Night Gazer
Tröegs Brewing Company

 

12 oz bottle, dated freshest by 8/31/26

pours black in color, with cream colored head. pleasant aroma of roasty espresso, with a touch of dark fruits. similar taste, dark chocolate in there too. drier finish, with some hop balance. medium to fuller bodied.

overall I like it, I'd put this in the Foreign Extra Stout category

 

It's ok, but nothing special.
A beautiful brown head.
A bit of a mineral taste.
Good to try, but wouldn't get again.

From the 12 oz bottle in a snifter. This excellent stout pours a rich
coal black with a nice head of khaki foam that settles to a thick ring, thin
dusty layer, and sports some nice lacing. Nose of chocolate, coffee, brewers licorice,
and herbal hops. Flavors hit the mark with dark chocolate, coffee, brewers
licorice, herbal hops, moderate char, toffee, and dark berry notes. Mouth
feel is full, smooth, rich, coating, warming, and finishing with a bitter
malt note.

Overall....stellar extra (more like export) stout done right!

Cheers

 

 

Pours a very dark brown, approaching black, with visible tight effervescence creeping along the sides, and two fat fingers of creamy, chocolate milk head. Great retention and lacing.

Restrained aroma of chocolate and carbon dioxide.

Chocolate, roasted malt, sweet cream and a hint of dark stone fruit in the taste. Light char bitterness in the finish.

Creamy mouthfeel with tight carbonation.

Very tasty with great balance between the sweet and bitter. Shocked that there’s no lactose in this. Gotta love them oats.

Thick tan head sits over a blacked out body. Aroma covers the basics for the style; roasted malts dominate while dark chocolate and coffee add some variety. Hops finally make an appearance in the taste without much fanfare but they do contribute a modest floral edge closer to the finish. Caramel and coffee still prevail. Earthy aftertaste. Smooth, creamy, softly carbonated, full bodied mouthfeel. Ready for another one.

6pk of 12oz bottles (Freshest by 080926) picked up at the Mount Vernon Market: With the arrival of Spring, probably, the last stout for awhile in hot & humid Baltimore. And what a nice one to go out on - NOT exactly an extra stout, but close enough. A nice balance of roasted malt and smooth chocolate.

Pours black with a thick brown colored head. Lots of nice lacing. Smell is of dark roasted malt and bakers chocolate. Flavor is bittersweet chocolate, coffee roast, and slight toffee sweetness. Medium to full body with a nice creaminess. Firm bitterness that lingers a bit, dry finish. Very nice beer.

Night Gazer (2026) from Troeg’s Brewing. Six pack of 12 fl oz bottles, purchased 02/04/26 from Franklin Beer, Franklin, PA. $ 11.00/$ 0.153/fl oz. On room temperature shelf at distributor, stored at 40 degrees F at home. Reviewed 08/04/26, review 3721. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Stamped on label “FRESHEST BY 080926.” Served at 49.2 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature is 57.0 degrees F.
Appearance – 4.
First pour – Deep Amber (SRM 15), clear.
Body – Black (SRM 40), opaque. Under direct light, same. When rear-lit, deep amber at the edges.
Head – Average (Maximum 3.5 cm, aggressive center pour). Caramel lightening to Biscuit as it oxygenates, high density, average duration; the head drops to a 0.6 cm crown fed by carbonation, and a thin, complete, rocky cap. A narrow line of micro-lacing remains at the top of the glass as the head retracts.
Lacing – Good. Wide irregular band of tiny bubbles remains attached to the head as the liquid level drops. This eventually devolves into very torn curtains.
Aroma – 3.75 – Light aroma of roasted malt. No hops, no alcohol.
Flavor – 3.5 – Slightly bitter with lightly roasted chocolate malt. No hops, no alcohol (7.1 % according to the label). No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. Slight gastric warming.
Palate – 4 – Medium: Slightly dry: Soft carbonation.
Style: Follows the BA style description.
Final impression and summation: 3.75 Uncredited label art. Not much to say – bitter like an American Stout, not smooth enough to be an oatmeal stout, despite the flaked oats in the grain bill. Decent, easy drinking, cheap beer.

Pours a brownish black color with a 1F tan head and light lacing.

Smells and tastes of toasted malt, coffee, caramel, chocolate and with a lightly bitter finish.

Medium heavy body with light carbonation. Oaty smooth mouthfeel.

This is a very tasty, not too bitter or too cloy stout.

Pours a deep dark brown to black color with over a finger of beige head. The nose has decent roasted notes. The roast profile is hearty in the flavor. It is complimented with some modest notes of coffee and chocolate. The mouth feel is creamy and this is somewhat hearty for the style.

 

Solid black appearance with a thin but lasting head
Light carbonation with an above average body that has a creamy heavy feel.
Aroma is a mix of black coffee, roasted malt, plum, fudge and chocolate.
Taste is a bit dry,plum, roasted coffee beans,malt and roasted malt.
Overall this an excellent well done stout

Pours a deep dark mahogany bordering black with a caramel colored head.

Roasted nut, whole grain bread malt, and caramel in the nose.

Taste follows nose with nice balance and subtle complexity.

This is probably as close to perfection for my personal taste as I've ever had. I bought a 6 pack expecting it to be good, but was blown away by how well done this is. Pitch black to within 1/8" of bottom of my glass when held up to light. Very rich malty character with just enough roast and hops to enhance the flavor, but not over done. This is very smooth and creamy and close to being a dessert stout. The label states they use oat flakes. I get dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and a bit of coffee. This is very nearly the level of some very highly regarded "Breakfast Stouts", but without the high price. Without a doubt my new go to stout. I live in PA so it very easy to obtain at a fair price. Although, they call this "extra stout" it tastes nothing like a Guinness. In a nutshell, this is a Founders Porter with more malt backbone and less bitterness.

Poured into a wide mouth, grip shaped goblet: color is black, head is tan with fine to small bubbles and presents nearly two fingers thick, head lingers very well with lacing on glass.

Smell is dark chocolate, roast, light coffee, some toast and caramel, light earth and herbal and hint of pine.

Taste is similar with forward dark chocolate and moderate roast, some coffee, toffee, toast and caramel; hop notes are earth and herbal.

Mouthfeel is moderate carbonation, moderate sweetness, moderate bitterness.

Overall a very good stout and well done by advertising as an 'extra stout' as that describes the twist as it has a stronger roast/chocolate component than the average of this style.