Beneath the Moon’s Shadow
New Trail Brewing Company
- From:
- New Trail Brewing Company
- Pennsylvania, United States
- Style:
- American Imperial Stout
Ranked #623 - ABV:
- 9.5%
- Score:
- 92
Ranked #6,691 - Avg:
- 4.28 | pDev: 6.07%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 6
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Apr 21, 2026
- Added:
- Oct 22, 2025
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
SCORE
92
Outstanding
92
Outstanding
Our old friends at Old Thunder produce some very nuanced but very robust dark beers and stouts. New Trail brewers have decades of experience in imperial stout that culminates in our Moonlit Imperial Stout. We put our minds together and developed Beneath The Moon’s Shadow, an Imperial Stout brewed with coffee from Williamsport’s Alabaster Coffee Roasters. A velvety mouthfeel, carefully selected roasty malts, and locally roasted coffee all come together Beneath The Moon’s Shadow.
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Reviewed by dano213 from Pennsylvania
3.73/5 rDev -12.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.73/5 rDev -12.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Purchased as a single from the fridge for $3.50. Canned on 09/18/25, so this beer is just over four months old. Consuming this at cellar temperature.
Look: Very dark with noticeable carbonation. However, the dark brown head dissipated pretty quickly. It does look a bit thin for being 9.5% ABV.
Smell: Nice coffee and roasty aromas. The nose smells a bit creamy. It's simple and straightforward. There's an earthy bitterness on the finish; unclear if this is from the coffee, roasted malts, or hops.
Taste: It just tastes like coffee. Nothing in this beer is overpowering, it's not too sweet or too bitter so it's pretty well balanced. The finish is dry and roasty.
Feel: It's a bit thin. Almost tastes overly carbonated, but that just could be because the beer tastes thin.
Overall: It's pretty good. I would say that this beer seems to be lacking complexity to me. It does hide the 9.5% ABV very well. I also think that it's getting better as warms up. Compared to other imperial stouts with coffee that I have had, this is not one of the better ones. I've had a few New Trail beers before. Glad that I got to try this as it's a collab with Old Thunder Brewing Company out of Pittsburgh. I'm looking forward to the other New Trail collabs from the Expedition Pack.
Jan 26, 2026Look: Very dark with noticeable carbonation. However, the dark brown head dissipated pretty quickly. It does look a bit thin for being 9.5% ABV.
Smell: Nice coffee and roasty aromas. The nose smells a bit creamy. It's simple and straightforward. There's an earthy bitterness on the finish; unclear if this is from the coffee, roasted malts, or hops.
Taste: It just tastes like coffee. Nothing in this beer is overpowering, it's not too sweet or too bitter so it's pretty well balanced. The finish is dry and roasty.
Feel: It's a bit thin. Almost tastes overly carbonated, but that just could be because the beer tastes thin.
Overall: It's pretty good. I would say that this beer seems to be lacking complexity to me. It does hide the 9.5% ABV very well. I also think that it's getting better as warms up. Compared to other imperial stouts with coffee that I have had, this is not one of the better ones. I've had a few New Trail beers before. Glad that I got to try this as it's a collab with Old Thunder Brewing Company out of Pittsburgh. I'm looking forward to the other New Trail collabs from the Expedition Pack.
Reviewed by philbe311 from Pennsylvania
4.16/5 rDev -2.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.16/5 rDev -2.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
A slight lopsided dark khaki colored froth with limited retention that fizzes a way quickly... Color is an pale inky color that lets some light leak in around the edges... Nose is coffee forward with hints of roasted malt, chocolate and licorice... Palate is a spitting image of the nose with great balance, depth and complexity... Feel is full bodied and sleek with some fizzy carbonation and a slightly chalky finish... Very nice and highly enjoyable beer... Textbook and rewarding coffee stout...
Dec 13, 2025
Reviewed by bubseymour from Maryland
4.89/5 rDev +14.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5
4.89/5 rDev +14.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5
Black body with a brown head that reduced after about 2-3 minutes. Aroma is roast/coffee forward and very nice. Taste is quite the perfection for an Imperial stout. It’s the perfect balance of chocolate, roast, coffee and hops. Nothing out of balance anywhere with this beer. And most interesting is it finishes super-clean. No ash, no bitter, no cloying sweetness…just clean. Mouthfeel is spot on as well, fully bodied, not thin, not syrupy, just right in that delicate balance of a sweet spot for an imperial stout. One of the best crafted Imperial stouts I’ve had in quite some time.
Nov 21, 2025
Reviewed by jzeilinger from Pennsylvania
4.23/5 rDev -1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.23/5 rDev -1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Canned on: 9-18-25
A - Pitch black pour with creamy dark caramel colored lacing and head.
S - Huge roasty chocolate malt and coffee presence on the nose, totally dominates the nose.
T - Nice roasty chocolate malt base with a strong coffee bean presence.
M - Solid and silky in the middle but a little thin around the edges.
O - Definitely a solid Impy Stout!
Nov 09, 2025A - Pitch black pour with creamy dark caramel colored lacing and head.
S - Huge roasty chocolate malt and coffee presence on the nose, totally dominates the nose.
T - Nice roasty chocolate malt base with a strong coffee bean presence.
M - Solid and silky in the middle but a little thin around the edges.
O - Definitely a solid Impy Stout!
Reviewed by Braunmeister_1943 from Pennsylvania
4.56/5 rDev +6.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.56/5 rDev +6.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Purchased as part of the New Trail Expedition Pack. A collaboration from New Trail x old thunder. Pours a viscous ebony color with a slightly tan head. Beautiful coffee aroma with dark roasted malt. Sweet cappuccino flavor with fruit, dark chocolate. Full mouthfeel with delicate carbonation. An outstanding coffee imperial stout collaboration!
Oct 26, 2025
Reviewed by Chickenhawk9932 from Pennsylvania
4.36/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.36/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Pours black with mahogany highlights and a caramel colored head.
Smells of coffee and chocolate with some nutty malt and earthy hop notes.
Big coffee and chocolate notes with subtle hits of currant, fig, cashew, and oaken port.
Oct 22, 2025Smells of coffee and chocolate with some nutty malt and earthy hop notes.
Big coffee and chocolate notes with subtle hits of currant, fig, cashew, and oaken port.
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