Gritty McDuffs Black Fly Stout

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

Taste with William on 30.03.09. From bottle. Very dark brown with a beige head. Aroma nice roasty, coffee. Medium body. Taste roasted, coffee, with a bittersweetness. Dry. Good.

Gritty’s Black Fly Stout poured with a massive head of dark tan foam which practically bubbled out of control and almost toppled over the edges of my glass. Thankfully, no beer was lost in the process of slowly pouring my Black fly Stout, but things were a bit sticky for a while, much like the huge comforter of tan foam which still blankets the black brew below. Her nose is ripe with fresh bitter espresso, dark and bakers chocolate, licorice, wood, chestnuts, and more chocolate. A crisp nip of lemon snaps at my nose in the finish, enticing me to partake of the ominous brew lurking below. A clean frothy mouthfeel, rich espresso and bitter chocolates grab my attention first. A few quaffs later, an intricate network of lace marks my glass while a delicate balance of coffee and espresso notes mingle with chocolate and sweet creamy caramel nuggets. Very quaffable, a growing dry finish which also has a refreshing lemon nip cleanses my palate for the next quaff. As my Black Fly Stout warms, not much changes for which I am actually thankful. Sometimes it is nice to savor a flavorful yet straightforward stout from start to finish. Black Fly Stout won’t knock anyone’s socks off, but instead I found myself able to sit back, relax, and enjoy a solid stout which skillfully employed the “simple is best” motto.

Thankfully, I have a couple more bottles left in the fridge. Ironically, my Black Fly Stout was technically a few months out of date. Unlike some beers which really can go south as soon as their expo date passes, stouts have a better shelf-life when brewed and bottled properly. I wouldn’t recommend risking an out-of-date beer to just anybody, though if you come across some fresh Black Fly Stout, fear not the swarm and bring her home for some tasty quaffs. Maybe a rental of The Fly would be in order, or a good Hitchcock classic.

Ft. Myers, Fl. - Total Wines, 12 oz bottle. Pours a deep, black as tar with a decent sized off-white head that gets out of hand at the initial pour. Brief roasted aroma with some hard water notes. Flavor has some nice bitter coffee notes, some roastiness, just a hint of black coffee. Mouthfeel is nice and dry with a hint of chalkiness. Decent dry stout.

Dark pour with pretty big frothy head. Some roast, nuts and coffee on the nose...flavor is pretty similar, with a very nice dry finish.

Good stout. Wasnt expecting too much with this one, but was pleasantly supprised. Good dark rich color, followed by nice roasted coffee and choc. Try it, its worth the buck fiddy.

Bottle. Very roasty aroma, slightly sweet. Near black body, moderate sized light brown head. Flavor is roasty, with nuts and coffee. Quite tasty, and I like that it can serve as a low ABV alternative to the more powerful stouts.

On tap at the Freeport brewpub. Like most of the beers at Gritty’s this one is good though nothing spectacular. This is probably my favorite of the Gritty offerings however.

Bottle: Dark brown with a big tan head. Aroma is a huge roasty, cocoa, and coffee filled blast. Very nice. Taste mellows out considerabley and is mostly roast with a little bittersweetness. Some stale coffee. Smells fantastic, but it doesn’t deliver in taste. Thanks to mcbackus for the trade bonus.