Rosebud Stout
Swiftwater Brewing Company

Comes in a pitch black color with a small tan head. Medium-poor retention. A thin ring remains, leaving a little spotty lacing.
Smells like lots of semi-sweet dark chocolate, roasted grains, toast, black coffee, coconut, and a little raisin.
Tastes baking chocolate, cocoa powder, and dark chocolate. Roasted grains, burnt toast, and malted milk balls. Lots of fresh roasted and bitter black coffee. Some burnt raisin near the finish. Finishes dry with some roasty bitterness.
The feel is medium, moderately carbonated, smooth.
All in all, a decent stout that drinks below its abv.

Clear, dark brown cola (SRM 36-39) with a cascading head that builds to three inches. The head eventually settles to a foamy, one-inch, leaving a sticky web on the wall of a PBGC tulip glass.

Fruity cocoa powder yields to a light cherry cordial. Light smoke is reminiscent of peat.

The flavor opens with toasted to lightly roasted rye bread. Pumpernickle and black coffee quickly take over with light bitterness and a hint of sweet molasses. For some reason, I am reminded of roast beef. A long, moderately roasty finish leads to light Baker's Chocolate as it warms.

A medium to full body and soft woolly texture. Alcohol is absent against light to moderate carbonation.

This is a beer to be enjoyed fireside or while tailgating with friends.

Poured into a glass mug, the appearance was a semi-thick almost black but just dark brown color with a thick three finger off white to tan foamy head. Yes, that is one huge head! Wow and a half! And I loved how it really took it's time to dissolve. Lace slid with the sips.
The aroma had a nice rich soft sweet anise to dark bread with a sweetened coffee bean sort of character coming about. Some dark fruits, but not too much.
The flavor was moderately sweet with a delicate roast coming about. Dark bread and dark fruit seemed to punch a bit forward and then lead on into the aftertaste.
The mouthfeel was about medium bodied with a chalky sort of dryness riding along my tongue. I didn't mind but just something I noticed. Carbonation seemed a bit higher than normal for a stout. Nice semi-smooth and roasty sort of finish with a touch of stickiness.
Overall, American stout hinging on the English side with the "dark bread" and the "dark fruity" notes. Still, it's a nice one that I could have again.

A: The beer is jet black in color. It poured with a half finger high tan head that died down, leaving a thin layer of bubbles on the surface and a collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Light to moderate aromas of chocolate malts are present in the nose.
T: Similar to the smell, the taste is dominated by flavors of chocolate malts and also has notes of burnt and charred malts.
M: It feels medium-bodied and a little dry on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is all about the malts, but with the dryness and burnt flavors it doesn't really feel heavy on the palate.

Serving type: bottle

Pours opaque and black to clear later with a foamy milky chocolate colored head of foam. Plummy fruit. A sharper than mild scent of vanilla. Smooth oak, nutty caramel. A touch of herbal hop and the first glimpse of sweet bourbon. A light ester from alcohol.
Drinks softly with dark fruit, smooth caramel and elegant chocolate. The bourbon is sweet and deep a little rich and shows off light hints of smoke in the beer. Raisin and rich brown bread.
This was as seductive a beer as I have ever seen. Mild and sensual with many complex malt flavors presented gently and just a little warming from alcohol. The bourbon becomes sweetly prominent as the beer warms not because it gets any stronger but because it gets deeper. As I look down into the glass I can see hues of brown, rust and mahogany. It's the oak that keeps it so light and lets you see the hop spice. Everything in it's place. If Agnes Moorehead could have said one thing to describe her feelings toward her son in the movie Citizen Kane it would have been that. Everything in it's place. Beautifully elegant.

On tap at Swiftwater Brewing Company in Rochester, NY.

This one pours a glossy dark black, with a small white head, and lots of lacing.

Smells like heavily roasted and charred malt, maybe a bit of vanilla cream/lactose, and a bit of piney hops.

This one of the better beers I've had from Swiftwater lately. It's a simple but satisfying stout, with lots of roasted malt, with a nearly charred flavor. There's a bit of light smoke, some coffee bitterness, and a hint of piney hops on the finish. It's pretty creamy, and almost tastes like there's a little bit of lactose in there.

This has a medium body, good thickness for the style, with a pretty cream feel to it.

This was definitely enjoyable, glad to see Swiftwater get back on track a little again.