As Above So Below
Mortalis Brewing Co.

If you don’t mind a bit of sweetness in your stout, you’re gonna like this one. It’s not sickeningly sweet like pastry stouts, but has a nice balance of coffee, vanilla, maple and marshmallow that makes it an easy drinker.

 

16 ounce can, no dating that I could find on the can or label. Thanks to Brutaltruth for this can! Served in a chalice, the beer pours dark brown/black with about a half inch tan head that fizzled away kinda quickly. Decent amount of lacing. I like the aroma a lot, the brew smells like coffee, chocolate, caramel, roasted malt, nuts and some brown sugar. For the most part the taste is pretty much just like the aroma, but with the addition of some dark bread and vanilla. Mouthfeel/body is full, it's slick and creamy with a moderate amount of carbonation. I liked this one a lot, seems more like a pastry stout though considering how sweet tasting it was. But I'd definitely like to try this one again in the future!

Enjoyable mouthfeel as the stout was thick and chewy which is okay in my book. Low carbonation but enough to work well with mouthfeel. Perfect for a frigid December day.

The nose and taste were a delightful amalgam of coffee, chocolate and light coconut. I'm normally not a fan of the latter, but it was deftly used here by the brewer. The combination yields a very strong flavor like a super rich cup of coffee.

16 oz can.
The body is beyond full: it's thick and slick even for the style. The high ABV is partially to mostly hidden in the aroma, flavor and mouthfeel. The flavor profile includes notes of rum, vanilla, chocolate, coffee, brown sugar, and Boston brown bread. The aroma also carries a bit of wood and seems even more complex than the flavor.
Improved with warming.

NO can date
Pours a mild fizzy foamy dark brown head with fair retention, a touch of lacing, jet black beer with a bit of legs on the glass

Nose brings a lot of nutty aromas, hazelnut, peanut, roasted malt notes and general coffee, a touch of dark chocolate, cocoa, vanilla spice, but all those take a back seat to the overpowering nuts!

Taste is a bit more balanced, a little nutty note but more like nutty coffee or hazelnut coffee especially, some roasted malt notes as well, a bit of vanilla, dark chocolate, cocoa, mild shredded coconut mounds bar like, a bit of baking spices, general sweetness almost like fudge brownie candy bar, fair bitterness mostly from the roasted malts, sticky semi sweet finish, lingering sweet pecan pie with fudge sauce, a touch of smooth alcohol kicking in late

Mouth is fuller bod, rich creamy and almost chewy, med frothy carb, a hint of warming alcohol

Overall pretty good, I wish there was more of the base stout there and less of the crazy nutty characters, aroma especially was just overpowered, taste was also a bit leaning towards pastry stout of sweet candy flavors

From the 16 oz can in a snifter. This interesting little brew from a new
to me brewery pours a coal black with a moderate head of tan foam that
settles to a thick ring, thin dusty layer, and sports some light lacing. Nose
of nutty malts, dark chocolate, literal brownies (and not because of the description),
subtle char, and brulee dashed with dark coffee. Flavors follow the nose with dark
chocolate brownies, moderate char, brulee, dark coffee, and nutty malts. Mouth feel
is full, smooth, rich, warming, and finishing with a lightly over the top sticky syrup
laden finish that is moderately cloying.

Overall, for the dessert lovers this is solid and balanced....for the balance
seeker this is on the verge if not over the top of balanced. Good but a bit much.

By description on can this is overboard but still solid.

Cheers

 

 

 

 

 

No date on can, into a snifter.

Pours an oily black with a very nice dark brown head, unusually good for a stout. Aroma is dry peanut butter candy, marshmallows, and a deep, rich burnt malt. Some campfire smoke and coffee grounds as well. The peanut butter candy and marshmallows combine to create a sugary base that this beer rests upon, but the rest of the stout is incredibly burnt and dark. The coffee comes in on the back end, providing a very satisfying richness and darkness to contrast the sugar up front without being phenolic or bitter. There's really not a ton of sugar, just the impression of sweet candy up front, before the huge gnarly stout flavors come through. The finish is long and dry, but once again not too bitter, with some dry peanut flavors and extended medium roast espresso. Body is big, and there's a lot of sticky sweetness, but it's surprisingly easy to drink despite the ABV and adjuncts. There's a lot of slickness and it's quite syrupy, but I don't mind that one bit.

Overall, my first Mortalis stout, and it lives up to their reputation. It's a tasty, balanced stout with some sweet additions, but is essentially a potent American Imperial stout with coffee at its heart. I'm a pastry stout hater, and this one isn't a pastry stout. The peanuts and marshmallows serve to balance out a very nasty, untamed stout with a lot of bitterness.

 

Pours an oily dense black with dark tan head. Lovely look.

Smell is strong coffee, peanut, marshmallow, and overly sweet in a bad way

Taste is worse, all of the above and some other unlikable flavour I recognise from another American stout.

Feel is awful. Overly sweet, sickening in it's texture, artificial feel.

Not good, surprised I drank as much of it as I did, sink probably enjoyed it more than I did.

01/24/25 can @ home

 

 

Pours black, admitting no light (SRM40+). One half inch of chestnut head quickly fades to a thin ring of fine foam. A viscous film draws down a curtain of spotty lace back to the ring with each sip.

Fresh brewed coffee reaches out from a distance. Hazelnuts are well done, with a nice soft touch of vanilla accompanying them. Charred malt is ever present in the background.

The flavor is dominated by roasted malt, with strong bitterness and, in a rarity for Mortalis, sweetness is in the background. The roasted coffee places a strong second, with hazelnuts and bitter chocolate filling out the middle. The finish is long and powerful, carrying the coffee and adding almonds to a Swiftwater snifter.

It has a dense body and the texture of plush mink fur. Light carbonation nibbles the tongue and throat all the while. Alcohol is shockingly below expectations. I actually re-read the label to be sure my memory was correct.

This is a pleasant after dinner sipping beer that goes well with reading and a ripe Stilton cheese. I can imagine myself enjoying it fireside on a cold and blustery winter night.