Beer of the Weekend #214: Coffee Stout
Today I made the mistake of browsing the beer aisle at the downtown New Pi after having gone to the ATM.
I have been craving a mid-week sampling and was thinking about snagging a can of Pale Ale from Davenport’s Great River Brewery. However, I saw another brew that tickled my recent craving for the black stuff: Coffee Stout, brewed by the Madhouse Brewing Company of Newton, Iowa.
Indigenous Iowa beer!
Serving type: One 22-ounce bottle. No freshness date, which made me suspicious. The label says it is a “Seasonal Release,” but for what season?
Appearance: Straight pour into a pint glass. The color is a sexy, opaque black; no light passed through when I held it to my lamp. Two fingers of thick, tan head developed and dissipated to leave trails along the glass, a bubbly film, and a ring around the edge.
Smell: I could smell the coffee when I popped the cap. And, yes indeed, the smell delivers on the namesake: there is a backbone of roasted coffee. It is a cross between straight black and mocha, and it induces wonderful flashbacks of Stockyard Stout. Chocolate malts balance the roasted character nicely.
Taste: Massive coffee presence. Just massive. It gives the beer a taste comparable to straight black coffee — albeit with a much more beer-like body and mouthfeel. Though I love it, it may be a little too much. Mid-pint, though, sweeter chocolate and caramel malts dampen the bitterness. Each sip leaves a bitter coffee aftertaste lingering on the very back of the tongue.
Drinkability: This is probably the best coffee-infused stout I have had to date. It is tasty stuff, but an affinity for coffee characteristics is required.
Fun facts about Coffee Stout:
-Style: BA lists the style as an American Stout.
-Price: I forgot to nab the receipt, but I think it was $4.99/bottle at the New Pioneer Co-op in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 6 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: BA recommends barbecue, buttery cheeses (Brie, Gouda, Havarti, Swiss), earthy cheeses (Camembert, Fontina), chocolate, beef, shellfish, smoked meat, game meat, and grilled meat.
-Coffee Stout is somewhat mysterious because there is not a single mention of it on the Madhouse website. The only beers Madhouse gives cyber presence to are Pastime Pale Ale and American Wheat. I know Madhouse brews specialty beers because I have seen an IPA of theirs lurking in John’s walk-in fridge, but they apparently do not care to tout them online.
-Having just said that, here is some verbage printed on the label:
I do agree, but it’s not like Madhouse is going to come out and say, “Yeah, we didn’t do so hot with this one. Drink it anyway.”
-Here’s another odd thing about Coffee Stout: it only had one review on BA, which was written today. Perhaps this stuff is just fresh, fresh, fresh. In fact, it is fresh because the review was written by a fellow beer lover in IC whose BA screen name is FreshHawk. I have seen FreshHawk’s reviews on many local beer pages, and I wonder who he is. FreshHawk’s first name is Doug, and I am willing to bet it is Doug Alberhasky, owner of John’s Grocery. The guy is one prolific drinker. Having only been a BA member since November 2009, he has reviewed 527 beers and racked up an amazing Beer Karma rating of 768.9. By comparison, I joined in January 2009, have reviewed 167 beers, and have a Beer Karma rating of 247.8, tantalizingly close to the 250 needed to be deemed an “Initiate.”
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
I have been craving a mid-week sampling and was thinking about snagging a can of Pale Ale from Davenport’s Great River Brewery. However, I saw another brew that tickled my recent craving for the black stuff: Coffee Stout, brewed by the Madhouse Brewing Company of Newton, Iowa.
Indigenous Iowa beer!
Serving type: One 22-ounce bottle. No freshness date, which made me suspicious. The label says it is a “Seasonal Release,” but for what season?
Appearance: Straight pour into a pint glass. The color is a sexy, opaque black; no light passed through when I held it to my lamp. Two fingers of thick, tan head developed and dissipated to leave trails along the glass, a bubbly film, and a ring around the edge.
Smell: I could smell the coffee when I popped the cap. And, yes indeed, the smell delivers on the namesake: there is a backbone of roasted coffee. It is a cross between straight black and mocha, and it induces wonderful flashbacks of Stockyard Stout. Chocolate malts balance the roasted character nicely.
Taste: Massive coffee presence. Just massive. It gives the beer a taste comparable to straight black coffee — albeit with a much more beer-like body and mouthfeel. Though I love it, it may be a little too much. Mid-pint, though, sweeter chocolate and caramel malts dampen the bitterness. Each sip leaves a bitter coffee aftertaste lingering on the very back of the tongue.
Drinkability: This is probably the best coffee-infused stout I have had to date. It is tasty stuff, but an affinity for coffee characteristics is required.
Fun facts about Coffee Stout:
-Style: BA lists the style as an American Stout.
-Price: I forgot to nab the receipt, but I think it was $4.99/bottle at the New Pioneer Co-op in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 6 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: BA recommends barbecue, buttery cheeses (Brie, Gouda, Havarti, Swiss), earthy cheeses (Camembert, Fontina), chocolate, beef, shellfish, smoked meat, game meat, and grilled meat.
-Coffee Stout is somewhat mysterious because there is not a single mention of it on the Madhouse website. The only beers Madhouse gives cyber presence to are Pastime Pale Ale and American Wheat. I know Madhouse brews specialty beers because I have seen an IPA of theirs lurking in John’s walk-in fridge, but they apparently do not care to tout them online.
-Having just said that, here is some verbage printed on the label:
Congrats on trying this unique seasonal offering from Madhouse Brewing Company! This beer is crafted using five different malted grains, which results in a dark color and flavors of chocolate and heavily roasted malt. We then partnered with Des Moines based U.S. Roasterie to select a Mocha Java coffee to add depth and flavor to the beer. We think it turned out great and hope you will agree.
I do agree, but it’s not like Madhouse is going to come out and say, “Yeah, we didn’t do so hot with this one. Drink it anyway.”
-Here’s another odd thing about Coffee Stout: it only had one review on BA, which was written today. Perhaps this stuff is just fresh, fresh, fresh. In fact, it is fresh because the review was written by a fellow beer lover in IC whose BA screen name is FreshHawk. I have seen FreshHawk’s reviews on many local beer pages, and I wonder who he is. FreshHawk’s first name is Doug, and I am willing to bet it is Doug Alberhasky, owner of John’s Grocery. The guy is one prolific drinker. Having only been a BA member since November 2009, he has reviewed 527 beers and racked up an amazing Beer Karma rating of 768.9. By comparison, I joined in January 2009, have reviewed 167 beers, and have a Beer Karma rating of 247.8, tantalizingly close to the 250 needed to be deemed an “Initiate.”
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
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