Disorder Stout
Barley Brown's Brewpub

 

 

Draft at BitterCreek. Solid stout throughout. Near black pour with soft creamy head. Huge roasty aroma, silky smooth body, taste is right on bitter. Nothing wrong here.

a tasty and robust american stout, i like it coming in at this strength, and i like it finishing just a little bit on the hoppy side. this is a very well made beer, they all have been from these guys in my experience. coal black on the pour with a lasting head on it, creamy looking, quite dense. pretty familiar and classic stout nose, with a little burnt barley giving it a coffee sort of bitterness, and a piney northwestern hop complexion, not intended to be huge, but not insignificant either. its a nice touch that makes this stout stand out from the crowd. there is a lot of bitterness to it, but i like that, very coffee-esque, ashy, and sturdy. no yeast character at all. smooth in feel for being so bitter, and a nice overall american style stout that has absolutely no need or use for a whiskey barrel. simple beer made well is something i am getting more and more into again these days now that everything is so complicated and intentionally abstract, less is more sometimes, and you cant use pluots or cascara to cover up flaws. this beer has no flaws. quality stout that demands a chilly evening and some friends!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appearance- Pours up about an inch of head which has good retention. The head is a creamy light beige while the body is an opaque dark chocolate black. There is a good amount of lacing which starts off as mostly sheeting but becomes less contiguous as I drink.

Nose- Whole bunch of chocolate. Whole bunch of coffee. Whole bunch of roasted malt. Not much else. Swirling shows the roasted notes with such strength that they smell burnt.

Taste- The nose definitely does not prepare you for the onslaught of rich, bitter coffee that dominates this beer. The bitterness almost expresses woodiness such that it's pretty harsh. So bitter, in fact, that the taste seems to mutate into a sour/sweet note that you get from strong coffee. I usually like Barley Brown's but this isn't my favorite by a lot. It's not a bad beer, just too bitter for me. If there were something else to balance it out, it might work for me. Some spice, light hints of anise (which doesn't really help). Tends toward earwax wit the bitterness which really lingers. After time, it does mellow but still a little harsh for me. In my opinion, this is just an above average beer.

Mouthfeel- A little more than medium bodied with good carbonation and some grittiness on the dry finish.

Drinkability- The bitterness is definitely an obstruction. 5 bucks for a pint of this is fair but I don't think I will be buying this again.

Overall- Above average but mediocre for Barley Brown's. I would suggest trying this if you like deeply bitter (coffee) stouts. This is way too bitter for me especially since there aren't enough sweet malts to balance out the copious hops.