Old Dominion Morning Glory

It's been a while since I've had a stout.  Even longer since I've tried a coffee stout.  So when I found Old Dominion's Morning Glory Espresso Stout in my keezer, I thought, what the hell, why not?

Vittles:
Imperial Stout
9% abv
35 IBU

Appearance: 9/10
It's dark.  Very, very dark, and near opaque.  Light gets lost in this beer.  The inch and a half of tan head retained decently and left mild lacing as it fell.

Aroma: 20/25
As I've mentioned before, I usually try to pick up on the malt notes first, but the coffee aroma was much more prominent than the malt.  I was expecting mild to moderate coffee notes, but this was a bit stronger than that.  Once I got past all that coffee, I could smell the roasted grains, some chocolate, and more mild hints of toffee and caramel.

Taste: 33/40
The taste was also dominated by coffee flavors, and the rest of the stout flavors (roasted malt, chocolate, toffee, molasses, caramel) seemed like an afterthought.  The flavors weren't balanced all that well.  It's not that the flavors were bad or not enjoyable -- I enjoyed this beer quite a bit -- it's just that I would have enjoyed it more if the stout flavors were a bit stronger (or if the coffee flavors were a bit more subdued).

Mouthfeel: 8/10
It's creamy, almost velvet-like, but it's also a little thin.  The carbonation was on the low side.  I was expecting just a bit more carbonation, and I think that would've helped it feel more full-bodied.

Style: 4/5
It hits most of the points for the style, but the IBUs are low (most likely because they were adding enough extra bitterness with the coffee beans) and the flavors are out of balance.

Drinkability: 8/10
For a 9% abv beer, this is surprisingly drinkable.  As I was drinking it, I would have guessed somewhere in the 6-7% range, so I was kind of surprised to see 9% when I looked it up online.  I'm not sure I'd want to pair this one with a meal (except maybe breakfast) since the coffee flavors are so bold.  I'd rather enjoy it by itself.

Overall: 82/100
I can see enjoying this beer on a chilly fall evening, sitting by a fire.  Or having one after coming in from shoveling snow.  It's a strong-flavored beer, and the coffee and other flavors are apparent, but not overly complex.  I'd be interested in trying other beers from this brewer.

Cheers!

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

It was freezing cold on Friday, and I wanted something to kick the chill after I got back from walking my dog, so I grabbed one of the Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stouts out of the case I picked up a few days ago.  It's an appealing beer when first poured:

No light came through the poured beer -- it's a silky-looking opaque black.  There was about a half-inch light brown head, but it fell very quickly, leaving slight lacing on the sides of the glass.  It's got a delicious roasted malt aroma with very strong bittersweet chocolate notes, but there's also a faint floral character lurking in the background.  The flavor is predominantly a creamy chocolate, but you can also taste hints of caramel, coffee, and burnt toast.  The maltiness is well-balanced with the hop profile, which added a little in the way of fruitiness (blackberries, maybe plums?).  I was expecting more of a bitter taste from an Imperial Stout; Brooklyn's website says this beer only has 51 IBUs, which is on the low end for this style.  The 10% ABV does not disappoint, and this IS finishes with a slightly bitter, slightly dry warmth.  This is the kind of beer that should be sipped by itself or had with dessert.

I believe this is the first Brooklyn beer that I've had.  I had heard good things about Brooklyn beers, and this one grabbed my attention.  I will definitely be looking for other Brooklyn varieties to try in the future.  Cheers!

Otto's Sampler

Last night, the hubby and I went to meet up with a buddy at Otto's Pub and Brewery in State College, PA. We like to get a sampler when we go to places like that, so that's what we did last night:

It's not the best picture, but you get the idea.  The four around the circle are, from left to right, Winter Warmer, Ottonator, Beer Engine #2 - Arthur's Rye-IPA, and Beer Engine #1 - Jolly Roger Imperial Stout.  The fifth sample was their guest tap, which I believe was Troegs Nugget Nectar, but don't quote me on that.  I'm sure I'll review the Troegs in a future post, so I'm going to focus just on Otto's beers today.

I was impressed with the Winter Warmer.  The beer list on the table described it as a "Belgian Raspberry Porter," and it was delicious.  I would almost suggest it as more of a dessert beer, since the raspberry nose and flavors are fairly prominent, and it has a sweet-chocolate undertone.  I tasted a roasted coffee flavor that blended nicely with the other more prominent flavors, and it had that breadiness and a mild spiciness that I enjoy in many Belgian styles.  At 8.2%, this brew will definitely help you shake that winter chill.

I've had the Ottonator and the Jolly Roger before, but both were slightly different this time around.  The Ottonator is a doppelbock with a broad, malty taste, caramel and coffee undertones, and slight residual sweetness to balance out the hop-spiciness.  It weighs in around 7.7% ABV, so it leaves a nice warmth in your throat that's perfect for those cold winter days. Or for the last night of winter, when it's below freezing and snowing out...  The Ottonator is a good, solid, very drinkable beer that pairs well with a wide range of foods.  I prefer it with the reuben and sweet potato fries they make at Otto's -- they go very well together.

The Rye-IPA was decent, too.  My tastes seem to go in cycles, and my preferences lately have been for more malty beers.  Give it a few months, and I'll probably cycle back to preferring hoppy beers instead.  My own preferences aside, I found this beer to be just a little off-balance.  I don't think the rye spiciness melded well with the hop flavors.  The beer list at the table said this one was made with Palisade and Amarillo hops, and while the herby/citrusy aroma of those hop varieties was definitely there, I don't think they were the best choice to match the flavors of the rye.  I think something grassy like Fuggles or earthy like Hallertau Hersbrucker might have gone better.  Or, maybe a longer conditioning period would have helped the flavors blend more smoothly.

The Jolly Roger Imperial Stout, as I said above, was better this time around.  I had it last year, as well, but wasn't terribly fond of it then, since the flavors did not seem well-blended.  This year's batch, however, tastes much better overall.  Last year's version tasted too wood-chippy, and while those flavors are still present in this year's, they are more mellow and subdued.  You still get the woody dryness on your tongue, which adds to the other earthy notes, like chocolate, roasted coffee, and a bit of vanilla.  I could have sworn that the Jolly Roger was aged in oak bourbon barrels, but I can't find anything this year to back that up, so maybe that's just my whimsical memory playing tricks on me again, though I do taste some of the same undertones in this beer as I do in bourbon.  This IS has about 10% ABV, so of course it's another one that warms up your gullet nicely.

All in all, it was a satisfying evening.  If you're looking for a good meal and some above average beers, check out Otto's in State College, PA.  Cheers!