Pastry Stout Series: Breakfast Stout (Coffee, Vanilla, & Maple Syrup)
Western Collective

16oz can from Brewers Haven. Near black pour yields a one finger fluffy beige head, which subsides to a thin, filmy layer. Coffee first in the aroma, notes of maple follow. Taste is bitter and sweet, the coffee and maple balancing out. Vanilla kind of appears here and there throughout. Very dry finish.

 

A-standard dark pour with modest to minimal khaki head
S-roasty coffee notes, some vanilla and maple
T-coffee, then vanilla and maple. Avg (+) sweet for the pastry stout style, thanks to the amount of maple syrup in it. Could use a little more bitter
M-Avg (-) body with nice creamy finish.
O-It's not a top tier maple breakfast stout, but don't think it was sold as such. Met or just exceeded expectations. Western Collective is solid as usual.

youve got to like them sweet, but if you do this is quite good, another side of western collective that has really evolved in the last year or so, the big stout, adjunct or not, this is maybe an under the radar part of what they do, but they have all been pretty impressive. this one is loaded with maple, almost so intense in the mix that it seems inauthentic, but the flavor is real maple as i get used to it. the vanilla may be overkill, as it presents rather sweet alongside the maple, delicious, but this is pretty desserty. i am thankful for the coffee, its the first thing i smell in this and the last thing i taste, some deep roast and even a little acidity to it, needed bitterness, and nuances of dark chocolate, raisin, and hazelnut, lots of middle room in the grain too is super compatible with all of it, and the low end is bitter on the grain side as well, this stays close to balanced despite all the sugar in it as a result. the alcohol is quite well hidden, the body is round and smooth without being too large, and this has a certain fancy vibe to it, despite the fun and low brow sort of packaging on it. to me this is over flavored, but the flavors that are here are excellent, and the base beer is of excellent quality. a maple bomb really enhanced by the coffee. nice winter sipper!