Newport Storm '15
Newport Craft Brewing & Distilling Co.

Coastal Extreme Brewing Co. "15"
25.4 fl. oz. blue glass bottle, corked and waxed over

Notes via stream of consciousness: For some reason I had never realized that this was a blue glass bottle, but more importantly I didn't realize it was just a cork with wax over it. Hopefully time hasn't led to oxidation. It's poured an almost opaque black-brown with the exception of some very dark mahogany brown highlights at the bottom of the glass. Those seem to be clear so I'll assume it was filtered - I certainly wouldn't bottle-condition a beer that only had a cork in it! And the carbonation is pretty low. It took a bit of a rough pour to bring up an inch-thick head of tan but it's held pretty well so far, and it still has a solid surface covering - whoops - just as I wrote that it started to break, but it's still almost 98% solid. OK, moving on, it's smoky in the nose. Definitely Beechwood on this one, no doubt. I'm guessing it's Weyermann. Beyond that I get some medium-dark caramel, and light chocolate. It smells good, I'll give it that. I'm almost afraid to taste it for fear that something's gone wrong but here we go... ahhhhh! I'm pleasantly relieved, and also pleasantly surprised! It's rich and malty and caramelish with some brown sugar, a bit of light milk chocolate, some soft red fruit that's maybe like sweetened cherry, and some soft smoke. If this was once a "bacon beer" two years in the cellar has smoothed it remarkably. --- Ahh, it's too good not to share it, I had to cork it back up and put it back in the fridge for my wife to try when she gets home from work. We're going to Bamberg for a few days in about a month so she'll want to try it. --- Anyway, let's see what else I can glean from this... some light toastiness, and more golden caramel, some dark skinned fruit (raisin, dried fig), a little bit of grassiness in the finish, and just a suggestion really of coffee. It's not that bitter, and it's a bit sweet, but it's not cloying or sticky as it simply fades away in the finish. I wish I'd reviewed this beer earlier, there's no telling what it was like before, but it's really supple and smooth and rich right now. Medium-full in body with a moderate carbonation. It'd make a great dessert beer, or strong beer for sitting with by the fire. And even at 11.0% ABV I don't find a hint of alcohol, yet I can feel it. That's the problem with aging beers, you never know what you're going to get until you get it. Without a question, and I'm sure my score will bear it out, this is my favorite beer from Coastal Extreme.

 

 

 

 

Sampled a cellar temp bottle poured into a snifter. The beer pours a cola brown color with a creamy tan head of 1 cm that fades to a wispy surface layer. The beer also leaves a clingy densely packed lattice after each sip from my glass.
The aroma is a bit of brown sweet malt and then a bit of smoke with some smoked meat note to it and a little campfire ash.
First sip reveals an average body with average carbonation that does nothing to hurt the drinkability on this brew. I do get a little bit of a coating on my palate after each swallow that I believe comes from the sweeter malt and higher ABV in this beer.
Flavor is what would be expected with a hint of sweet malt then a good dose of smoked meat and some ash. This then moves to a dose of chocolate and then the smoked meat lingers on the back of my mouth.
I find no real booze heat and not sure there is any hint of hops on the flavor or the nose.
This is a tasty brew that has high drinkability, making it possible to sneak up on you. A tasty treat for this past annual beer from Coastal Extreme.

 

Poured from a wax-sealed and corked 750ml bottle into a mug glass.

A: The beer is a deep dark brown color with a thin off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains rich smoked malts and smoked meat along with some chocolate and a faint touch of hops.

T: The taste starts likewise starts out with a strong smoked meat flavors that is quickly followed by some chocolate. Then a hearty roasted malt character comes in along with some background flavors of licorice and dark fruit. The hops presence is very mild as expected but brings a little bit of balance. The after-taste is slightly smoky and slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and a little smooth, medium-to-heavy body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

O: Flavorful, goes down dangerously easy, not too filling, well-disguised strong kick, good representation of style. This is a solid beer to drink for a while if you’re in the mood for the style.

 

 

The bottle was corked and waxed, and was a real pain in the ass to open. To the brewery: "Hey guys, the bottle looks pretty, but it is a real chore to open. Stop doing that."
In a teku glass the beer was a very dark brown with a tiny tan head.
Aroma of chocolate and smoke, worked well together.
Taste of chocolate and bacon. Rather awesome!
Smooth, drinkable. Belies the 11% ABV.

 

 

 

Poured from a slightly inconvenient waxed and corked bottle into a snifter. Smell is a wee bit of booze... Mixed with bacon, and some smokey malts. Taste follows the nose. Smokey, malty, a slight booze/bourbon taste, followed by some excellent bacon on the back end. The bacon tastes lingers in your mouth throughout the beer. Excellent taste and look... A little bit thin for an 11% beer but it doesn't take away from it. Hope to get my hands on another bottle.