Grumpy Troll Dry Irish Stout

Draft at the brewpub. 35 IBU’s, 4% ABV. Poured a deep dark brown color. The head was creamy and light brown with good retention and lacing. Pleasant aroma. I smelled toffee and chocolate accented by modest, but ample, charred malt. Medium bodied and dry (as advertised in the name) with a kick of mild to moderate roasty bitterness. Carbonation was on the lower end of the spectrum. Firm dark malts created a solid foundation and imbued the beer with flavors of burnt stick (in a good way), dark chocolate, and coffee. A delicate hint of bacon emerged toward the end. This was a well constructed dry stout, one of the best I’ve had in a while.

Had this on cask, very nice. Pours a deep blackish brown with a light tan rocky head that leaves a moderate lace. Aroma is very earthy with some nice fresh hops and plenty of coffee. The coffee aroma is odd because there really isn’t much in the way of coffee in the flavor. I like the dry hopping here because it’s got a good fresh hop flavor that sort of runs the show, however the flavor remains very earthy and very pleasant with a good chocolate flavor to match, this is fabulously well balanced.

On tap at Grumpy Troll, and the beer of the day for me. Poured deep brown with a lovely, creamy cap of tan head. The aroma was deep and roasty with chocolate and a slightly greater coffee presence.. well-balanced and heavily enticing. The flavor held serve with a mostly coffee core surrounded by coffee and cocoa bitterness.. some milk chocolates joined at the back.. roasty coffee finish. Light-to-medium bodied and dry on the palate with a very good flow to it.. I could drink a whole lot.

Sampled on draught at the brewpub in downtown Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin. Pours an opaque dark brown brew with a decent sized beige head that slowly dissipates and leaves behind some excellent lacing and a creamy thin beige head. Aroma of toasted dark black and chocolate malt, some coffee and a hint of smoked wood. Taste is medium bodied, very light carbonation with flavors of toasted dark malt, coffee and a touch of dark chocolate. Finish is slightly dry with a toasted dark malt aftertaste followed by a lingering mild bitterness that slowly disappears.