Beer of the Weekend #210: Black River Gumbo Stout
Since my week break from novel writing is almost over, and I have made a lot of progress on developing a plan beyond Chapter 2, I think I deserve a couple brewskis.
After wading through the rivers and ponds of melt water on the sidewalks, I picked up a sixer for tomorrow night and a couple beers for tonight, something I have had my eye on a long time: Black River Gumbo Stout, brewed by the Peace Tree Brewing Company of Knoxville, Iowa.
On the bottle it is referred to as Black River Gumbo Ale.
As I said, I feel guilty for not trying more indigenous Iowa beers. There are quite a few micro breweries across the state, but only a couple distribute their product in IC. At least I think. I will need to check on that, but all I have seen is Millstream (Amana), Peace Tree (Knoxville), Hub City (Oelwein/Stanley), Madhouse (Newton), and Olde Main (Ames). I will need to diversify and plan an epic beer tour around the state this summer.
Until then, though, here is Black River Gumbo Stout.
Serving type: Two 12-ounce stubby bottles. No freshness date on the bottle.
Appearance: Straight pour into a pint glass. The color is an opaque black; no light passed through when I held it to my lamp. Three fingers of dense, cappuccino-tan head developed and dissipated to leave a dense lacing (much like a cappuccino) and ring around the edge.
Smell: Delicious roasted chocolate, coffee, and caramel malts. This smells PROPER! As it warms, there is also a sweet scent of toffee.
Taste: Intriguing. The Belgian yeast gives it a unique flavor that couples with the usual suspects in stout. It is not as bitter or roasted as I want. Chocolate, coffee, caramel, and toffee. Disappointingly, though, the backbone is the cheap, adjunct corn flavor that is reminiscent of their saison, Cornucopia. As the pint warms, it overpowers everything else — the stuff I do want to taste. Compared to the smell, the taste is a real letdown.
Drinkability: It’s okay. It is nothing spectacular, and I suppose I would buy some again out of state pride.
Fun facts about BRGS:
-Style: BA classifies it as an American Stout.
-Price: $1.99/bottle at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: The label says to “serve at 8ºC (48ºF).”
-Alcohol content: Unknown. Come on, Peace Tree! Give me some information.
-Food pairings: BA recommends the regular, vague shit. Barbecue, buttery cheeses (Brie, Gouda, Havarti, Swiss), earthy cheeses (Camembert, Fontina), chocolate, beef, shellfish, smoked meat, game, and grilled meat.
-According to Peace Tree…
You know, I may just attend a dirt track race in Knoxville this year. I may also go to the Iowa Corn Indy 250 at the Iowa Speedway in June. But time will tell.
The Quiet Man’s grade: C+.
After wading through the rivers and ponds of melt water on the sidewalks, I picked up a sixer for tomorrow night and a couple beers for tonight, something I have had my eye on a long time: Black River Gumbo Stout, brewed by the Peace Tree Brewing Company of Knoxville, Iowa.
On the bottle it is referred to as Black River Gumbo Ale.
As I said, I feel guilty for not trying more indigenous Iowa beers. There are quite a few micro breweries across the state, but only a couple distribute their product in IC. At least I think. I will need to check on that, but all I have seen is Millstream (Amana), Peace Tree (Knoxville), Hub City (Oelwein/Stanley), Madhouse (Newton), and Olde Main (Ames). I will need to diversify and plan an epic beer tour around the state this summer.
Until then, though, here is Black River Gumbo Stout.
Serving type: Two 12-ounce stubby bottles. No freshness date on the bottle.
Appearance: Straight pour into a pint glass. The color is an opaque black; no light passed through when I held it to my lamp. Three fingers of dense, cappuccino-tan head developed and dissipated to leave a dense lacing (much like a cappuccino) and ring around the edge.
Smell: Delicious roasted chocolate, coffee, and caramel malts. This smells PROPER! As it warms, there is also a sweet scent of toffee.
Taste: Intriguing. The Belgian yeast gives it a unique flavor that couples with the usual suspects in stout. It is not as bitter or roasted as I want. Chocolate, coffee, caramel, and toffee. Disappointingly, though, the backbone is the cheap, adjunct corn flavor that is reminiscent of their saison, Cornucopia. As the pint warms, it overpowers everything else — the stuff I do want to taste. Compared to the smell, the taste is a real letdown.
Drinkability: It’s okay. It is nothing spectacular, and I suppose I would buy some again out of state pride.
Fun facts about BRGS:
-Style: BA classifies it as an American Stout.
-Price: $1.99/bottle at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: The label says to “serve at 8ºC (48ºF).”
-Alcohol content: Unknown. Come on, Peace Tree! Give me some information.
-Food pairings: BA recommends the regular, vague shit. Barbecue, buttery cheeses (Brie, Gouda, Havarti, Swiss), earthy cheeses (Camembert, Fontina), chocolate, beef, shellfish, smoked meat, game, and grilled meat.
-According to Peace Tree…
…[t]his dark deliciousness is named after the gumbo dirt of the Des Moines River bottom which nourished our Peace Tree and is now used as the surface for Knoxville’s famous Sprint Car track.
You know, I may just attend a dirt track race in Knoxville this year. I may also go to the Iowa Corn Indy 250 at the Iowa Speedway in June. But time will tell.
The Quiet Man’s grade: C+.
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