Saginaw Coffee Stout
Fillmore 13 Brewery

 

 

16 ounce prowler into pint glass, filled on 3/10/2019. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 1 finger dense and rocky dark tan head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice dense spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, dark roast coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, toasted biscuit, roasted nuts, and dark/brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of vanilla, molasses, licorice, dark fruit, smoke, charcoal, herbal, floral, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/black/roast/bready malts, coffee, and light-moderate earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, dark roast coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, toasted biscuit, roasted nuts, and dark/brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of vanilla, molasses, licorice, dark fruit, smoke, charcoal, herbal, floral, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate herbal, floral, grassy, peppery hops; and roast, charred, coffee bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, dark roast coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, toasted biscuit, roasted nuts, dark/brown bread/crust, vanilla, molasses, licorice, dark fruit, smoke, charcoal, herbal, floral, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts, coffee, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; with a great roast/hop bitter/sweet balance; and no cloying, acrid, astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering hop/char bitterness. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/silky/bready/grainy, and fairly sticky/chalky balanced mouthfeel that is great,. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 5.3%. Overall this is an awesome American coffee stout. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts, coffee, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the modestly bitter/charred/drying finish. Not overly bitter/charred on hops/malts. Very flavorful for the ABV. Awesome balance of rich malts, fruity/nutty coffee complexity, and earthy hops against sweetness. A really enjoyable offering, and impressive/spot on style example.