school me on coffee stouts

A rich coffee nose, the roastiness of a good coffee to compliment a full-bodied, well-balanced stout

 

You need to find some Founders Breakfast Stout and start there, most of your questions will be answered.

 

Its just that Cappucino Stout isnt the best beer. If you happened to find any Weyerbacher Sunday Morning Stout, youll love it.

 

God dammit Victory at Sea ftw!

 

I'm no coffee expert and I've said as much in other coffee stout or coffee related beer threads, but I tend not to home in so much on the coffee in the beer in determining whether I like the coffee beer or not. I generally just taste coffee and like the addition to my beer.

However, sometimes with some great coffees I really start to notice their contribution to a brew. Sometimes I get caramel, berry flavors, or even just a roasted, burnt bread kind of deal. Recently I had the Modern Times Black House with Coconut and Cacao nibs and there was a buttery flavor that seemed to be emanating from the coffee but could as well have been diacetyl. Bottom-line, it wasn't a good addition to the beer, whatever it was.

Finally, I too loved High Westified and having had Sunday Morning Stout, KBS and Morning Bell all recently as well, I have to say the Sunday Morning Stout felt a lot like the High Westified---in feel, taste, aroma, etc. I am not so sure it was the coffee or the measured bourbon barrel flavors, but the beer were both similarly delicious.

Give that one a run as I'm sure you can get it in New York. At least in NYC.

 

I look for the coffee to add a sweet coffee flavor, definitely not bitterness. Avoid breakfast stout, it's very bitter

 

As I've suggested before in the past, Alesmith's Speedway Stout w/coffee, Lagunitas Cappucino Stout and Modern Times Blackhouse Coffee Stout.

 

This is what I came here to say. Victory at Sea is a porter, but it drinks like a stout in my book. It is the best example in my book as far as taste and ease of accessibility. I do truly love Bourbon County Coffee, but the coffee really does overpower the stout. When I drink a coffee stout, I want to taste the coffee. I want it to be right up front and let the stout backbone mellow the bitterness and provide a nice mouthfeel. Big Bad Baptist is very well balanced, but it does vary pretty widely from year to year. Breakfast stout is fantastic and easy to access.

 

+1 for Founder's Breakfast Stout (100) & Ale Smith's Speedway Stout (97). These, IMO, are three of the best examples of the style. The third on that list is Terrapin's Wake-n-Bake (96).

As an honorable mention, although a porter, is Philly Brewing Company's Joe Coffee Porter (84). I have found that most coffee stouts are rather big beers, but Joe is really light and clean. I found it a great experience to have a lower ABV beer with a nice and strong coffee presence. I presume it gets rated lower because it simply isn't big enough to woo the nerds.

 

I might try Founder's Breakfast Stout, Peche Mortel, and Victory at Sea. Among the best, and offer much different coffee flavor profiles. And, if you don't like any of those, I can't imagine that the style would ever really work for you.

 

I don't find FBS to be bitter at all and I drink it quite often. It's one of my favorites.

I didn't really care for the Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout either. That one was too bitter for me.

As others have suggested, Victory at Sea, Peche Mortel, Speedway Stout, Wake 'n Bake and Speedway Stout are all fantastic.

One of my favorites that hasn't been mentioned is Stone Espresso IRS. Man do I wish that they'd make that one every year!

 

I am not overly impressed with any of the three mentioned by the OP, @monkeybeerbelly - there are some really stunning coffee stouts out there that will change your world view.

For my tastes, a coffee stout should be rich and full-bodied, with roasty bittersweet dark chocolate malts and a sweetened cold espresso/coffee flavor merging together seamlessly...

Some of my faves, of varying availability, include...
Founders Breakfast Stout
Eclipse Java Stout
Bourbon County Coffee Stout
Speedway Stout
KBS
Peche Mortel
Aun Mas Café Jesus
Beer Geek Brunch Weasel
Imperial Biscotti Break

 

I like my coffee stouts to be very much coffee forward otherwise I just stick to stouts.

 

Founders Breakfast is really good; to me the best pure example of the style.
Alesmith Speedway is delicious as well, but to me the coffee element takes a back seat to the fact that it's such a huge-ass, grown-man beer.
Victory at Sea is unique. Drinks like a stout, and the coffee element is strong; the vanilla makes it different from the rest of what's been mentioned.
Eclipse Java is very expensive and delicious, but again, a lot more than just coffee going on there; the bourbon element dominates all those Eclipse beers.
Had an Espresso Oak Aged Yeti recently. mmmmm
And the Imperial Biscotti Break is a great suggestion.

 

One of my favorite coffee stouts is a local from Green Bay, Luna Coffee Stout from Hinterland is a damn good one too.

Plus all the others mentioned itt, especially Founders.

 

BCBCS was quite amazing FRESH. After a couple months, that true coffee taste/aroma was subdued. The same can be said for most coffee beers out there.

I think there may be a crowd that likes a small bit of coffee hints. While the other likens it to being nearly an alcholic cup of coffee (beer).

OP, you need to find what you think you want, and go from there.

Personally, the beer has to be above 8%. It has to carry some mouthfeel and sweetness on its own. Coffee should never be added to a beer to make it more bitter. It just may be a beer that had cofee added to the brewing process at the wrong time. I vote for half compliment the flavors, half overpower.. You have to know its there. Some beers ride the thin line of complimenting the malt flavors. I want some prominent flavors

 

I prefer the bright, fruity acidity that a good, single-origin African coffee can bring to a stout (see this year's BCBCS, Sump, Rwandan Kyoto Sump), but I will settle for those generic cold-press elements that lesser (in my opinion) coffee stouts bring. I'm even more of a coffee enthusiast than beer, so I have high standards for how it is used in beer.

 

Let me know if Im wrong but.. I didn't think that beer had coffee?