Super Tonic
Docent Brewing

 

From tasting notes 6/23/21
Had on-tap at Docent Brewing in San Juan Capistrano, CA

Appearance - Served up in a snifter, black in color with cola brown edging. Thin, broken layer of surface suds, forming a thick ring where it meets the edge of the glass. Fair lacing, with small spots decorating much of the glass.

Smell - Prominent coffee aroma with lesser cream and chocolate. Subtle caramel and dark berry.

Taste - A full blend of coffee roast, cream and chocolate. Subtle undertones of caramel, berry tang and vanilla add complexity while tying this whole thing together in wonderful balance as all notes can be found on the finish and the long, lingering aftertaste.

Mouthfeel - Full in body with moderate carbonation. Silky smooth and creamy in texture, before lightly dry finish.

Overall - Wow! They don't make coffee stouts like this anymore, and honestly I'm not sure they ever have. Full flavored and complex but also incredibly balanced and stupid drinkable. I'd be hard pressed to remember a better coffee stout on my kill list. This is superb!

On tap. Brew date unknown. Consumed from a pint glass on 8/9/21. Pours black or nearly black with minimal apparent carbonation...to the extent that I had to ask if it was on nitro. (It wasn't). Very little head, No real lacing. The nose and taste are both coffee forward but not a one trick pony. This one has some more layered flavors that are apparent, although I am not sure I would peg it as milk chocolate per the brewer's description without having been first influenced by the written description. Very smooth mouthfeel with minimal carbonation...see reference to "is this on nitro?" The body is within the typical range of an oatmeal stout...perhaps a tad on the heavy rather than medium or lite side of the range. Perhaps since this is advertised as a coffee oatmeal imperial stout it explains the bias toward a heavy body(?). Overall one of the nicer oatmeal stouts I have had.