Blue Cat Arkham Stout

I have had this on tap at the brewpub many a time, always served in a pint glass. It’s not bad, with typical stout flavors, but it leans towards sour and astringent at times, which takes away greatly.

Pitch black with copper notes. Tan creamy head. Clean roasty malt aroma, strong noble character. Sweet and roasty, some bitterness. Thick and almost cloying.

Dark Brown Color with Light Tan Head. Dry Malt and Lactose Aroma. Thin Body and Light Mouthfeel. Initial Taste of Lactose and Dry Malt, Moving Towards a Very Dry Bitter Coffee Roast Flavor. In the Aftertaste, This Dry Roast Taste Becomes Almost Ashen in the Mouth. Too Burnt to Drink Much Alot of.

Draught at the brewpub. Opaque black color with tan head that left some lace. Big vanilla aroma with a light roasty accent. Tastes of milk chocolate, vanilla, and roasted malt. Sweet on the tongue. Decent sweet stout.

on tap at the brewpub. Served very cold. Dark brown with little head. Almost a medicine aftertaste, strange brew.

Black with a small brown head. Big buttery, diacetyl nose - not a good first impression. Flavor - ick. Buttery, buttery, buttery. Loads of diacetyl make nearly every flavor component I look for in a nice stout disappear. At least the diacetyl gives a nice, smooth palate. That’s about it, though. Looks like the late 2004 batch I had was botched.

On tap at the brewpub. Thick creamy head atop a black ale. Good roasted flavor. Medium hoppiness. Smooth and very sweet. In fact, I suspect that they add quite a bit of lactose to this. It seems very milky. This is a competent stout. Too bad that they serve this ale at such a cold temperature.

I really like this brew. Had it on New Year's Eve. It was a little thin on palate/body and went down easily. I'd drink it as a session brew.