Routine
BlackStack Brewing

 

Blackstack Routine Stout, 6.5% ABV. Pours thick and black, with a 3+ finger brown head that left wispy lacing. Aroma is roast malt. Flavor is roast malt and chocolate malt, slightly sweet, faintly bitter. Excellent mouthfeel, overall excellent. Nice non-BA stout with no add-junks.

 

A good and straightforward non-BA stout! Simple, malty, with subtle notes of coffee and chocolate. A nice, simple stout that a person could enjoy on a regular basis.

Aroma is dark/roasted malts, coffee and a hint of sweetness. The flavor is dark/roasted malts, fruit, coffee and an acidic/mildly sweet chocolate finish.

 

Appearance: Pours a completely black, dark color with a strong, dark tan head. SRM of 24. (4.00)

Aroma: Strong aromas of rich, chocolate, cocoa, smooth grains. (4.00)

Flavor: Strong flavors of rich, chocolate, cocoa, dark grains. Smooth chocolate lingers with some dark fruit. Slightly sweet. Lightly toasted. (4.25)

Feel: Medium to heavier body, appropriate carbonation, soft, smooth, clean. (4.00)

Compared to Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald 1/25: Pours darker, milder head. Milder aromas. More rich chocolate. Less dark roast. Sweeter.

Overall: A great American Stout from BlackStack. Smooth chocolate, slight dark fruit. Smooth, rich, with just the right amount of sweetness.

 

 

The percentages of stouts on the market which don't have any added ingredients such as coffee or bourbon has shrunk immensely since I started by beer journey in the mid 2000's, so it was a joy to see a plain American stout on sale at a nearby shop. Out of a 16 ounce can, on to the beer:

This stout is opaque colored with ruby red hues on the edges, and topped with a short creamy head which leaves whispy lines of lacing clinging to the glass. Aroma takes a little time to get going; starts with mild astringency, building to a more standard roasted malt note with dark molasses. First taste is smooth. Bigger in intensity than I was expecting. It's almost sweet stout in taste. Roasted caramel and molasses are what come to my mind, not really bitter or dry as you would expected from the style. Medium bodied and smoother in texture (carbonation doesn't seem to get in the way), Routine is a stout when you are looking for a sweeter stout, but not actually sweetened.

 

From a 16oz can.

Very dark brown pouring beer from the can. There's faint amber hues trying to shine through when I hold it to a light. Fluffy tan head that is 1 finger. Great head retention, and some good lacing on the glass.
Very little aroma here. Very faint notes of malts and chocolate.
This is a malty beer. There's great notes of coffee and nice dark chocolate that show up here. Nice bitterness from the chocolate. Slight roasted flavor also shows up in the beer.
Smooth and full bodied.
Tasty non BA stout, though the aroma is lacking.