Espresso Stout
Black Label Brewing Company

Thomas Hammer Coffee Roasters Brazilian Roast edition:

Poured from a 16 ounce undated can into a tulip glass.

Look- Deep ruby brown, opaque, sudsy light brown head, average head retention, below average lacing.

Smell- Roasted malt, coffee, dark chocolate, weak strength of scent.

Taste- Roasted malt, coffee, slight dark chocolate, between weak and medium strength of flavor.

Feel- Medium body, average carbonation, moderately bitter, mildly creamy, no mouth warming properties, smooth.

Overall- Deep ruby brown and opaque in appearance with average head retention. Bouquet was dominated by toasted malt and weak I strength, but did have some coffee and dark chocolate character. Flavor was weaker than expected and again roasted malt dominated the flavor profile. Body was medium with moderate bitterness and mild creaminess. Overall this beer would have been much improved by more coffee character and and a more complex nose and flavor profile.

draught
Moderate levels of light tan head. Quite dark brown, but one can see light through the glass. Moderate levels of quite dark roasted grains and very dark toasted barley malt and a faint whiff of caramel, for the aroma. Watered down, medium dark roasted grains, a touch of spiced caramel for the taste, and finishes quickly.

made with local indaba coffee, this is a really nice stout, and the better of the two beers i had time to drink in here when i visited them. it really is a nice stout, probably great on its own, but the coffee sets it off, and its anything but subtle, almost as much coffee as beer in my glass it seems, although maybe just a little more intense there on the nose than in the flavor. its nice and deep in the color with lots of roast and even smoke notes in the nose, a hint of sweeter chocolate and caramel too. the coffee really drives the flavor, even ahead of the dark grain, which quite obviously has some oats in the mix, as this is immediately smooth and creamy feeling on the palate, but soft and dry at the same time too. subtle raisin with the coffee, dark chocolate, wet tobacco, and some middle malt sweetness. its not overly complex but it is quite nuanced and evolves a bit as it warms to have more of the malt flavor push through the coffee bitterness, great balance and interplay between these elements. super smooth and easy to drink on, i love the warming character of the coffee, and overall this was pretty impressive. looking forward to going back here to drink more of their stuff when i am in town again in a couple of weeks. this is nice for the colder weather. i need to get in to indaba and check out the coffee on its own too!

 

From notes.

Pint consumed at the brewery for $5.

Coal-black looking until held up to light, then a dark rubyish hue made itself seen around the edges. The pour didn't leave a lot of foam, but what there was had a tan shade to it.

Coffeeish aroma, as one would expect, along with some dark chocolate notes.

This is a restrained espresso stout, with a fairly low amount of coffee bitterness, and that matched with some mildly sweet, chocolate flavor. Slightly dry finish.

The body was a little thin and watery for a stout.

A decent coffee beer. I personally would like it a little more bitter and roasty, but it's quite drinkable, and would probably appeal to people who otherwise might not care for this kind of beer.