Whole Foods Old Plowshare Stout

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

Brown with a big tan head. Aroma of roasted malts and al little coffee. Flavor of coffee. Finish of coffee biterness. Over carbonated.

12oz bottle. Pour is a dark brown/red with a long lasting pillowy head of white cream. Tight tiny bubbles. Aroma is sweet caramel and just a touch of roastiness. Flavor is mild upfront but the roast starts to show more and more as it rolls over the tongue. Very mild stout. Nothing harsh, nothing biting, and kind mild on flavor. But it is easy to drink. The score is worse than it should be.

bottle-i bought a 4 pack of this with high expectations. I was a little let down i must say. This beer poured crimson red, a little too lite for a stout if you ask me. An off-white colored head topped the beer for a blink of an eye. aroma of toffee, char, dark roast, anise and leafy hops. flavors are big organic, astringent leafy hops and unprocessed grains. Very astringent. some char and roast make their way in there but its all over the top. Some salt in the finish. Finish is overly dry from the earthy/leafy organic hops. not very pleasant if i must say. palate is lite and watery, over-carbonated and spritzy. the organic hops add a spice to the finish as it warms. unique, but not a very good stout.

Bottle. A dark brown color with a diminished tan head. A slightly sour aroma with salt, roasted malts, and a touch of chocolate. A malty, slightly burnt, coffee and nut flavor.

Bottle. Courtesy of hopdog. Deep russet with a tall fluffy tan head. Nose is caramel, light coffee, roasted malts, and sweet choco notes. Taste is roasty and sweet. Lots of caramel, light coffee (with cream and sugar), bit of candy bar, and light malted chocolate candies. Sweet but with a nice roasty bitterness coming through. Body is light-medium with a minimal carbonation feel. Finishes with light bitter coffee, thinned hot chocolate flavors, roasted malts, caramel and sweet chewy malts.

Small but balanced. Dark but not opaque, nose of coffee and burned malts. Small head but adequate lacing. Taste of malts and bitter coffee, but without the hoppy bitterness of a Bell’s Expedition or a Victory Storm King. Average mouthfeel, consistent with its appearance. Bonus for drinkable, low alcohol beer.

12 oz bottle poured into a mug. Thick head. Color is black but slightly translucent. The smell is roasted coffee. Body is light for a stout, thin. The taste is off watered down coffee. Some coffee aftertaste left on the tongue. One demonsional and poorly executed.

Deep amber in color, with a ring of light tan head. Cinnamon and brown sugar creep through to the nose, though the dominant aromas are chocolate and burnt coffee. Hoppy bite, then bittering up to a soft finish and a lingering coffee finale. On the whole, however, the beer is thin and a little astringent. I also detect an earthy/club soda quality in the taste that turns me off, and none of the spices come through on the tongue. I agree the palate is a major downer.