Shorts Cuppa Joe (Coffee Creme Stout)

Brewed by Shorts Brewing Co.
Style: Stout
Bellaire, Michigan USA

Tap at the brewery. Pitch black pour. Rich, decadent espresso aroma with dark chocolate, a hint of molasses and faint piny hops. Dark chocolate and rich dark roast coffee flavor with a little bit of roasty, piny, hops and a hint of molasses. Full, creamy body.

Growler, courtesy GodOfThunder via northernbrews. The body is virtually pitch black at the center with traces of mahogany at the far edges. A small, foamy, mocha colored head crowns the surface. Thin sheets of lacing slowly break apart and stick as scattered spots. The aroma shows bold, fresh, darkly roasted coffee beans over a base of bittersweet dark chocolate and smooth, creamy mocha malts. Earthy hops enhance the coffee roast, each working in unison to counter the underlying creamy chocolate sweetness. Flavors are very much coffee forward, decadent roast hitting first, followed by robust bitter chocolate and notes of mocha cream. Substantial and creamy, the body leaves lingering coffee flavors behind. This stuff is as delicious as it is easy going. I could probably kill the whole growler by myself in a day’s time.

Growler... GSRARO Throwdown... Pours pitch black with a small, creamy, light brown head. Leaves a tan, oily coating around the glass as it recedes. Smells like a blend of coffee grounds and milk chocolate – mocha. Full-bodied with a slick mouthfeel and lively carbonation. The flavor is chock full of chocolate and even heavier on the coffee grounds. A touch too sweet... the residual sugars far outlast any bitter, tannic notes. Sweet, mocha finish... more coffee-forward than chocolaty. Thanks to GodOfThunder for providing this beer!

Growler. My last beer at the throwdown. Big ass coffee nose, with touches of chocolate. Even bigger coffee flavor, semi-sweet thankfully, not the dry thin coffee palate of many coffee stouts. Just alot of mocha chocolate coffee goodness.

Got the opportunity to try this beauty courtesy of Hoppymeal - thanks, Derek!!! As a fan of all things coffee and beer, it’s hard to resist this beer. Hefty pour with a creamy head that rises late from the oily body. Sumptuous aroma of baker’s chocolate, dark roast, and moderate fruity scents, slightly lactic (almost like a Baltic Porter crossed with a coffee stout). Very smooth mouthfeel, lively carbonation combined with subsantial creamy malts and a pleasant chewiness. Some bitters in there from the roasts and a pleasant sweetness to balance it. It really is like coffee and cake, as Dany wrote. A real delight, which I’m super stoked to have tried!

In short: An extra-creamy fruity coffee flavoured chocolate cake in a bottle. Good stuff
How: Hand-Bottle 12oz from CharlesDarwin, thanks a lot tom
The look: Black body topped by a small tan ring of foam
In long: Body is very creamy. Taste has creamy black chocolate and with the extra-creamy body I had the impression of a black chocolate cake. Strong coffee flavour but not the standard roasted coffee beans, the coffee here is more like a cup of freshly brewed black coffee. As the beer warmed up some molasses and squeezed dark fruits juice was coming out and the beer really felt like a fruity coffee-flavoured creamy chocolate cake. Body is a bit syrupy but the beer doesn’t feel too sweet thanks to a good roastiness level with some floury notes. Overall this is a rather drinkable tasty stout because it doesn’t overdo anything and each flavour element finds its own little space. I liked it, this is my type of beer, my Cuppa tea.

12 oz handbottle

Thanks to CharlesDarwin for sending this my way as a bonus. I’ve passed it up at the Great Taste for two years now due to time constraints which is just as well. This is one to savor instead of rush through at a festival.

Aroma / Appearance - The one finger tan head protected a rich black body and clear sticky lacing. The nose was basically straight black coffee with a little bitterness. I am slowly warming to the coffee stout as a style.

Flavor / Palate - The taste of creamy coffee blended with hazel before a bitter transition. It reminds me of an iced black coffee. On par with Kentucky Breakfast Stout I think this would be great if it were bottled.

on tap at GTMW ’08. pours black foamy tan head. really deep roasted coffee aroma, slightly syrupy chocolate. tastes like coffee, rich coffee flavor but lacks roast, or much else resembling beer.