Archive for the ‘Stout’ Category

23 May

Short’s Cup A Joe Stout

Posted by iamgingerbeard in Shorts, Stout, United States.

Session # 174
Short’s | Cup A Joe Coffee Cream Stout
American Stout | Bellaire, Michigan | 7% ABV

One year ago: Lost Abbey Angel’s Share (Bourbon)

Short’s Brewing, out of Bellaire, Michigan, is synonymous with food beer. They’ve brewed beers like the PB&J Stout, Strawberry Short’s Cake, Key Lime Pie, and S’mores Stout just to name a few. Today’s beer called Cup A Joe goes a little bit simpler by only including coffee and cream. I was fairly excited to try this one, but am always aware that sometimes Short’s beers are notorious or being form over function. Out of the glass it was very black just like coffee and the light tan head virtually disappeared as I poured it. In the mug I could literally fool people into thinking I was drinking coffee. The aroma was just as expected with a good amount of coffee punching you in the nose. Though there was a small touch of fruitiness, it’s mainly the coffee that you smell. The flavor…well…this is where it got puzzling. There was a peanutty tartness upfront with the coffee that made me take a step back. While not the worst beer I’ve had, I don’t know that I’d go out of my way to find another one. Rating: 79/100

Check out all sessions of The Hopry here.
This beer can be found in these states.
Listening To: Alela Diane “Of Many Colors”



Let us know your thoughts by rating and commenting on this video.

18 May

Buried Hatchet Stout

Posted by iamgingerbeard in Southern Star, Stout, United States.

Session # 173
Southern Star | Buried Hatchet Stout
Imperial Stout | Conroe, TX | 8.25% ABV

One year ago: Dupont Avec les Bons Voeux

There are a lot of beers out there that one only reads or hears about. Sometimes the story or ratings are compelling enough to track one day. I had always read good things about the Southern Star Buried Hatchet Stout, but I never really set out to find one. As luck would have it I actually received one as an extra in a trade. This was great because I was happy to review it. When I began to pour it in the can I could immediately tell it was not the color I thought it would be. It appeared more like soda with a touch of red, which is great (and it was nice looking – but not stout-like). The aroma was very odd with an overwhelming Tootsie Roll aroma combined with an odd caramel and fruit smell. The taste…hmmm…wow…that’s all I could muster. There was a touch of tartness up front; followed by the same Tootsie Roll flavor I got from the nose. There was some bitterness, which was nice, but not at all what I was hoping for when I opened the can. Rating: 75/100

Check out all sessions of The Hopry here.
This beer can be found in these states.
Listening To: Gordon Lightfoot “Sundown”



Let us know your thoughts by rating and commenting on this video.

25 Aug

Dark Horse Fore

Posted by iamgingerbeard in Dark Horse, Porter, Smoked, Stout, United States.

Session # 104 | Dark Horse | Fore | 8% ABV
American Smoked Stout | Marshall, MI | Rating: 88/100

It’s becoming fairly evident at this point that Dark Horse stouts generally taste the same. On the surface, they all share the same dark malt characteristic that puts off a damp cave aroma and taste. On one hand, this is a good thing because it gives Dark Horse a signature taste. However, with the number of stouts they produce in this Holiday Stout Series, each one is not distinctive enough to really stand out among the other releases. Today’s beer, the Fore Smoked Stout, pours exactly like the Too Cream Stout we looked at on Monday. On the nose, you get a lot of the same characters you find in the Too, which is dark roasted malts, earthiness, and damp cave. The only difference in the Fore is a fair amount of smokiness coming from the malts. A touch of booziness finishes off the nose. As the first drink hits your tongue you immediately notice that this is a bit more viscous than the Too, which I certainly am thankful for. The smoke is immediately apparent in the mouth, as is a good amount of molasses, chocolate, and burnt caramel. As you dig deeper, though, there’s a bit of tartness that comes from the depths of the beer that makes you think of chocolate covered raisins. Again, not the best stout I’ve had, but we’re definitely moving in the right direction. Of the three that I’ve had thus far, I still prefer the Tres the best. Feel free to go back and watch that one now if you’d like (just click here). See you back here on Friday when we’ll be wrapping up Dark Horse Week with one of their better offerings. Up Next: Dark Horse Special Reserve Black Bier.

