Stouts that are way too bitter?

I believe I’ve even learned that aspect from You. I don’t recall the conversation but I remember you a while back talking about how over roasted malts effect the acidic leading to perceived bitterness. Now with the Tonewood beer in question maybe it was a fresh and green hoppiness I was tasting given I drank it hours after it was canned and the low ABV stout. 4%. You can’t hide things with that low of an ABV. Not sure the good used I can assume Nugget of some kind of English East Kent Golding which very well could have added that sharp grass flavor. It wasn’t hoppy. Just felt too green which was odd for a stout

 

Everybody knows about the heavily hopped Pale Ales sent to India in the 19th century.
But at the same time three times as much equally heavily hopped Porter was also shipped there.This is what the troops drank.

 

The worst trait in what I deem bad Stouts are ones that are thin, over carbonated, and resemble cola more than beer. And yes, overly bitter isn’t great either. Cheers.

 

I just published a recipe for an 1890 Imperial Stout. The calculated IBUs came to 120.
https://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2022/01/lets-brew-1890-truman-imperial-stout.html

A 1920's Russian Stout recipe came out at 132 IBU.
https://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2022/01/lets-brew-wednesday-1924-barclay.html

 

Alchemist's Beelzebub is a bitter char bomb.

Maybe it's just my palate because reviews are saying it has lots of "chocolate" notes. To me it was char, coffee, more char, and tons of hops.

 

I think they had exclusive distro through Total Wine

 

Sounds like a John Candy old school beer story.. Welcome back to the future again and again. No maybe that's Groundhog Day? And that is a fine beer for sure....

 

And those Colonial troops were a cantankerous lot. I guess I'm thinking of Victor McLaglen and not Cary Grant.

 

I picked up some Storm King recently, as well.

In the vein of this thread, I thought that the hop profile was more assertive than I remembered. It's been a long time since my last Storm King, so it's impossible to know. Looking at my original review wasn't terribly helpful either.

What did you think?

 

It's the same beer to me, but benefits from being pretty fresh. So, yeah, the hops really do pop.

In the old days I've had it this fresh maybe 10 to 20% of the time. It's not just the bitterness either, or how forward the piney quality is; as these hops age they tend to get more like a dried out Christmas tree. Right now there's still a "freshly cut" evergreen feel to it.

 

I was coming here to say the same thing about Beelzebub. I found it kind of funny that the Alchemist describes the beer as 'keeping the bitterness in check'. That was the most bitter stout I have ever tasted.

I always thought that Old Rasputin was a very balanced stout. I've never really paid attention to bottling dates but the last one I had was relatively of bitter. I'll let the others sit a a bit and see if it changes.

 

Glad it's not just me. If they called it an Imperial Black IPA I wouldn't bat an eye.

The first time I had it I thought it was mislabeled.

 

Storm King came to mind immediately but I haven't had one in ages.

 

"Since the re-release of this beer last fall (it was on ‘hiatus’ for something like 4 years) I have purchased a six-pack and afterwards a case."

Get it now! It might be another 4-5 years before Victory produces this brand again.

Cheers!

 

Can't relate. I love bitter and hoppy stouts. Ten Fidy and Storm King are both f*cking phenomenal.

 

A stout can't be way too bitter for me. Perhaps slightly too bitter?