Keefe's Irish Stout
Granite Brewery & Restaurant

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From:
Granite Brewery & Restaurant
 
Ontario, Canada
Style:
Irish Dry Stout
Ranked #20
ABV:
4.5%
Score:
88
Ranked #12,971
Avg:
3.97 | pDev: 9.32%
Reviews:
13
Ratings:
27
Status:
Active
Rated:
Yesterday at 11:30 PM
Added:
Dec 23, 2003
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  3
A rich, malty stout with roasted, chocolate and coffee notes ending in a dry finish.

32 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by jjboesen:
Photo of jjboesen
Rated by jjboesen from Maryland

4.13/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Jul 15, 2015
More User Ratings:
Photo of paylstep
Reviewed by paylstep from Canada (ON)

3.98/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 4
Great beer. more expensive than Guinness, but i think a more refined taste! Heavier on the burnt taste, about the same level of bitterness, great coffee chocolate notes.
Yesterday at 11:30 PM
 
Rated: 3.77 by Glorithm from Canada (ON)

Oct 15, 2017
 
Rated: 4.51 by StormAles from Canada (ON)

Jun 29, 2017
Photo of chinchill
Reviewed by chinchill from South Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Keefe's Irish Stout on tap at The Henry House in Halifax where it's sometimes referred to as "Halifax Guinness".
Medium-light body that's smooth and well carbonated but seems a bit to thin.
Clear but very dark ruby colored body with a creamy and very durable head.
Hints of smoke and char. No fruit notes. Moderately bitter.
Lasting aftertaste of very dark roasted grains.
Jun 11, 2016
 
Rated: 4.3 by kevinlater from Canada (ON)

Jun 09, 2016
 
Rated: 3.92 by 4ster from Canada (ON)

Nov 04, 2015
 
Rated: 3.99 by Coronaeus from Canada (ON)

May 23, 2015
 
Rated: 3.55 by zeenzeen from Canada (NS)

Dec 14, 2014
 
 
Rated: 4 by Bf_89 from Canada (ON)

Nov 23, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by hunterjames from Canada (ON)

Jun 16, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by Ivanhoes_Backpack from Canada (NB)

Apr 25, 2013
 
Rated: 4.5 by Lobstertainment from Canada (ON)

Apr 24, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by waiting4lunch from Massachusetts

May 10, 2012
 
Rated: 3.75 by Wordslinger from Canada (ON)

May 06, 2012
Photo of liamt07
Reviewed by liamt07 from Canada (ON)

4.09/5  rDev +3%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
On tap at the brewpub.

Pours a shade or two off midnight black, couldn't see any light penetrate this at any point. Dense body, and an even denser and creamier mocha head. Heavy retention and lace. Gorgeous stout, even left me with a stout mustache. Nose has some light coffee and caramel, and hint of chocolate. Taste follows, with some sweet caramel and dry, bitter coffee. Thick mouthfeel, and roasty throughout. Creamy going down and great drinkability. Helluva stout, something I pursue every time I visit them. Likely my favourite regular offering of theirs.
Feb 06, 2011
Photo of biegaman
Reviewed by biegaman from Canada (ON)

3.93/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
On-tap at Volo, in Toronto.

The Irish people are often characterized as having freckly white skin and auburn red hair; their beers for being jet black and possessing a mousy head. Keefe's Irish Stout, though brewed in Canada, definitely looks the part for its name. It is opaque and dense looking, capped with a pasty, white cream. This, art students, is the definition of chiaroscuro.

The aroma is rather quiet and tame relative to higher gravity stouts. For an Irish Dry Stout, however, it has just the right balance between passivity and personality. Its grainy, roasty smell is unwavering, hints of coffee and cocoa just barely slip under the nose as they are scorned by the dense, obtuse scent of roasted barley. It smells mighty tasty.

And indeed, it is! The brewer, to ensure good flavour and mouthfeel, didn't hesitate to splurge on the malt. His heavy-hand has led to a desirable balance between bitter and lightly astringent roasted barley flavours and more lush, palatable notes of unsweetened chocolate. The combination is exceedingly smooth with a lasting aftertaste.

Which is precisely why the beer's acidic, sour mouthfeel stood out to me like a sore thumb. Judges will tell you this is common (if not expected) for the style, but if you ask me this almost lactic, curdled milk-like shot of sourness in an unusual contrast to the otherwise light, creamy texture. Luckily, in the end it detracted none from drinkability.

Warm smiles on rugged faces, green rolling hills, breezy rocky shores, crumbling Celtic vestiges, the polished brass, musty oak and warm fire of the pub - all of Ireland seems to rise in the dark, creamy and roasty sensation of a good stout. Keefe's Irish Stout won't have you seeing shamrocks but it's more than adequate for a good old-fashioned craic.
Mar 24, 2010
Photo of biboergosum
Reviewed by biboergosum from Canada (AB)

3.85/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
On-tap at Volo - 45 minute, multiple-inquiry wait for this - the anticipation is palpable...

This beer appears a fuzzy dark brown hue, with minor red highlights, and one finger of creamy white head. It smells of roasted, bready malt, and a bit of milkiness. The taste is dry roasted malt, and some dry orchard fruit. The carbonation is moderate, the body smooth, and on the south side of medium weight, and it finishes off-dry, that creamy milkiness coming back around.

A pretty convincing Guinness/Murphy's analogue, but with the extra hint of milk stout characteristics. Worth the wait? Debatable.
Mar 22, 2010
Photo of Viggo
Reviewed by Viggo from Canada (ON)

4.18/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
On tap at Volo for St. Paddy's. Was sure I had reviewed this one before.

Pours a dark reddish black, some light gets through in the edges, very thick and chunky tan head forms, slowly settles down to a thick ring and leaves some generous lacing on the glass.

Smell is nice, dark and roasty, some chocolate, biscuit, caramel sweetness, light bit of raisiny fruit, some oats and toast, a bit of vanilla, light floral, this is somewhere between a dry Irish and an American stout.

Taste is similar, nice vanilla and tobacco notes up front, chocolate, some roastiness, raisin, caramel and a bit of molasses, oats, biscuit and toast, nice roasty bitter finish.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with low to medium carbonation. A pretty great stout, has the ABV of a dry Irish with the beefiness of an American stout.
Mar 18, 2010
Keefe's Irish Stout from Granite Brewery & Restaurant
Beer rating: 88 out of 100 with 27 ratings