Tröegs JavaHead Stout

Brewed by Tröegs Brewing Company
Style: Stout
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania USA

Pours black. I can’t even get light penetration around the edges. Two-finger creamy coffee-tan colored head of foam. Great retantion and great lacing, to boot. Sweet maltiness and maple notes hit me first. Nice undertone of big espresso/coffee notes. Slight hints of dark fruits. Nice big chocolate presence. Hints of caramel and vanilla. Very slight hops notes, deep down inside. One of the better smelling coffee brews that I’ve had. Smells like a good cup from a specialty coffee shop. Ooooh, that’s some fine espresso tasting brew in my glass. Nice undertones of bittersweet chocolate. Light malty sweetness. Slight caramel notes. Hint of smoke. Feels nice and smooth. No real bitterness here, despite all of the sharp flavors involved in this brew. I’m sure that all of the smoothness is due to the oatmeal. What a wonderful grain! Good solid medium body. Nice level of carbonation. Slightly too thin for a stout, though, IMO. This is one that I’d love to see them put into regular, year-round, production. I would love to have this on a regular basis. Flavors are great. Nice level of smoothness. Good balance. On top of that, it’s a relatively low 6%ABV. I could do this as a session beer, no problem.

Sampled from a 22 oz brown bottle this beer poured a dark black color with a large dark brown head that lingered forever and produced lots of lacing. The aroma was lovey and complex with bitter roasty malts, coffee, tart cherriess, apples and berries. The flavor was bitter, roasty and toasty with notes of malted milk, vanilla and coffee. There were touches of citrus, apple and caramel underneath. The coffee is definitely present but is subtle. The finish was long, dryish and roasty. The body is full and silky smooth. Excellent.

Pours onym with 1-finger tan head and great lacing. Nose is dark malt, dark choc, cacao, heavy coffee, molasses, slight rauch and hops. Tastes dark malty, with heavy coffee, dark choc, hops, gets a bit bitter late. The palate is not very dense, but has good complexity, and the coffee stays strong throughout, with a late jalapeno oil that reminds me a lot of Bell’s Java Stout. Very nice, but coffee haters should stay away, as should cheap dark.

THOUGHTS: Very nice — if you like coffee that is. And I do. Great use of coffee. Glad they left it as a regular stout and didn’t ramp it up to Imperial levels. This was a nice change of pace for me. TECHNICAL: Bottle. Poured a dark brown that was nearly black in the glass with slight amber highlights and a large, khaki head that slowly, but mostly diminished, but left excellent lacing. The aroma was moderate to heavy, coffee and roasted malt and light hops. The initial flavor was sweet, bitter and acidic; while the finish was a little sweet, rather bitter and fairly acidic with an average to long duration. There was coffee, roasted malt, a little sugar and cream, a little hops that blended with the bitterness of the coffee. The medium body was creamy and a little oily with lightly tingly carbonation and a lightly astringent finish.

Very nice effort for this highly anticipated brew. Pours black with fluffy tan head. Aroma of oat and chocolate dominate throughout with a nice roasted oat finish. Slight taste of espresso throughout. Wish I could have bought more of a growler, but the cases had already sold out!

22 oz. bottle from Grape & Gourmet. Black pour with a beautiful, bubbly tan head. Light coffee and dark chocolate aroma. Great flavor; roasted malt, smoke, and coffee. Creamy mouthfeel. A very good coffee stout.

Dark brown with a big brown long lasting head. Aroma of coffee, roasted malts and some hops. Flavor of roasted malts finishes with coffee.

Bottle. Beautiful, classic pour -- pitch black with a fortress of a foam top. The aroma is muted, yet enticing enough, with a hint of sweet chocolate. Delicious drinker, too -- sweet and rich with a nice smooth body. (#3699, 10/18/2009)