Morning Necessities
New Trail Brewing Company

L- pitch black, no head, looks like motor oil

S- sweet coffee, vanilla

T- strong coffee/espresso notes up front, vanilla sweetness on the backend. Balanced flavors complement one another. 13.4% alcohol very well hidden, drinks like 8%.

F- medium, oily slick coating the entire palette

O- a very well balanced imperial stout, will purchase again without hesitation

 

 

Two of my favorite breweries with a 13.4% coffee stout, yes please... Slight, late to develop and quick to fade dark khaki froth... The color is an oily black... Completely still with no discernible carbonation... Nose is more subdued than expected with mild whiffs of coffee and chocolate... The flavor profile is dialed up a notch and the nuance is a more pronounced with an excellent balance of flavors... On the fuller side of medium bodied... Light carbonation... If I didn't know, I would be shocked to find out this one weighs in at 13.4% ABV... Drinks much lighter... A rock solid beer, but doesn't really knock your socks off as expected...

Good head production; decent at best retention; no lacing.

Strong, intensely aromatic nose. From the pour, I immediately got huge vanilla tones, but up close, the coffee starts to stand out much more - earthy and rich. Red grape, brown sugar, toast, and toffee round out the profile.

For a coffee stout, it's very sweet on the palate, likely a combination of the massive malt base and hearty dose of vanilla. The coffee isn't overly bitter; instead, it's earthy, nutty, and a bit fruity, imparting berry-like tones. The sweetness really takes this out of its role as, ostensibly, a breakfast stout (given the name), and moves it into dessert stout territory (although not a pastry stout).

With that shift in mindset, let's dig into the flavors, because it's delicious. Coffee, marshmallow, vanilla, sweet juicy grape, molasses, maple syrup, honey, plum, raisin.

Mouthfeel is a touch thin and slick; with this flavor profile, I would prefer a much, much thicker and chewier body. The sky-high ABV is hardly noticeable; many earlier imperial stouts far lower (Old Raspy, Ten Fidy) present their alcohol far more prominently. Still, I want a thicker stout, and it would have helped to chew on those sweeter flavors.

 

The moment I found out that this beer was 13.4% felt like the same night that the captain of the swimming team said yes to my early morning texting advances - what have I gotten myself into? But nah, like a walk in the park, Raul’s got this. Ok, ok... This one poured hella sexy; like lava, but, umm, black and stuff. Aroma really isn’t too exciting. So like, whatever. Taste is aite like butter on a flap jack - but we ain’t talking Irish grass fed here. At the end of the day, it’s ok - and that’s perfectly fine. But after that beautiful pour, I was hoping for more.

Peace.

Poured into a goblet: color is solid black, dark brown head presents 1/4 inch thick then dissipates nearly immediately, no lingering head, no lacing.

Smell is espresso like roasted malt and coffee, then dark chocolate, chocolate, malt lingering, roast coffee (more neutral roast) and some roasted malt, hint of booze.

Taste is similar - roasted coffee, dark chocolate, moderate malt, booziness but not overdone or burning - tastes/drinks closer to 10% abv.

Mouthfeel is low/limited carbonation, moderate/strong sweetness, drying alcohol and bitterness.

Overall a solid coffee stout, not overly sweet, and strength/booziness is hidden well.