Velvet Edge
Love City Brewing Company

Love City Brewing Co. "Velvet Edge"
16 fl. oz. can without production codes or freshness dating. Sampled on 13 April 2026.
$4.75 @ Lower Merion Beverage Co., Ardmore, PA

Notes via stream of consciousness: I'm a little surprised that there's no dating on this can as I know they date their cans but maybe this one just got missed or they didn't even bother as it's 10% ABV and labeled as a "Limited Release". It's poured the typical opaque black body beneath a massive head of tan foam. The aroma is fruity, roasty, coffee-like, and earthy. Let's give it a taste and see if we can peel back some layers. Right up front I get grainy, nutty, and lightly caramelish malt that's followed by roastiness, fruitiness, and a leafy hoppiness across the middle. The finish softens but still remains caramelish and grainy, fruity, and earthy. It's not 'particularly' bitter, but it is clearly bitter, and then dry in the finish with the fruitiness, roastiness, caramel, and earthiness clinging on for as long as they can. So, where are we? Let's navigate back. The fruitiness is pretty bright in this one and reminds me of both red and black currants, some black raisin (especially in the lingering finish), and even black cherry. There's also bittersweet dark chocolate, brown sugar, some black coffee, medium and dark caramel, a bit of burnt sugar, and some minor anise seed. There are hops threaded through it that are leafy, grassy, a bit spicy, and mildly herbal (sage, rosemary). It's got a solid bitterness, and along with the alcohol it finishes bone dry with some dark skinned fruit (black raisins, dried figs, black cherry), fatty nuts, herbs, and alcoholic spiciness lingering. In the mouth it's full bodied and gently crisp, and smooth with a fine-bubbled, seemingly natural carbonation. In my opinion it's a little aggressive, but it brings everything to the table and it remains in balance.
Review #9,490

This episode started with the entire contents of a pint can emptied into a clear glass liter mug. 'Twas a very nice pour, producing a very properly sized biege head that's tight-knit and enduring. The aroma is rich with roasted barley and all its nuances, including chocolate and coffee. Its color is the bright black coffee brown expected from the style and it's opaque. Bringing a taste very true to the specifications of the style, it has a rich malty sweetness that is more than adequately counterbalanced by some hops, the roasting factor and some alcohol. For a 10% ABV stout, the mouthfeel is nicely smooth, but falls short of velvety. That's a minor complaint, as it sure can go down dangerously quickly thanks to a rich and supple body and a well- balanced flavor with several layers. The roasted black coffee, dark chocolate and even some black licorice references are there to delight the palate. There's even some nice stratified glass lacing to justify giving credit to its body. It would be difficult for anyone that likes this style to rate this one poorly, although it doesn't quite measure up to the best in its category. But, it's not that far from them and getting a flavorful stout, with its level of ABV, that goes down this easily should make those that appreciate this style very satisfied.