Bench Seat
Gearblock Brewing Company

 

10 oz. pour on draught at the brewery. I let it warm for about 20 minutes before making notes. It pours an oily dark walnut - almost black - with a half finger of creamy, khaki head and residual soapy lacing inside the glass. It took some time for the smell to develop but it did so nicely with lots of roasted malt, dark chocolate, burnt coffee, strawberry, leather, and a whiff of tobacco smoke. The taste follows with mellow dark chocolate, burnt nuts, and earthy char. The strawberry puree nicely balances the bitterness and compliments the other flavors. It's ripe and slightly tart. As the Stout warms there are also some sweeter hints of caramel. The mouth feel is superb! Thick and chewy with lite/moderate carbonation, and the 10% ABV is well-hidden. It drinks very easily. Overall, the whole of Bench Seat exceeds the sum of its parts. It's a pleasurable big Stout to drink.