Sammyville
Side A Brewing - Public House

excellent and very roasty low alcohol stout, nice can of beer, these guys are doing some real good thing. i recognize a bit of dark grain familiarity here from there european dark lager which i found exceedingly roasty for the style as well, maybe a specialty dark malt in common between these two, not positive, but this leans black and bitter, which i dig here a lot, fits a little better than in the other one, although i liked it there too. black pour, short light brown head on it, not a ton of viscosity for this color density, fine carbonation in it, fills the glass nicely. the aroma is charry but not super bitter, dark coffee and cocoa nib character, almost a little woody, like high end charcoal can be, very little of the sweet middle malts that often balance this level of roastiness, so it really stands out, maybe a slightly english type yeast element, a little bready there but pretty clean overall on the ferment, and the flavor follows the nose, balances for its boldness, surprisingly low alcohol really, this has stronger character about it. bold as it warms but not to the point of being smoked or anything, and there isnt really acrid and harsh roast elements, its just really dark and intense, dry though and so somewhat quick, medium bodied, faint licorice, dark leather, and blacktop to it, dark chocolate and like chocolate cake, but without the sweetness, nicely built and executed overall, i like the flavor intensity from the dark grain and i like the lesser alcohol, stoked to have the other can in my fridge, these guys have really evolved into a formidable operation!

16oz can from Side A. Near black pour with a slowly fading one finger beige head. Bitter, roasty aroma, dark chocolate. Taste starts with the roasty bitterness, with some mild sweetness falling in immediately behind. Notes of chocolate and coffee.

draught
Lasting, lacy and creamy beige head. Very dark and opaque brown, without any light transmission through the glass. Generous amount of rich, dark roasted grains and some dark caramel notes, to the smell. Moderate levels of quite dark roasted, mixed grains, with dark roast malt, for the mouthfeel and underlying flavors.