Shaughnessy Stout | Brewsters Brewing Company & Restaurant - Lake Bonavista

4/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From notes, consumed 9/27 during trip to Calgary. Had this at the Eau Claire location (at least that's the general location, near the Eau Claire Market, by the Eau Claire Sheraton).

Appearance: Served in a pint glass. Black, almost no light will travel through. Served with a good head, at least 1/2 inch. Nice thick lacing.

Smell: Roasted malt, aromas of chocolate, coffeee, and a hint of toffee (sweetness). Somewhat one-dimensional, but that's how I like my stouts.

Taste: Somwhat like the BV Brown, but turned up a little. There is a touch of bitterness here, reminding me of a subdued Sierra Nevada.

Mouthfeel: Fuller bodied than the brown, rich and creamy.

Drinkability: I'd be happy to sit and quaff these all night, but I must be on to more.

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3.73/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

500ml bottle poured into a 20oz nonic.

A - Pours an ink black color with a thick mocha head on top. Decent head retention, minimal lacing.

S - Roasted malt and mild coffee beans. Slight creamy sweetness in the malt that just feels distinctly Brewsters to me. A touch of smoke. It's got a sweetness, but it's not chocolatey.

T - Follows the nose fairly closely. Roasted feel overall, but still kept relatively mild. Coffee-like bitterness floats around in the finish, but doesn't add much astringency. The flavor never really comes to fruition with this.

M - Medium bodied feel, slightly creamy. A little smooth, but it could be more so. Carbonation is kept quite low.

D - A decent local stout but nothing spectacular. This was the last from the Brewsters six-pack, and they were all pretty good. Certainly a no nonsense brewery and a welcome addition to my list of locally available brews.

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3.6/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

pours a jet black, with a tan head. Served on nitro, so, typical nitro appearance. Smells of some light fruity malts, and a decent roast character. No burnt-sugar smells. Flavour is much the same - it's got a rich feel to it, with an unusual raisiny fruitiness. Not much noticeable hop character. Drinkability is about average.

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3.6/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours inky black fading to brown, not much head, maybe half a finger of coffee colored foam. Aroma is strong coffee with a tinge of smoke that recalls hickory bacon. No discernible fruitiness on the nose. Palate starts a bit smoky and acrid but quickly mellows out, revealing considerable sweetness and a silky smooth milkiness that combines with the strong coffee, burnt and smoke flavors to yield a cooked cafe latte effect. Not terribly bitter or dry. Really quite well-balanced English stout with some added acidity. Sessionable for stout lovers.

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3.59/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - black with a short mocha head with average retention
S - dark chocolate, light coffee, licorice and roasty malt
T - cocoa powder, mild coffee, cola syrup, a musty flavour with roasty malt throughout
M - relatively thin with a quick carbonation kick that quickly gives way to a bitter and slightly chalky finish
D - with a nice mix of classic stout flavours and a relatively light feel this is very drinkable, although I think I prefer the pints i've had at Brewster's over the take home bottle option

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3.41/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Best beer in their lineup (Barleywine not yet on). This is worth going out of the way for if in town. Came back here for a second the enxt day. Nice colour, head. Nice lace. Bittersweet, coffee good. Not a dry stout as the Irish name might confound you. Active carbonation. Medium mouthfeel.

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