Night Watch
Mad Swede Brewing Company

this is an intensely coffee forward stout, on the edge of too much perhaps for some drinkers, its far and away the leading aroma and flavor in this, blows away even the roasty dark malt, but its good, objectively well made beer, only slightly acidic from all this coffee, not too full bodied or strong or anything which is nice, but real bitter, robust enough to likely turn some folks off, and it certainly packs a caffeine hit! coal black in the big english pint glasses they use at their downtown taproom, this immediately feels like a lot of this to me even though its not an imperial. nice head on it, but still sort of intimidating in this volume. the nose is all coffee, burnt drip thats been on awhile, lacking the nuance of heady espresso, the oily decadence, they nutty or cocoa middle, its just all the low roast, and with the grain doing something similar, there isnt a lot here, but there is a little yeast character which keeps it beery, and some bittering hops too i think i pick up. the flavor is a little monotone too with the java dominating and not really showing as anything special, its not oxidized or old, but its so dark and intense that any nuance is gone. in the absence of any middle malt richness, which normally i dont want in these, this is exceedingly bitter, i almost want some caramel or toffee malt to offset some of that, its sort of ashy, dry, and lingeringly bitter without it. light acidity, creamy sort of feel though still, deep wintery vibes to this. im making it sound not as good as it is, its real well made, its refined, its bold, and it definitely stands out from the crowd due to the coffee intensity, its just a one and done for me though, and it stays with me a little too long. for the person who drinks thick black coffee not for enjoyment but for the effects, you will love this. for those who need caramel and milk and all that, its a no way. if you are an espresso purist looking for coffee nuance in your beer, you will have to look elsewhere. the cold weather enhances it, and it seems to also enhance the cold weather. good to see some new ones from these guys, even if this isnt my favorite on the whole...

Taster at Bittercreek. Dark black pour, small skin of head, tons of lacing. Coffee leads the aroma and taste, supported by a nice roast grain base. Coffee accents the roast bitterness. Solid.