Whole Foods Old Plowshare Stout

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

Bottle: Dark brown, nearly black, moderate light beige foamy head, quite nice lacing.   Roasted malt nose, slight sourness, a bit of cocoa and darkened chocolate.   Smooth burnt malt flavor, slight lactose like sweetness, very low hop profile.   Body and mouthfeel are moderate, not very heavy or big as you might think for a stout.   Clean finish, somewhat dry but not overly done.   Lingering cocoa and semi-sweetened dark chocolate.   Yea, this is quite clean actually.   Smooth, not big, but quite tasty and very sessionable.

Appearance: Not a very picturesque Irish Dry Stout. Pours black/brown with a twinge of ruby. Initially, a vigorous head, but it eventually bids farewell leaving being only a skimpy membrane of tan bubbles. Certified Organic? Well, that’s a relief! Smell: The aroma is full of dry chocolate malt and sweetened coffee. Taste: Tastes, however sparingly, of bittersweet chocolate marked by flavors of cold coffee and mild bitterness. Obligatory dry finish. Mouthfeel/Drinkability: A bit thin and light-bodied, but extremely drinkable and well-balanced. I could easily tackle the rest of the 4-pack if I was so inclined.

Bottle. The beer pours to a really dark garnet body with a thin tan head that mostly dissipates rather quickly. The aroma is chocolate with some coffee and sweetened condensed milk. The flavor is dry charcoal with chocolate and light coffee and hints of licorice. This is your typical dry stout. A dry roasted palate with a decent medium mouthfeel. Lightly tart.

12oz. bottle. Aroma on the stale side but did get a decent wiff of Oats on the finish. Black body with tan head man hole cover head on top of body thoughout beer. Good oatmeal and coffee flavor for an oranic brew. Dry coffee roast lingers on the palate. Decnent brew.

Smells very nice. Looks good. A thick solid dry stout, could be used as a sounding board for the style. Good stuff.

Deep dark brown coloured body with a smallish off-white head. Aroma of heavily roasted malt, coffee, chocolate and a hint of prunes. Medium-bodied; Strong roasty flavours throughout with a good sweetness overlayed. The roasty malt characteristics cover the beer nicely and the bitterness and semi-sweetness continue on to the aftertaste efficiently. Overall, a good stout - definitely worth trying if you can find it! I sampled this twelve ounce bottle purchased from Whole Foods in Vienna, Virginia on 31 December 2006.

12 oz bottle, via kp. Pours a clear dark mahogany under a fizzy beige head that settled to a whispy film. Aroma is roasty and chocolaty with hints of coffee, milk chocolate, light yeast, and some nuttiness. Best aroma from an organic beer I’ve rated. Flavor is more Brown Ale like than Stout like though. Alot of nuttiness and light bitterness, some roast on the finish though. Some coffee flavor as well. Mouthfeel is thinnish, watery in texture, and has quite a bit of fizzy carbonation. Overall, this was a decent beer, but not a good Stout. I would have guessed a Brown Ale from a blind tasting stanpoint.

12oz bottle via trade with Degarth - Thanks Joe! - Pours dark brown with a short tan head. Aroma of roasted malts and a touch of coffee and a touch of chocolate. Flavor is more on the milk chocolate side than expected. Some coffee and roasted malts as well but more sweet than I expected.. Also some nutty notes. Palate is watery and very light for a stout. Pretty average all around..