Big Boss Aces & Ates Coffee Stout

Bomber pours thick and dark, leaving a decent light brown head. Aroma of roasted coffee, cocoa, amd vanilla. Medium body supports the coffee roastiness quite well. Nuttiness in the taste compliments the dark roasty flavors. Lots of cocoa and coffee notes. Alcohol is well hidden. Espresso aftertaste.

Septemberfest. Sample from a bottle thanks to Butters. 2333/5000. Pitch black, quick tan head. Aroma is coffee, some chocolate, roasty. Taste is bitter, oat body, coffee, chocolate, roasty finish.

Bottle shared at Lithy’s Septemberfest tasting. Black pour with no head. Aroma of roasty coffee. flavor is much the same and a little astringent. very enjoyable, but a little hollow. Kinda likea fast food version of a taco. But stilll very good.

Dark with an off white head. Coffee and roasty aroma. Flavor has a sour twang, not that good.

He pours top soil black with scattered glints of dark brown, but overall, big bad and black is his name. He poured with very little aeration while his nose wastes no time asserting himself with big bold notes of sweet espresso crema backed by freshly roasted coffee, dark pitted fruits, and thick molasses. The molasses comes in last with much largesse, threatening to overshadow his brethren with cloying sweetness. Thankfully, it fades as quickly as it blossoms, leaving a surprising crunch of fresh red apples. Candy apples, anyone? Make no doubt though, weaving in and out of her complex nose is coffee, just as his namesake promises. Licking my lips, I raise his vessel and am blown away by the first sup. Disappointingly very thin and weak; this is a stout we are talking about. A total 180 from his appearance and nose. Where, oh where, did all the coffee, dark pitted fruits, molasses, and candied apples go? A few more quaffs and coffee slowly starts to percolate to the surface as a thin, weak shadow of his proud heritage. A stronger presence of espresso crema and roasted coffee beans starts to dry the top of my tongue. Candied apples sweet and crunchy flit and float in the background like a child playing hide and seek. Again, no finish, as everything fades almost as quickly as it makes a feeble impression.

Well, Mr. Big Boss Brewing Company, you are definitely not the boss of me this time around. A disappointing middle and finish for what was initially a very promising coffee stout. At no point did the Aces & Ates Coffee Stout step up to the plate and hit a homerun. It barely even made it past first, sadly enough. I think some time in training is needed before this beer hits the playing fields again.

Bottle from Brawley’s, I think. Just OK. Definitely not blowing doors down, not enough coffee flavor. Watched Benjamin Button with Sneezer while drinking this. Wouldn’t pick it up again.

(2nd Shenandoah Throwdown, 22oz bottle, thanks wilkie) Small brown head atop black body with brown edges. Aroma is medium sweet, coffee, smoke, some chocolate, light sour. Taste is medium sweet, chococoffee, sour. Light-medium body.

Bottle shared at a BeerAdvocate tasting. Black in color with a tan head. Aroma is coffee and chocolate. Flavor is more of the same with a slight sourness to it that may or may not have been intentional. Palate fairly average for the style.