Beer of the Weekend #169: Back Road Stout
Last night I bought beer with my California drivers’ license for the last time. But that’s a subject for an upcoming post.
The beer of the weekend is Back Road Stout, brewed by the Millstream Brewing Company of Amana, Iowa.
I was unsure what to get for my birthday beer. Originally, I wanted to snag a couple bottles of Schlenkerla Weizen, but decided on Back Road Stout after drinking a pint of it at The Foxhead on Monday. Mervgotti and I had just eaten at Donnelly’s, and earlier I gave him my take on O’Fallon Smoke. It smelled great, I told him, but the taste lacked the thick mouthfeel I expect from stouts and porters. When I took my first sip of BRS, I proclaimed, “Now that’s a stout!” It deserved a proper tasting, and this week was perfect.
Serving type: Six 12-ounce bottles. The month row printed along the side of the label is notched at the “S” for September. I assume that is the brewing month, but there is no explanation.
Appearance: Straight pour into a pint glass. The color is a sexy, completely opaque black. No light passed through when I held it to my lamp. Three fingers of thick, tan head developed and slowly dissipated to leave a foamy lacing and ring around the edge.
Smell: A mélange of dark chocolate, milk chocolate, a little toasted coffee, and hot, liquid raspberry Jell-O, like my mom used to make me when I was sick. Bill Cosby would be proud.
Taste: Much toastier than the aroma. The bitterness of toasted coffee malts is prevalent, but well balanced by the dark and milk chocolate. Even the hot, liquid raspberry Jell-O makes an appearance. The mouthfeel is thick and oh so deliciously stouty.
Drinkability: A solid stout and right down my alley. Loads of body and rich chocolate and coffee sensations. This one deserves a place on the mantel, dear.
Fun facts about Back Roads Stout:
-Style: BA classifies it as an American Stout.
-Price: $7.99/sixer at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: BA suggests the usual 45-50ºF range. That’s almost right out of the fridge, so I recommend letting it warm another five degrees.
-Alcohol content: 5.6 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: BA suggests barbecue, buttery cheeses (Brie, Gouda, Havarti, Swiss), earthly cheeses (Camembert, Fontina), chocolate, beef, shellfish, smoked meat, “game,” and grilled meat. Unfortunately for me, no angel food birthday cake. Angel food cake is my birthday cake of preference.
-IBU: 22.
-Gravity: 15.5 degrees Plato.
-Color: 48 SRM, which corresponds to “Black” in Mosher’s Tasting Beer. Anything above 40 is consider “Black.” Darknesses!
-Before becoming the year-round Back Road Stout, this brew was a winter seasonal known as Colony Oatmeal Stout. Though the “Oatmeal” has been taken out of the name, oatmeal still makes up 10 percent of the grist used in the brewing. According to the Millstream website, oatmeal is what gives stout the thick and heavy mouthfeel I love so much. Yay, oatmeal!
The Quiet Man’s grade: A.
The beer of the weekend is Back Road Stout, brewed by the Millstream Brewing Company of Amana, Iowa.
I was unsure what to get for my birthday beer. Originally, I wanted to snag a couple bottles of Schlenkerla Weizen, but decided on Back Road Stout after drinking a pint of it at The Foxhead on Monday. Mervgotti and I had just eaten at Donnelly’s, and earlier I gave him my take on O’Fallon Smoke. It smelled great, I told him, but the taste lacked the thick mouthfeel I expect from stouts and porters. When I took my first sip of BRS, I proclaimed, “Now that’s a stout!” It deserved a proper tasting, and this week was perfect.
Serving type: Six 12-ounce bottles. The month row printed along the side of the label is notched at the “S” for September. I assume that is the brewing month, but there is no explanation.
Appearance: Straight pour into a pint glass. The color is a sexy, completely opaque black. No light passed through when I held it to my lamp. Three fingers of thick, tan head developed and slowly dissipated to leave a foamy lacing and ring around the edge.
Smell: A mélange of dark chocolate, milk chocolate, a little toasted coffee, and hot, liquid raspberry Jell-O, like my mom used to make me when I was sick. Bill Cosby would be proud.
Taste: Much toastier than the aroma. The bitterness of toasted coffee malts is prevalent, but well balanced by the dark and milk chocolate. Even the hot, liquid raspberry Jell-O makes an appearance. The mouthfeel is thick and oh so deliciously stouty.
Drinkability: A solid stout and right down my alley. Loads of body and rich chocolate and coffee sensations. This one deserves a place on the mantel, dear.
Fun facts about Back Roads Stout:
-Style: BA classifies it as an American Stout.
-Price: $7.99/sixer at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: BA suggests the usual 45-50ºF range. That’s almost right out of the fridge, so I recommend letting it warm another five degrees.
-Alcohol content: 5.6 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: BA suggests barbecue, buttery cheeses (Brie, Gouda, Havarti, Swiss), earthly cheeses (Camembert, Fontina), chocolate, beef, shellfish, smoked meat, “game,” and grilled meat. Unfortunately for me, no angel food birthday cake. Angel food cake is my birthday cake of preference.
-IBU: 22.
-Gravity: 15.5 degrees Plato.
-Color: 48 SRM, which corresponds to “Black” in Mosher’s Tasting Beer. Anything above 40 is consider “Black.” Darknesses!
-Before becoming the year-round Back Road Stout, this brew was a winter seasonal known as Colony Oatmeal Stout. Though the “Oatmeal” has been taken out of the name, oatmeal still makes up 10 percent of the grist used in the brewing. According to the Millstream website, oatmeal is what gives stout the thick and heavy mouthfeel I love so much. Yay, oatmeal!
The Quiet Man’s grade: A.
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