Whole Foods Old Plowshare Stout

Brewed by North Coast Brewing Company
Style: Dry Stout
Fort Bragg, California USA

Sitting outside in 90 degree weather may not be the best environment for rating a stout of any sort, but this one came through with flying colors. Dark bronze, with a thin beige head. Aroma suggests a sweet stout more than a dry one - kinda of a mocha latte thing going on. Really nice flavor is more coffee, roasty forward with sweeter notes in the background. I was surprised how much I enjoyed this one.

"Celtic style stout"? Is that short for Guinness? It can’t be. Not much head, amber hues in dark brown body, clear. I had this side-by-side with a Nitro can of Youngs Double Chocolate Stout, and I far preferred the smooth feel and flavors of vanilla and chocolate. With this one, I had to deal with the rather brusque carbonation, and then just faced a lot of roast without the layers of other flavors. Some coffee, dry and roasted, and cocoa most definitely. Reasonably oily body beneat the carbonation, which still tingled after a while. Drinkable and decent, but I don’t think I’d pick it up again in a crowded field of stouts to drink (but I would pick up the Whole Foods Cru d’Or Belgian Ale again).

Dark brown, good lace. Aroma is sweet roasted coffee. Palate thins out at the end. Flavors are mainly malty and although dry it lacks hop bitterness.

12oz. Bottle: Weak aroma of roasted malts and chocolate. Poured dark brown/mahogony in color with a medium-sized, rocky, khaki head that diminished but lasted. Clear. Sparkling. Good lacing. Flavor of bitter chocolate and roasted malts. Pretty boring flavor. Medium body. Slick texture. Average carbonation. Bitter chocolate and roasted malt finish. Not dry. Pretty boring overall, though not bad.

Bottle. Reddish dark brown colour with a little head. Light aroma of roastedness, coffee and some chocolate. Light roasted flavour with a bitter and dry finish.

The aroma is coffee with sugar and chocolate. The appearance is deep red/brown with a small head. The flavor has coffee, roasted malt, alcohol, and cola. The palate is thin considering it’s a stout. The aftertaste is bitter. The beer is drinkable but not an outstanding example of the style.

Smells like chocolate cereal - cocoa puffs or krispies. Bad label, nigh opaque dark brown black. California squat micro bottle. Dry, very drinkable, dark cocoa, faint coffee, roasty, light nutty sweetness. Fizzy, medium/medium light mouthfeel. Some oxidized, leathery whiffs in the high palate. Slightly acidic, but does well in session. Nothing too complicated, but it has a somewhat complex flavor profile.

A very solid stout. Aroma is a little lacking and boring, coffee, roast, fleeting mint, oats, but the flavor has a refined dryness and fine sandpaper roast that is very pleasant. Oats are noticable, as is a slight bitterness.