McNeills Reagins Stout

Brewed by McNeills Brewery
Style: Stout
Brattleboro, Vermont USA

Muzzlehatch brought a precious bottle of this stout all the way from Vermont to Illinois for me, and I cannot thank him enough. I completely concur in his assessment. This is great beer.

A notch below the Imperial Stout and probably on purpose. Give me the Oatmeal Stout or the Imperial Stout and I’ll have this middle of the road one if NcNeills is out of the other two.

Pours a beautiful, dense obsidion with a thick lacing light brown head. Viscosity of motor oil. Thickest of any stout I've had that wasn't imperial. Aroma is sweet with some chocolate coffee undertones. Body is dry and fresh tasting with plenty of roasted and chocolate malts and a hint of oak. Very full bodied and well balanced. A wonderful dry stout. Thanks to Casey for recommending this gem.

Fall '01: Just as good asor perhaps even a little better than the same brewer's Imperial. Absolutely coal-black opaque pour, with a medium-brown smooth head; wonderful sweet chocolate aroma; amazingly well-balanced sweet & pungent chocolate flavor, smooth as velvet but with some fire at the end. Extraordinary. 3/28/02 re-rate: Loses just a bit on a second try; I note the strong coffee elements more this time; flavor is like velvety coffee-toffee! Might be a bit astringent on the palate, and the nose seems a little less dominating; but still an amazing brew, and I can't wait to re-try the sole bottle of Imperial I managed to grab in December.

December 2002, one-year old bottle. Don't know if this was made in '02, and this is my last '01, alas. Aroma seems more intense and robust than I remembered, though still chocolaty. Flavor seems rather odd after a year though, very strong and bittersweet but with a slightly unpleasant acidity that reminds me just a bit of bad orange juice. Hmm, still worth trying, but didn't seem to age so well. Hope it's availabe again. 9/5/6/3/15=3.8 overall

February 2003, bottled December 2002. Back to where we were in Fall '01; I think this beer just doesn't keep well. Very smooth, sweet, milky at the front but the hops take over fairly quickly for a quite dry, bitter ending. What Guinness undoubtedly once was, and still should be.

August 04, I really don't know how you could achieve a better dry-stout aroma, I mean this is intense in its roasty coffee/burnt grain notes...huge burnt flavors, immense body and dryness yet stil quite drinkable. Could be the definitive American example of the style.

I expected to not really like this because Guinesss and other dry stouts aren't my bag. But- it's among the best Dryish stouts I have had...very creamy and nothing nitrogeny or artificial about it. Less flat oak dry wood flavors than other dry stouts, very chewy and a hair sweet in an undefinable way (not raisin or anything like that, maybe caramel malt?). I really like it! Rich! Incredible lacing, deep contrast between the dark abyss of the beer and the beautiful ecru of the head. Barry is so the man!

Sampled a pint of this beer on draught at the brewery in Brattleboro, VT. Pours to a beautiful, ebony color, with a thick, tan head, and a soft carbonation. The nose on this beer is excellent with lots of good dark chocolate, coffee, and mild roasty aroma. Palate is firm, with good dark malt, coffee, and roasty flavors. This beer finishes with more good dark chocolate, coffee, and roast, then ends with a dry and bitter finish. Excellent dry/Irish stout. A great beer to enjoy relaxing at the cozy bar, and a nice beer to take away in a 22 oz bottle.

The aroma is smooth and creamy. Chocolate biscuits soaked in coffee and cream. Roasted malts with a bit of alcogol and spun sugar. Peaty dark earth and woody notes, too. Dark black unfiltered beer with thin creamy chocolatey tan lacing head. Chewy body with medium carbonation and little carbonic burn. Starts with a bit of chocolatey sweetness temoered with mild lactic tang and roasted bitter coffee sourness. Smoky component after that, with nice acidity and coffee flavor. The finish maintains that acidity and hint of roasted malt sweetness while more bitterness comes through. The after is medium bitter with coffee beans, bittersweet chocolate, and nutty tones. Nice stout.

2004 bottle compliments of Bucknaked. Great pour. Opaque black with some dark cherry-mahogany brown tinges. Great mocha beige brown head. Aroma is amazing for a dry stout.This dosent have the nitro in it so you can actually smell and taste this beer (ps. I dont like nitrogen in beers). Anyways, wow is this stuff good. Roasty, dry and malty. Black malt, lots of great chewy malt and all kinds of fun dark fruits and flavors (anise, dark coffee, some thick bacon fat). Can McNeills make a more balanced better mouthfeeling beer?? I dont know how they control the mouthfeel this well on their beers, but it’s great. Awesome beer, one of my favorites from them. Influenced heavily by the imperial, though take out the extreme hopping and some of the extra gravity.