Gritty McDuffs Black Fly Stout

Brewed by Gritty McDuffs
Style: Dry Stout
Portland, Maine USA

As the name implies, pours nearly black with tons of tan head that holds for along time. Not really any aroma to speak of, just a bit of nut. Bitterness comes out of the gate strong, but finishes smoothly. The aftertaste is also pretty bitter. Overall, the flavor is very full, but I think it is a little on the burnt side and is overly carbonated.

A perfect ebony hue, and a head that looms, sizzles, bubbles, and is colored a roasted tan. Aroma is nutty, dry, and replete with rich espresso notes, very deep, very dark. Marvelous mouthfeel: lush, soft, but a trifle bitter, and a touch flinty. Full-bodied, with a hearty, grainy texture, that left me feeling if it wasn’t maybe an oatmeal stout. In the end I felt too much carbonation on the tongue, but despite that, the overall impression is a full roasty, toasty, satisfying sensation.

here’s a good solid mass, an ebony pour, a plowshare of virtual illinois bottomland in a glass. pioneer farmers kept pressing ever on into the dangerous frontier to find imagined soils that look like this: it’s dark as liquid oreo. it’s head is a lush margin of foam the color of a perfectly toasted marshmallow. aroma is less picturesque, alas, a bit of burnt straw, sundried pruneskins and the heat pan of the office coffee maker. my late buddy peter stock designed a bunch of these gritty’s labels, so i can’t sip one without a bit of nostalgia. though a label not a great beer maketh, a beer nonetheless must i drintheth. and rateth. anyway, here’s to pete. the beer his fine label cloakes is a dry standard stout, cajun-black malts, brisk carbonation-- like sucking on the burlap sack that carried espresso beans all the way from nicaragua. it’s milky in consistency, medium bodied, and bitterness leaves it’s calling card, somehow through this tightly woven mat of black malts, a pucker of lemon-like bitterness emerges.

Strong ringwood aroma with subtle of dark roasted malt. Black in appearance with a light and fluffy off-white head. Burnt malt flavor is dancing around the tongue with a nice level of hoppiness and yeasty fruitiness. Mouthfeel is disappointingly watery. Overall this is an enjoayable beverage. Thanks to Yankeeheel (BA) for the sample.

22 oz, opaque black with a medium sized tan head and nice lacing on the glass. Aroma of burnt fruits (cherry), lots of roasted malt, and possibly a little brett? I am not understanding why I taste brett too? I don’t know what is going on here. Roasted malt, and coffee beans are also evident in the taste. Mouthfeel could have been fuller. This was strange, and I am not quite sure this is what I was looking for in a stout.

08.17.04 12oz bottle. Black. Giant brown head. Sticky brown lacing. Aromas of roasted malts - like a handful of the stuff - I smell little else, maybe a hint of nuttiness. Flavor, too, is rather one dimensional, but good. Dry and roasty with a rich creamy body. Some slight hints of coffee. A nice brew that doesn’t try too hard.

On tap at Grittys in Portland. Served with nitrogen. Thick creamy head over a dark black body and great lacing. Aroma lets out a lot of roastiness and a slight chocolate hint in the background. Flavor is of crystal, chocolate, roasted and backed up with a bitterness from some black malt perhaps. Good hopping throughout. Very smooth due to the nitrogen. Usually I think Nitro beers are inferior to the CO2 counterparts but I just tried the bottled version and I liked the nitro tap version slightly better. Great stout.

Good aroma of roasted malts, grains, and alcohol. A hoppy, bitter coffee, dark chocolate flavor, and a little burnt caramel. Wonderful palate with a dry finish and a coffee aftertaste. Would love to be able to get it where I live. Definitely worth a try.