Kern River Class V Stout

Brewed by Kern River Brewing
Style: Sweet Stout
Kernville, California USA

Shared by HogTownHarry with Blankboy and I. Appearance: Pitch black with a very thick pancake mix coloured head. Aroma: Coffee & chocolate milk. Flavour: Coffee, smoke, chocolate, alcohol all swirling in an incredibly carbonated mixure. Very short finish. Enjoyable beer.

(22 oz. bottle via trade with IrishBoy, thanks Richard!, cellared for 8 mos. after trade) Pours very dark brown with a suspiciously big quickly rising light brown head. Aroma of molasses, coffee and chocolate. Mouthfeel initially fizzy, kind of light to medium-textured for a stout. Fizziness eventually begins to dissipate. Lots of sheets and rings of lacing inside glass. Flavor of coffee and chocolate with a nice bit of roastiness. Unfortunately a fairly strong Band-Aid note detracts quite a bit early on, but eventually begins to dissipate. A nice molasses sweetness emerges more as it warms. ABV pretty well-hidden. A pretty nice beer aside from the apparent infection.

Bottle (22oz). Shared with blankboy and garthicus, via trade with irishboy. Nearly opaque ruby-black pour with a HUGE fluffy and lasting tan head. Dusty-dry lactic cocoa aroma, definite table cream feel to the bouquet, with green raw hop bitterness way in the background. Deeply roasted fruity malt flavour, solid bitter chocolate underpinnings, quite prominent alcohol, with contrasting herbal and citrus zest notes - really appealed to my palate. Surprisingly light-bodied, well carbonated, and oddly evanescent - the palate duration was disappointingly brief - tasty, but a tad light and over-carbonated.

Bottle (22oz) shared with HogTownHarry & garthicus -- courtesy of HogTownHarry. Pours a very deep ruby-brown with a massive lasting frothy light-brown head. Aroma of roasted malt, coffee, some chocolate, light hops and a hint of vanilla. Slightly subtle flavour of roasted malt, coffee, some chocolate and light hops. Alcohol well hidden. Medium bodied. Pretty good, not great -- a little past it’s due perhaps?

bottle from odeed and irishboy: pours a good black colour with a thick tan head that is creamy and lasts. aroma is full of bitter chocolate adn coffee, very small smoke and nice smooth toffeee malts. flavour is very roasted and a deep chocolate flavour, good creamy mouth feel with hints a gain at smoke and plenty of coffee taste. finishes well and just a tiny bit of the alcohol.

22oz bottle acquired in trade with zathrus13 (thanks!). This one poured all off white head. Eventually settled to a dark brown. Aromas of lots of roastiness, chocolate, coffee with cream, and light smoke. Tastes of caramel, vanilla, light smoke, milk chocolate, roast, and coffee. Alcohol content well hidden.

Bottle shared by aspidites, deep brown pour with a thin, tan head. The nose and flavor a lighly sweet but more smoke. Dry finish.

Courtesy of Irishboy via Quake1028. Chocolate, coffee, roasted malt, vanilla cream and a fairly heady alcohol perfume make up the aroma. Nice. The body is black with a diminishing, but originally quite thick and full, mocha head. The fore is very hot for a sweet stout which I don’t think this really is. Cocoa/chocolate liqueur is the effect. It has a nice mouth feel and never loses that smooth semi-sweet chocolate flavor profile from start to finish. An Imperial Sweet Stout I guess. Whatever it is, it drinks very nicely and I enjoy it.