Hey, Don’t Forget the Coffee
Vanished Valley Brewing

On draft - nice rich smooth robust bold roasted coffee, rounded dark fruit notes, deep dark chocolate, sweet caramel, toffee, brown sugar, real nice roasty coffee stout

Nice roast. Not too much coffee but the stout base is medium.

 

Canned on 10/19/18

Pours a clean, deep black with over a finger of caramel-mocha head; great retention with a thick ring of foam around the surface and spotty lacing presenting consistently around the glass.

Aroma shows bright notes of medium roast coffee, rich semi-dark chocolate, light oak, lightly-toasted vanilla beans, and with hints of plum skins and raspberry juice toward the finish.

Taste brings an excellent profile of roasted, bitter coffee and dark chocolate balancing alongside slightly juicy, bright notes of earthy plum, blueberry, and raspberry, which eventually proceeds to a deep roast, almost some char, but balanced by a creamy sweetness through the finish.

Mouthfeel is creamy and downright pillowy, with carbonation sitting like silk on the palate; excellent balance that allows all elements of the profile to exert on the palate, with one never becoming more dominant than another; a bit sticky and a mild char on the finish to end with a great representation of coffee depth.

Coffee doesn’t overwhelm, but is nevertheless integral; there’s a ton of depth in this beer, and it’s expressed in equal parts subtlety and assertiveness; a great and easy sipper than begs for further exploration of its profile; excellent overall, and a pure example of what I love in a coffee-based stout.