Front Street Coffee Stout

Brewed by Front Street Brewery (NC)
Style: Stout
Wilmington, North Carolina USA

Date: 07/14/2007
Mode: Growler
Source: Tasting, O-Town Throwdown

black, fine tan head, drippy lace, big roasted coffee aroma with some dry dark chocolate, creamy body, rich dark chocolate flavor followed by lots of roasted coffee, mellow bitter finish especially considering all of the coffee and roasted,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 8/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.7/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4

Growler… O-Town Throwdown Part Deux… Clear, dark, caramel-colored ale with a small, creamy, off-white head. Earthy, chocolaty aroma with only a rumor of coffee, and even that may have been the power of suggestion. Thin, lifeless flavor of spent coffee grounds; well-bittered and burnt, but no malt backbone. Light to medium-bodied with a dry mouthfeel and soft carbonation. Lengthy, bone-dry finish. Kevin’s done much better! Thanks to DragonStout for sharing his growler with us!

Big thanks to Dragonstout for bringing this growler.

Pours deep dark mahogany with thin tan head. The aroma has big Folgers freeze dried coffee grounds. Behind that is sweet molasses, alcohol, roasted malts and a hint of chocolate. The taste is much like the aroma with coffee, dark chocolate, more hints of chocolate, roasted malts, a hint of astringency, molasses sweetness and some alcohol.

Courtesy of DragonStout. Massive coffee aroma that leans toward esspresso and has some sharp dark fruit notes and chocolate. The body is deep black with a diminishing mocha colored head. Agains the coffee is massive on the first sip and again it walks between both esspresso and milder ground coffee. Some light tanginess and chocolate. Medium roast malt notes. Finish is tangy, almost tart with a fresh roasted coffee flavor that lingers well into the aftertaste. A little one dimensional, but a decent enough brew on the whole.

Draught at the brewpub. Pours black with ruby edges and a creamy tan head. The aroma is slightly spicy with chocolate and floral coffee notes. The flavor is very floral with assertive coffee tones. Malts are a little on the arsh side. The finish is tannic and slightly alcoholic, and leaves a spicy aftertaste.

Draft at brewpub. Opaque black with a lasting head. Aroma is coffee and chocolate. Flavor is initially strong on coffee, but develops well with cocoa, some lactic acid sourness, and earthy-spicy and sweet tones. Palate is medium-bodied and fairly smooth with some hop tingle on the end. Really more of a sweet stout, and I like that.

This was courtesy Dragonstout, by way of elmatador00. Thanks James and Brian! Pours dark brown with almost no head. Medium-bodied, damn near looks like coffee. Huge coffee aroma swirl around the top of my glass and attack me without reservation. Pretty much masks everything else, there was some chocolate and roast noticeable though. The taste is really all coffee too, maybe a little too much. Quite possibly the most profound coffee flavor Ive had in a beer. There was some of that chocolate and roasted malts as well, but they are no match for that coffee. Decent brew, maybe a little lighter on the coffee for more balance would be more my style.

From growler, courtesy elmatador00. Extreme dark brown pour with creamy thin tan head. Mild espresso aroma with nutty undertones. Medium-bodied, lightly carbonated. Sharp astringent coffee notes begin and end the tastes. Decent coffee taste throughout, but the astingency was a bit harsh. Overall there was a decent balance, but the coffee character could use some softening at the edges. Looked good, though.