Wooly Jumper
Astro Lab Brewing

Poured from a can into a pint glass.

Appearance: Aggressive pour kicks up an enormous light tan head, slowly giving way to a rich dark brown body.

Smell: Kind of a brown ale profile -- toasted rye bread, nuts, hops. Chocolatey malt underneath.

Taste: A dry stout indeed -- follows the nose with the toasted bread and nuts, although there's also a roasty acidity that takes it out of brown ale and into dry stout territory. Appropriately hopped, just enough to add a bit of complexity.

Feel: Medium-bodied and moderately carbonated. Dryish finish, but not harsh.

Overall: A very good stab at an "American dry stout" style.

Poured from the can into a branded tulip/snifter glass.

Real nice uniform filling head, a creamy topped three fingers of light tan color, with a big beveled slow forming crowned collar as it settles. Deep mahogany red body color, almost dark as red can get. The odd tan bubble stream pops up through the body. Very good looking stout here.

Solid nose. Light touches of both milky and dark chocolate on first whiff. Aroma pulls a nice little roast coffee quality, but the chocolate angle is more noticeable. Straight forward and simple aroma and good.

Palate gets the job done. Simple light body, with a bit of kick and a supportive mouthfeel. Sharp roast bitterness with mixing hop notes of earth and pine. Finishes very quickly but flavorful, a good amount of black pepper and spiced hop kick mixing with some real charring notes of roast as well. Coffee angle hinted on the nose seems lost, as does the chocolate sweetness too. But tasty roast spicy character is bountiful.

Good solid stout.