Olivers Blackfriar Stout

On nitro, at the downtown brewpub. Good roastiness, good lacing. On the thicker mouthfeel side. A bit sour.

Nitro - Frisco Grille. Black, super creamy tan head. Deep roasted chocolate and minty coffee aromas lay on soft notes of vanilla black currant. Rich burnt bitter chocolate and dark roasty flavors are well balanced on a soft sweet coffee backbone. A good bitterness throughout keeps the sweetness at bay for the most part. Light to medium bodied with pillow soft carbonation. Finishes dry and bittersweet. In my book, a well made sessionable stout...

Nitro pour at Fells Point Wharf Rat. Clean black; heavy gray cream. Cinnamon, roast, chocolate aroma; quite dusty but not ashy; some sandy cookie dough sweetness, oyster, caramel. Burly, juicy roast flavor and dark-roasted watered down coffee; simplicity seems heavyhanded but it’s pretty workable. Dark chocolate, tangy lactose sugar, and bright red fruits; light, unimposing acidic meatiness throughout. Malts seem to thin out as it coats the mouth; a light floral touch in plenty of residual honey sweetness that slowly swallows the rich roast character. Palate is watery, tangy and lightly acidic; finishes with the unpleasant tartness of underextracted coffee, more a light roast than dark, and a bit of black bitterness. Likeable for the most part, but a bit restive and grating; it grows tiresome unfortunately quickly.

Pints @ Fells Point Wharf Rat. Pours a very dark chocolate color; huge, creamy light-tan head with gorgeous retention and creamy lacing, coating the glass. Solid amounts of roasted malts, milk and dark chocolate, and a touch of vanilla in the aroma; creamy, well-roasted nose. Medium mouthfeel: incredibly pleasant in the mouth: creamy, well-roasted, and good levels of balancing acidity and bitter chocolate; core is composed of milk chocolate, nougat, and softly roasted malts. Lengthy, roasted finish: milk chocolate, slightly bitter.

Opaque black pour with a nice creamy white head. Not much aroma, a bit of malt maybe. Smooth malty flavor. Dry with a bit of coffee and a touch of hops. Very watery and flat. Very drinkable but not particularly good.