Age of Industry
Grey Matter Brewing Co.

Appearance: Poured with a thumb's worth of head that did leave behind some lace and retained till about the half way done point. The body is black as night, with only some dark red highlights showing when put up to direct light.

Smell: Stouty, burnt malt with coffee, nut and and maybe a hint of the darkest of dark chocolate. A bit of warming is needed for it to achieve good potency, but it's solid.

Taste: Dark chocolate malt to start that turn into a burnt malt bitterness with hints of nut, earth and a touch of tobacco and the end. This is a solid sipping stout, something you pace yourself but are thankful for it.

Mouthfeel: The transitioning is solid, and I like how the malt change that goes from sweeter chocolate to a more burnt note works. I also like that the bitterness is constrained to drinking as the aftertaste is slightly dry nut and mixed malt that doesn't cling or overstate it's welcome. I think the carbonation isn't quite doing enough lifting here though, as if a creamier note came across I think it would do wonders. I do wonder how it would fare with Nitro.

Drinkability: I've had thicker stouts, but I wouldn't say that it's straining my preference for stout to drink like a meal, or getting into Porter territory. It settles down well enough and while it's not the most refreshing thing out there, this again, is a great sipping stout. Had it with some meat pie tonight and it was a great pairing.

Final Thoughts: This is just an all around, solid, serviceable stout. There are pieces of it that could be improved, and I wouldn't say it's breaking any molds, but it knows what it is, and does it right. No bells, no whistles just a Stout that gets the job done and has a fitting name as a result.