French Toast - Blackberry
Hubbard's Cave Brewery

 

 

Appearance - The beer poured a fuzzy black color with a dark mocha head.

Smell - Cinnamon and maple sweetness stood out in the nose.

Taste - The cinnamon and maple were highlighted by the slight bitterness of the stout. Blueberry came through slightly in the front, but more so in the back. Blackberry skin and cinnamon linger in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel - Though it didn’t have the body of some of the other Hubbard’s Cave brews, it was still thick.

Overall - This is another winter from Hubbard’s cave.

A- Can to becher pour with a black body and a small tan cap. The head only makes it to about half a finger high before falling to a small ring at the edges. No lacing and really no foam layer left after half the glass.

S- Cinnamon, berries, massive maple and a bold base stout. The spicy and earthy cinnamon hits the nose first and foremost and is strong but not overpowering. It is quickly doused in maple syrup, the good kind, and beyond that you get some chocolate, roasty grains, blackberry hints, vanilla and moderate to heavy sweetness.

T- Not totally surprised but the berries grow a decent amount compared to the aroma which was more cinnamon and maple forward. This really works to the beers favor IMO and provides a really balanced yet gigantic flavor profile. The sweetness may the only thing that oversteps its bounds but honestly it is held in check by the big flavors and slight booze and is a moderate level for modern standards. Cinnamon and drenched maple toast lead into the fresh berries, syrup, chocolate and roastiness. Cinnamon french toast with blackberries. Just like the original version they hit their goal in this brew.

MF- Thick and oily and probably my least favorite aspect of the brew. The body makes sense considering the ABV and the adjuncts but it is syrupy and lacks that soft, satisfying texture. Carbonation on the lower end and it ends warm and sweet.

I now remember the regular French Toast and despite it being sweet and super rich, it hit the mark for a beer that just drinks like french toast in beer form. Add some fresh berries and you have something even better and probably something worth sharing with a pal. This is how you do sweet beer, you make it into french toast.

French Toast is back in the lineup. I was able to snag the Blackberry variant. The maple syrup is hit with blackberry jam creating an intense breakfast stout. The acid on the berries helps break down the rich syrup.

IG: @firesidewithphil

Drank from a 1 pint can purchased at Fenway Beer Shop, Boston, MA
2020-1
Served in a snifter

Oily, viscous, pitch black appearance. The foreboding looking body was topped by a finger-tall, finely beaded, mocha colored crown that quickly dissolved. A few dots of lacing stuck along the glass initially, but they were rather short lived.

The aroma was outstanding and definitely reminded me of French toast. Super rich and malty. A touch roasty. Vanilla and cinnamon notes came through big time. Loads of maple too. Quite sweet overall but appropriately so for a pastry stout. I thought I picked up a creamy, eggy quality as well, but this was probably just my brain imagining French toast. There was also a subtle booziness, but the 12% ABV was exceptionally well contained. As the beer warmed, the maple presence intensified.

The flavor was nearly identical to nose. Super rich and decadent. Uber malty and robust up front. Nice melding of roasted and caramel malts. Big vanilla presence too. Creamy lactose notes appeared as well. Maple also came through strong and intensified as the beer sat. Cinnamon was noticeable on the back end. The beer finished with more roasted malt character and a touch of lingering, bitter char. Although the blackberry notes seemed absent initially, I later picked up some tart fruitiness.

The mouthfeel was also fantastic. Super rich, creamy and full bodied for the style. The liquid contained a finely beaded, fairly subtle effervescence that was ideal for the style.

Hubbard’s Cave’s pastry stouts might be diabetes in a can, but they are insanely enjoyable and truly live up to their namesake. To best appreciate this beer (and others like it), one should probably split it amongst two or three people and substitute it for dessert.

First review of this? All right.

Snagged this at a nice little beer and liquor store right down the block from Fenway Park.

I'm not gonna go into too much depth with this brew because well, its basically their French Toast. As it warms up you get a mild indistinguishable fruit presence, but if I didn't know it was blackberry I would honestly never be able to tell. Its just as good as the original. Not much difference. Revisiting this one just makes me realize how damn good Hubbard's Cave is at making these adjunct stouts. And French Toast is near the top of their list for great execution.