Morning Nightcap - Salted Caramel
Arcadia Brewing Company

 

 

 

Nice dark brown color with tan head and lingering lacing. Really smells great, nice aroma of deep dark roasted coffee. Tastes of coffee, malt, caramel and biscuit with faint hints of dark chocolate mocha and salt. A little bit too sweet on the aftertaste, along with very minimal bitterness. Slightly sticky mouthfeel and decent carbonation even as the beer warms. I will need to try the non-salted caramel version to compare and contrast.

12 ounce bottle into pint glass; no bottle dating, but is a recent release. Pours crystal clear very dark brown color with a 2 finger fairly dense and rocky khaki head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Thick soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big nutty medium roast coffee, milk chocolate, cocoa, caramel, vanilla, toffee, brown sugar, and toasted dark/brown bread; with light notes of salt, dark fruit, smoke, char, herbal, grass, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malts, coffee, caramel, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast notes; with great strength. Taste of big nutty medium roast coffee, milk chocolate, cocoa, caramel, vanilla, toffee, brown sugar, and toasted dark/brown bread; with light notes of salt, dark fruit, smoke, char, herbal, grass, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate herbal/grassy hop and roast/char bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of nutty coffee, milk chocolate, cocoa, caramel, vanilla, toffee, brown sugar, toasted dark/brown bread, light salt, herbal, grass, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, coffee, caramel, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; with a great hop/roast bitter/sweet balance; and zero cloying/acrid flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering hop/roast bitterness. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready/grainy, and fairly sticky/chalky balanced mouthfeel that is nice. Zero warming alcohol for 5.4%. Overall this is a delicious flavored coffee porter. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, coffee, caramel, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the mellowly bitter/drying finish. Great fruity/nutty coffee presence, balanced salted caramel flavors, and well rounded porter malt complexity. Never overly roasty or bitter. A very enjoyable offering, and spot on style example.