Others: Alaskan Smoked Porter, Olfabrikken Porter, Founders Porter

Check out all sessions of The Hopry here.
This beer can be found in these states.
On the iPod: Beach House “Walk in the Park”



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23 Aug

Dark Horse Too

Posted by iamgingerbeard in Cream Stout, Dark Horse, Stout, United States.

Session # 103 | Dark Horse | Too | 8% ABV
Milk / Sweet Stout | Marshall, MI | Rating: 82/100

Now for the beer… This week I’ll be sharing a brewery that I think most of you are familiar with called Dark Horse Brewing Company out of Marshall, Michigan. This is a fairly small brewery that doesn’t have the widest distribution (outside the northern part of the Midwest), but I was able to purchase several of their beers while on a recent trip to Minneapolis. I chose to do a week of stouts because the brewery actually has a lineup of stouts called the Holiday Stout Series. Though the Special Reserve Black Bier, which we will look at on Friday, is not in this series of beers, you’ll see that it might as well be. Today’s beer, called Too, is the breweries cream stout that is released every November and clocks in (purportedly) at 8%. It pours black as it should with a light tan-colored head that tends to hang around longer than one might expect. The nose is (as I’ve come to learn) very indicative of a Dark Horse stout. There is loads of damp cave, earth, malts, blueberry, chocolate, caramel, and charred corn, which all seem to unfold as you drink it. The taste is slightly different than the aroma and it comes off unusually thin on the palate. I expected an 8% cream stout to be much sweeter and chewier than this. However, the flavor unleashes a lot of chocolate, molasses, frisee (lettuce), and cream. It’s definitely an interesting stout, but not quite what I expected from a cream stout in particular. Up next: Dark Horse Fore

Others: Dark Horse Tres, Portsmouth Black Cat, Bells Cream Stout

Check out all sessions of The Hopry here.
This beer can be found in these states.
On the iPod: TV on the Radio “Family Tree”



Thank you for your continued support. Please tell a friend…

16 Jul

Surly Four

Posted by iamgingerbeard in Milk Stout, Stout, Surly, United States.

Happy Friday people! This will be the third Surly beer I’ve had on the show and the second in these large format 750ml waxed bottles. This one in particular is called Four, which is just another name for their fourth anniversary beer. Each year, Todd Haug, Brewmaster of Surly, is allowed to brew a special one-off beer to commemorate another year of business for the brewery. The last few years have seen beers like One (Doppelbock), Two (Imperial Stout), and Three (Braggot). With Four, the brewery has gone back to stout territory, but this time they’ve brewed a massive double espresso milk stout loaded with dark intense aromas and flavors. You’re immediately met with a nice punch of coffee from the espresso followed quickly by a faint amount of smokiness and chocolate. As this one warmed it also released a nice touch of sweet tobacco. The flavor on this one is HUGE – so much so that I almost think they should categorize this thing an Imperial Stout. The intense flavors of the coffee, roasted malts, tobacco, and smoke sit on your tongue for as long as it takes you to enjoy your next sip. Surprisingly enough the booziness is hidden pretty darn well in here. Stouts can get away with that and this one certainly does. All in all this is a very solid beer and it’s even better knowing that Surly has only been around for four years. They’ve certainly mastered the art of brewing high gravity stouts and creating unique bottle art that make people line up to purchase these things on day of release (see also Darkness). Up next: Boulevard Collaboration No. 1

Check out all sessions of The Hopry here.
This beer can be found in these states.
On the iPod: The Big Pink “Dominos”



Brewery: Surly
Beer: Four
Style: Milk Stout
Location: Brooklyn Center, Minnesota
ABV: 10%
Rating: 96/100

Thank you for your continued support. Please tell a friend…

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