee / espresso / and earth on the back end.The palate has a pretty sweet taste to it for an imperial stout,but nothing too cloying or offensive.

F- The mouth feel is medium / thin with a sticky texture.Moderate carbonation on the tongue,with a smooth finish.Slightly chalky mouth feel after the sip.

O- This is a pretty good imperial stout for being a Sam Adams brew.It had a pleasantly aroma,and an attractive sweetness to the palate.I would probably drink this again,and recommend if you are a fan of stouts.

 

Bottle from Bert's
Pours a clear dark brown with faint ruby at the edges and a bubbly frothy tan head that slowly recedes. Aroma and flavor of creamed coffee milk with hints of dark fruit licorice and earth. could use a hint more body IMHO, but pretty tasty as is.