Samuel Adams Cold Brew
Samuel Adams (Boston Beer Company)

Appearance:  From a 12oz can that looks exactly like a bottle of Axe Dark Temptation body spray. The pour resembles a foamy nitro coffee brew. Very dark brown with dirty tan head. Not a ton of foam, but it was persistent.

Aroma and Taste:  Coffee and its associated bitterness. Milk chocolate candy bar. Cinnamon. Some hazelnut. Hot chocolate with marshmallows.

Feel:  Thinner than anticipated. Moderately carbonated.

Overall:  It's like a really bitter and carbonated espresso martini.

Pairing: It mildly complimented some chocolate Halo Top ice cream, but there are probably better pairing choices out there.

 

Poured from a 12oz can best by May '26. I've been holding onto it for a while, whoops...

On the pour 2 fingers of surprisingly dark brown head form on top of a very dark, but not completely black body.

Aroma is deep and sweet, but with a definite hint of toasty roasty-ness. There is a coffee like note, bit it isn't mistakable for an iced coffee. It's just coming off as a very nice stout.

Taste is similar to, but not quite following the aroma. Up front there is a distinct bitterness and mineralic flavor that then gives way to some of the sweet malts. A roast coffee note really starts coming in at this point and interminable with the malts quite nicely. The finish is similar to a coffee bean dipped in chocolate.

The feel is lighter than expected and is actually pretty easy to put down. It also is less warming than you'd expect from a "holiday stout". There is some astringency, but nothing major.

Overall this is actually a pretty nice, and surprisingly traditional tasting stout. Not too sweet or bitter, while being unique enough to not just be another random dark beer.

 

L: Pours a dark brown black with a s.mall white head and no lacing on the glass.

S: Sweet coffee and chocolate and some earthiness from the coffee and a bit of caramel.

T: Lots of earthy coffee, with some nice chocolate and a bit of caramel.

F: Medium body and smooth carb

O: A pretty decent stout

A: Dark black in the glass with a very full tan head.

S: Light coffee and cream, brown sugar, and perhaps a touch of rootbeer.

T: Creamy up front with coffee notes, and a little licorice in the finish.

M: Medium in body with moderate carbonation, and a bitter cling in the finish.

O: It's a coffee stout. Not particularly amazing, or terribly bad.

 

 

 

 

Poured from the can into a nonic(k) pint glass.

Rich and lush cascading forming head, with a deep mocha brown color and foamy appearance. Slow settling retention while it sits on a very deep reddish dark brown body color. Great looking brew.

Surprisingly a bit of a closed nose. Aroma is muted coffee, not much malt or roast presence. Mild touches of milk chocolate also. Decent but just really small sensations or hardly anything. At least nothing faulty or off putting.

Palate comes off slightly playful. Rich sensing malt milk chocolate notes, with bit of a wet cream flavor to go with it. Some slight husky malty presence that manages to bring out just enough roast of light coffee and malt for a decent balance and flavor. Slightly wet body does seem to make the palate pass very quickly though, but a good repeating fast sip fixes that easily. Some lingering sensations of actual dry tannic hazelnut after awhile too.

A very good solid base coffee stout which at first doesn't impress on first whiff, but makes up for it in the end.

12 oz can. Pours dark brown with tall, long lasting, creamy, brown head and nice lacing. Aroma is of toasted malt, dark fruit, toffee chocolate, coffee and grassy hops. Body is medium and crisp. Taste is of toasted malt, chocolate, brown sugar, dark fruit, vanilla and grassy hops. Finish is long and dry. Very good brew.

A wide range of experiences on this one made it quite the roller-coast of thoughts...

On the one hadnd, it looks great, has just right amount of coffee scent to the nose and it was equally not as overpowering on the tongue. But this was the most watery of mouthfeels I have had in quite some time. Not one of SAs better ones, but worth the try...

Pours pitch black and completely opaque, not even a hint of brown at the edges. Big four-finger tan head that lingers nicely. This is one good-looking stout.

Aromas of milk chocolate, cocoa, toasted grains, very slight char, woody hops, and maybe some coffee (but only because of the big hint on the front of the can).

The taste is similar. It starts with semi-sweet chocolate and cocoa, with black bread and molasses joining in quickly. I finally get some medium roast coffee through the middle of the sip that builds on the finish, which is a mixture of coffee, burnt bread, and woody hops.

Medium bodied but with low carb that makes it feel somewhat lighter than you'd like. Quite smooth, though.

Overall, this isn't bad by any means. Classic American stout with some coffee thrown in that, at least for me, isn't particularly prominent. I'd grab this from the holiday pack as soon as the Old Fezziwigs are gone.

 

 

The head on this beer grows to a few fingers on a moderate pour, and falls to a creamy half centimeter cap on the beer in time. A quick sip shows there is pretty significant lacing, so this is a nice looking beer.

The nose has more of a dark lager vibe at first, but I do get some coffee after doing a little searching. This is a lighter stout at 6%, and I am fine with lower ABV stouts. Usually they are a bit lighter and a little thinner, but this one is pretty thin and somewhat effervescent.

The taste is pretty much on point, though. I get a little pumpernickel bread before a modest amount of coffee fills in from the edges. This isn't a beer that is knocking you over the head with roast or coffee, but gives you enough to put it squarely in the stout style. There is a little tang at the end that is about the only thing I think is out of place.

I think this is the best beer in the holiday pack.

I love Old Fezziwig but this beverage is quite tasty and makes me want another as soon as I'm finished with the first


Lots of coffee flavor...smoother and silkier than I was expecting....a very nice surprise

The pour is mocha colored with a tan & frothy head of foam. The body is medium & on the taste I'm getting rich roasted malt, coffee, along with some semi sweet chocolate. Cheers! B