Dirt In the Tread
Trail's End Brewing

I don't normally like stouts all that much because of the coffee flavor but this one is mainly chocolate and malt. Also put a slight amount of Root Beer with it and it is fantastic. Had 4 or 5 years ago. My wife had it and I sampled.

a robust and well made stout here, like a lot of their stuff, quite simple but very well executed, nice for weather that still feels like winter. close to black but still definitely in the brown color family, with a short but lasting cream head on it. the nose here is quite a lot of roast, some chocolate malt in the middle, a little leather and raisin thing too, coffee warmth to it, some definite bitterness, and even lightly hoppy, without any real contribution from the yeast, nice grain build evident, a thoughtful and intentional brew. the flavor is smooth and long, roasty all the way through with a light woody note, soft spice and chocolate in the middle, and a slightly piney bitter hop finish. nice flow and balance to this, some fun espresso nuance underneath it all, and a pretty tidy back end. i like this light body but the slightly higher abv, this is approachable still, but absolutely full flavored. good carbonation for the style, dark chocolate on the aftertaste, and a frothy palate indicating maybe some oats in the mash, but im not sure. overall a true to style american stout that shows some real precision in the brew hours. nice year rounder.