Dirt Bath
Hop Butcher For The World

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brownish black pour with light brown cap. Love hazelnuts and I get it right away in the nose, with complimentary chocolate and a hint of caramel. No frills or barrel needed, beautiful classic combo without being super sweet: milk chocolate with hazelnuts that have both a toasted and a paste side to them, kind of like a richer almond, slight caramel and coconut hints. Feel is medium bodied, drinkable yet full. A wonderful dessert beer that is approachable to all kinds of beer drinkers, warm and smooth the whole way. Breaking these out come the holidays for sure!

This is the first really bad beer I've had from Hop Butcher. For the last two years I've bought two four packs a week. (except when they deliver on Wednesday) I've had a few that I thought were just OK, but most of them are great. Dirt Bath poured into my glass a hazy brown color, not the way I think a stout should look, but I thought maybe that's why it's called Dirt Bath. The mouth feel was like wet chalk, kind of grainy, all trub. A better name might be "Sludge in a Can." The mouth feel was so off putting I didn't really taste it, the smell was great as it went down my drain. The second can I opened was the same. I reached out to Hop Butcher three weeks before writing this with no response from them. I also haven't bought any Hop Butcher since.

Edit to add: I didn't even buy the Loophole that came out today and that is one of my top 5 beers. I do have to admit, it was so tempting.

 

 

 

 

Great hazelnut aroma on opening. Pours dark with a good amount of head. As I neared the bottom of the glass, I was seeing some murk, the good stuff. Mid-thick mouthfeel. Taste is bitter chocolate with a nutty aftertaste. Good stuff!

Tasted in a Spiegelau stout glass from a one pint can on October 2, 2020.

Canned 9/29/20; drank 10/2/20 @ the Yarchives.

Black appearance.

A violent pour yielded a huge tan head; strong lacing.

Hazelnut, coconut, milk chocolate & mild caramel notes in the nose.

Thick, creamy mouthfeel.

Hazelnut, cream & milk chocolate flavors up front; coconut notes on the finish.

Samoa cookie vibes here, with nice hazelnut accents. Not cloying, but sure to satisfy pastry stout fans. I'd have another!!

 

16oz can, dated 09.29.20, poured into a stemless wine glass.

The beer pours a very nice jet black color, thick and viscous with a towering, caramel colored that has good retention and yields spotted lacing. The aroma is lovely, tons of chocolate, hazelnut, almond biscuit, lots of coconut, rich chocolate, cacao, hearty grains a bit of vanilla cream. The flavors are good, almond biscotti, toasted coconut and loads of hazelnut spread lead the way, a more bittersweet cacao flavor grows as it warms with hearty grains, toffee, caramel and vanilla cream add another layer of sweetness and a bit of espresso acidity comes out as well. The mouthfeel is good, coating with a livelier medium body that still smooth smooth with an easy finish that is fairly creamy.

Verdict: A very nice adjunct stout from Hop Butcher. The hazelnut and cacao are expressed very well and all together this makes for a rich dessert style sipper.