Kama Stoutra
Great Lakes Brewery

Thanks to FlandersNed for this oddball offering. A stout with curry spices? Served in a Darkness snifter.

A - A finger of tan foam settles to a wispy partial cap, and a thick collar, leaving a few stray splotches of lace. Very dark near-black body, with some reddish hints at the edges of the glass.

S - Smells like curry. Cumin, cayenne, and other nebulous Indian spices. There's some roast and dusted cocoa powder stout flavors in the periphery. Spice really grows as the beer warms up, but it integrates surprisingly well.

T - Taste has a bit more cocoa and vanilla stout flavors, but with cumin and curry flavors spicing things up, pun intended. No alcohol. Some chalk and espresso bitterness in the finish.

M - Medium-light body, some spice heat, zesty carbonation, slightly gritty texture.

D - I was expecting a train wreck, but this was pretty enjoyable. I think a slightly bigger beer would support the curry flavors a better, but this was nice regardless.

650ml Project X bottle from the brewery, listed at 5.6% and 25 IBUs. Into a tulip.

A shade or two off black, brown head with OK retention and lacing. Typical stout. Big chocolate notes upfront, and fantastically so. A bit of sweetness and beyond that, some spicing. Definite curry, paprika and cumin notes.Just light enough to complement the chocolate and make this just a bit curious. More chocolate on the palate, a bit of roast before transitioning into a big wave of spicing. More curry and cumin, and a dry, spicy, chocolatey finish. Spicing remains in the throat for quite some time. Medium body and average for the style, and low carbonation. A nice spicy stout, paired well with some black beans and spicy chicken.

Bottle from Project X January. Leaving it for a month to take the edge off the spices worked for me. Curry, Cumin,Cayenne, these are spices I will take unadulterated in my dishes. So their prominence in the beer did not throw me off, in fact i liked it. Stout backing it was just ho-hum. Black colour, with dark brown muddy retained head. Spices in the nose, clearing the sinuses. Decent drinkability.