Caffeinated beers are a hot subject right now, what with the possibly impending BAN on them in the state of California. I am not going to go into the ridiculousness of that because others have already covered it well but suffice it to say this is all because of alcoholic energy drinks like Sparks killing our buzz by marketing to children.
While I certainly do not condone that I am pretty sure people have been mixing coffee with alcohol for a hell of a lot longer then that with excellent results before long walks and drives home. This argument is also pretty well backed up by Laurelwood's seasonal bottle release of Organic Portland Roast Espresso Stout.
I remember this beer when it used to be made with Stumptown coffee. Not sure why they parted ways when Laurelwood began bottling this beer last year. I was reluctant at first because everyone knows of Stumptown Roastings high-quality and not so much for Portland Roasting.
Could Laurelwood pull out a win?
Lets find out as I have 3 writers review the beer separately and score it on a 0-5 scale.
This beer is very dark with a thin head. It has a strong coffee aroma that melds well with some hints of sweet malt balls and maple syrup. There are no off aromas or anything funky, and the roastiness is nice and light. The espresso flavor is full and strong--even a tad fruity, but it also manages to avoid the astringency and strong acidity of so many other coffee beers. It plays well with the other malt flavors, and the balance of coffee and chocolate is impressive. There's a light hop and restrained roast character on the back end. The light roast is something to note--keeping it in check separates Laurelwood's coffee beer from a lot of other stabs at the style; it keeps it drinkable and beery. No cold coffee flavor here. Yeah, looking back on it, I'd suck up to these guys again to find out how they made such a tasty coffee ale.
Score: 4.5 out of 5
Ben Edmunds runs Oregon Beer Odyssey, a business that promotes beer appreciation through tastings and classes. He is also a brewer, homebrewer, skier, and Spanish tutor.
Score: 4.5 out of 5
Ben Edmunds runs Oregon Beer Odyssey, a business that promotes beer appreciation through tastings and classes. He is also a brewer, homebrewer, skier, and Spanish tutor.
Review 2 by Jason Wallace
I am not a coffee drinker but really enjoy coffee stouts, so I was looking forward to this one. The aroma was nice and strong with chocolate and coffee. I found the coffee flavor to be nice but I felt the body was a bit thinner than I like for the style. It went down a little to smooth for a coffee stout. I prefer ones that encourage me to take my time and dissect the flavors. This one did not. Interestingly enough, I didn't catch any enhancement of the flavors as the beer warmed up. A good beer, but not one I would reach for over better examples of the style - most notably Oakshire Overcast.
Score: 3.5 out of 5
Jason Wallace writes about beer and music at the self-explanatory Portland Beer and Music blog and tweets about much of the same at @Jwall4
I am not a coffee drinker but really enjoy coffee stouts, so I was looking forward to this one. The aroma was nice and strong with chocolate and coffee. I found the coffee flavor to be nice but I felt the body was a bit thinner than I like for the style. It went down a little to smooth for a coffee stout. I prefer ones that encourage me to take my time and dissect the flavors. This one did not. Interestingly enough, I didn't catch any enhancement of the flavors as the beer warmed up. A good beer, but not one I would reach for over better examples of the style - most notably Oakshire Overcast.
Score: 3.5 out of 5
Review 3 by "SNOB" Ritch
The beer pours black with a tan, silky head. The aroma of this beer is that of fresh roasted coffee...I bet if a blind folded person was asked to identify this by smell alone, they would guess that it was a cup of joe. Actually, I detect no discernible hop or malt aroma, maybe a hint of chocolate, but mostly coffee. The first sip lets you know that you are definitely drinking a coffee beer, as it is the dominant flavor. It is a very clean and smooth roasted coffee flavor with a bit of chocolaty sweetness. The body on this beer is medium to thin, with a dry finish. Personally, I prefer coffee stouts with more body and that are a bit more complex, where the coffee is in the background rather than the dominant flavor. However, Laurelwood has done a nice job of capturing the essence of coffee without the astringent old coffee flavor that is often present in coffee beers (think 7-Eleven coffee that's been on the burner for awhile). Overall, I would recommend this beer to someone who is looking for a stout that tastes like coffee.
Score: 4 out of 5
"SNOB" Ritch is the posterboy for the Supporters of Native Oregon Beer, a long-time homebrewer, photographer and videographer for this blog and Taplister.
Where's your review, Ezra? Or are you strictly management now?
ReplyDeleteI am retired from day to day operations
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