Hopworks Organic Survival Stout

Name: Seven Grain Stout
Date: September 21, 2009
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewpub
Words: cold pressed coffee
Appearance: black, fine beige head, drippy lace
Aroma: rich roasted coffee aroma
Flavor: rich coffee flavor, touch of caramel sweetness, lots of roasted, touch of bitter dark chocolate
Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.7/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: *** /4

Appearance: Pours out a clearish, dark brown, near black body with a well-sized, frothed, khaki-colored head. Smell: Hearty and fulfilling - it’s like the reunion show of some long ago canceled television sitcom. Retired, aging, has-been grains sitting alongside barley and wheat, who’s beer careers have been on an unprecedented meteoric rise, to share memories and swap stories with limited commercial interruption. Taste: The Survival Stout utilizes more well-known grains including barley, oats, and wheat, but it also contains a number of ancient, oft-forgotten grains: amaranth, spelt, quinoa, and kamut. Starts with a flavor of fine dark chocolate syrup with touches nutty oats, molasses, Dutch cocoa, and with a background taste of crisp, blackened grains. Medium degree of sweetness throughout. Also, there’s a buildup of smooth, tasty espresso. Meager earthy hop character and bitterness, with more perceived bitterness attributed to the grains than the hops. Finishes dry and roasty. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation. The mouthfeel is velvety to a point. Yes, yes, it is. Drinkability: Somewhere, in a secret, candlelit room, the uninvited, unwelcome Rye Grain sits alone brooding. From floor to ceiling, the walls are plastered with iStockphoto.com stills of the various grains all X’ed out with bright red lipstick. This won’t, this cannot end well. Survival Stout, with its wide array of various grains and added cold-pressed espresso presents a rich, inviting complexity and yet there’s a very, very sensible ABV%. Recommended!

22oz bottle. dark reddish-brown pour. Aroma of roasted grain. Flavor of deep roast and a bit of molasses. a bit thin, still very tasty.

Fantastic aroma of chocolate, coffee, and molasses. Taste is the same with a slightly nutty finish. Mouth feel is a bit thin though, could use just a little more body. Drinkable, and enjoyable.

(Draft) Sampled at GCBF 2009 in Victoria on September 9, 2009. Nice velvet texture. Good coffee base. Sweet, some under tones of vanilla. Good start to beer fest and remarkable brewer/brewery. 8/4/8/3/15

coffeeee! yes! cappuccino, java.. yes!! !! pure! .. black .. so smooth and perfect roast level .. espresso cup aromas .. . very tasty, organic? .. awesome stuff!

bottle courtesy of kenb! dark pour with a 1 finger light brown head. aroma is tons of coffee, just like a cup oif regular ol joe. plus lots of hearty yummy grains of course! taste is a nice bitter bite cut with the earth flavors of grain, dirt, smoke and time. being familiar with the more obscure grains in this drink i can def taste and very much appreciate their presence in this mixture. nice full body with some velvet and a very nice feel all the way through, very primal, i love it! leaves a great smokey, full aftertaste that is bitter, but not too. idef want some more of this!

From the Jug at the GABF Colorado Convention Center, Denver 11/10/2008 Roast aroma. Small beige head. Black smooth and a little rich on the palate with a crisp and slightly dry coffee roast finish.