Tag Archives: Stout

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Southern Tier Jahva Imperial Coffee Stout

Southern Tier Jah-Va Imperial Coffee StoutSouthern Tier Brewing Company, located in Lakewood, New York, has built a reputation of brewing some pretty awesome beers since 2002. They have a number of popular year-round beers such as their 2X IPA, Iniquity Black Ale, and Unearthly IPA. They also feature seasonal favorites like 2X Christmas and Imperial Pumpking. This is my first bout with Southern Tier Jahva Imperial Coffee Stout, and much like my previous experiences with the brewery, this one rocks!

This beer pours a very, very dark brown with about one finger of tan head. The head does not last long but lacing is decent. Overall this is very visually attractive beer.

The aroma is a blast of roasted coffee and dark chocolate malts. There is a little bit of caramel and vanilla present, but the coffee and chocolate really take over here. There is also a bit of a boozy smell on the end of the nose. It smells great, but not overly complex. It’s pretty much exactly what you might expect from a coffee stout.

The taste doesn’t deviate much from the aroma, which is not a knock on this beer at all; it’s delicious. The flavor is heavy on the chocolate malts and the coffee is quite pronounced. I get some caramel, hints of vanilla, and some molasses as well. It’s relatively sweet for the most part, but on the back end there is a nice hop bitterness that melds nicely with the bitterness from the coffee.

Jahva is full-bodied and feels very creamy, if not a bit oily, on the pallet. It weighs in at about 10.5% ABV, and you’ll know it by the boozy taste left on the back of your tongue on the finish.

I’ve had a handful of coffee beers, and generally they tend to be hit-or-miss to me. This one is a hit, for sure. It’s big, and while it isn’t very complex, it is very delicious. Southern Tier aimed for a particular flavor here, and it’s executed excellently. Go give it a try. Cheers!

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Hoppin Frog Barrel Aged BORIS Oatmeal Imperial Stout

Hoppin Frog Barrel Aged BORIS Oatmeal Imperial StoutHoppin Frog is a small brewery located in Akron, Ohio that continuously churns out some unbelievably great beers. Their BORIS the Crusher Oatmeal Imperial Stout was a Gold medal winner at the Great American Beer Festival in both 2008 and 2011. BORIS is an acronym used by the brewery that translates to Bodacious Oatmeal Russian Imperial Stout. The name may seem a bit redundant, but, nevertheless  it’s an awesome name for an awesome beer. The Hoppin Frog Barrel Aged BORIS Oatmeal Imperial Stout is essentially the same beer, but it is aged in oak whiskey barrels to impart additional flavor and character to the beer. This process takes the aforementioned awesomeness of the original BORIS to an entirely new level.

The Oak Aged BORIS pours just about as black as you’re going to find in any beer. When held up to light, there are some faint hints of brown around the edge of the glass, but it’s otherwise akin to staring into a dark abyss. There is about one and a half fingers of creamy, tan head which recedes quickly, leaving behind a few tiny bubble around the glass.

Upon first sniff it is immediately obvious that this beer has been barrel-aged. The wood and whisky aromas hit you the face hard. But underneath of that, there is a very complex profile. There are lots of dark, roasted chocolate and caramel malt, molasses, and a bit of vanilla. The whiskey also gives the beer a bit of an alcohol note at the end.

Drinking this beer is a delight. The whiskey is prominent in the flavor, as well as the intense wood flavor imparted from the barrels. It’s very heavy with the roasted malts, and the dark chocolate and caramel flavors are really mouth-watering. There is some molasses in there too, which impart some sweetness to the beer. There a very little kick from the hops on the finish, but, in its place there is certainly some alcohol flavor. My bottle was served a bit colder than it should have been, but I nursed it over the course of about 30-45 minutes, and as it crept towards room temperature the flavors really began to blossom.

Not only is Hoppin Frog Barrel Aged BORIS Oatmeal Imperial Stout a mouthful to say, it’s literally a mouthful. This is a big, heavy beer. Having said that, though, it’s remarkably easy to drink. The mouthfeel is creamy, lightly carbonated, and one of the smoothest beers I’ve every had.

Hoppin Frog is a relatively small brewery in Northeast Ohio, but they distribute to a good chunk of the Mid-West and East Coast. If you live in Ohio, you should definitely check these guys out and support your local brewers. If you live outside of Ohio, check for availability in your neck of the woods and treat yourself to this truly amazing brew.

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Southern Tier Double Milk Stout

As the weather outside begins to chill, it’s time to warm up to a good stout. Tonight, my choice is Southern Tier’s Double Milk Stout. The stout is not a beer style I have always enjoyed, but I find that I’m liking them more and more. This is my first milk stout, and I’d say it was good choice.

For anyone not familiar with milk stouts, it’s essentially a stout that contains lactose. The lactose (sugar from milk which does not ferment in the beer) adds body and sweetness to the beer.

Double Milk Stout, or 2X Stout as it’s labeled, is very dark with a slight amber tint. My pour had minimal head and lacing, but I’m willing to chalk that up to user error. I don’t exactly pride myself on exceptional pouring skills. There is a lot going on in the aroma, and if I had to describe it in one word, it would be “chewy.” It smells very robust with lots of chocolate and coffee, but there is also a roastiness present.

One of the features that attracts me stouts is the smoothness, and Southern Tier has nailed it with this milk stout. It feels thicker than it looks and it goes down silky smooth. The aroma does not betray the flavor either; there is plenty of chocolate and coffee present. However, the flavors are very well balanced and I don’t feel overwhelmed by any one flavor in particular. It is very malty and lightly hopped, and I detect a very slight alcohol warmth on the finish.

I don’t have a fireplace, but I imagine this would be a great beer for a cold night in front of the fire. I plan to pair my next bottle with dark chocolate. If you’re fan of stouts and have not tried Southern Tier’s Double Milk Stout, I recommend giving it a shot. If you have, what did you think?

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Harpoon Chocolate Stout

Harpoon Chocolate Stout was included in the Harpoon Holiday 12-pack that Jason previously mentioned in his post about Harpoon IPA. I’ve had a couple chocolate stouts previously (Sam Adams’ Chocolate Bock and Young’s Double Chocolate Stout) and this is certainly my favorite.

It pours intensely black with a good three fingers-worth creamy, light tan head. Retention and lacing are great. The aroma is unmistakably chocolate, particularly dark chocolate, with perhaps a hint of roasted malt. Absolutely awesome!

Like most other type of dark beers, I find that the various flavors present in a chocolate beer present themselves better as the temperature of the beer increases toward room temperature. I drank Harpoon Chocolate Stout straight from the refrigerator and it was amazing. This beer is all about chocolate. On the front end you get a rich, sweet, almost milk chocolate taste. On the finish there is bit of bitterness akin to bar of dark chocolate. I also  detected a faint hint of coffee. Mouthfeel was very creamy with average carbonation.

I really hope this beer is available in a the 6-pack variety next holiday season because it is absolutely worth purchasing again. Other “chocolate” beers I’ve tried had tastes that were reminiscent of chocolate, but I found the flavor to be underwhelming. Harpoon Chocolate Stout is exactly what it says it is, and it is a pleasure to drink.  

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Sam Adams Black & Brew Coffee Stout

With many of the Winter seasonal beers moving out of stores to make way for Spring offerings, this post is a little late to the party. However, this is quality beer that deserves mention. Sam Adams offered it’s new Black & Brew Coffee Stout in the Winter seasonal 12-pack this year (and by this year, of course I actually mean 2011). The beer pours beautifully dark, almost black with an off white head. I had very minimal, albeit lasting, head, but I’ll attribute that to a bad pour. The head, however, leaves little to no lacing, which is somewhat disappointing given the otherwise awesome appearance of this brew.

You can tell right away what you are getting yourself into with Black & Brew as the coffee aroma is very apparent. There is also a notable aroma of roasted malts and even a hint of chocolate. The first thing you will notice in the taste is, not surprisingly, coffee. It is not an overwhelming coffee flavor, but Sam Adams leaves not doubt that you are drinking a coffee stout. The taste finishes with a dry, dark chocolate bitterness and, perhaps, a touch of caramel malts. It has a very creamy feel and it is not as heavy as I would have expected given it’s extremely dark color.
Like other dark beers, I find that Black & Brew Coffee Stout is better served a little closer to room temperature rather than right out of the fridge as the flavors really start to come to life. I like to drink dark beers, especially beers that use a lot of chocolate malt, with some sort of sweet treat. I enjoyed my Black & Brew Coffee Stout with a fresh-out-of-oven brownie, and it was a heavenly combination. Hopefully, Sam Adams will bring back Black & Brew in their winter seasonal packs next year because this is definitely worth another drink!