Tampa Bay Iron Rat American Stout

Brewed by Tampa Bay Brewing Co.
Style: Stout
Tampa, Florida USA

Poured up on tap at the brewpub weighing in at 7.8% ABV and with deep dark body to go along with moon cratered mocha head. The pours is exceedingly cold for this type of beer and yields very little in the way of aroma. I think I get roastiness, oxidation, chocolate and a sense of coffee. The first sip confirms this is served too damn cold. I get amplified roasted malt and hop astringency. Is this what they want us to taste and smell? A tad warmer, yet on the chilly side, I get a pulse of sweet maltiness to start followed by a moderate level of roasted coffee beans to burnt grains that grow into astringency by midway. I’m also picking up some earthiness or oxidation too. Toward the finish both chocolate notes and some pine hops carry it to the finish. Lingering roasted malt astringency and hoppy pine bitterness close off the experience in a less than satisfying way. Maybe I wasn’t in the mood for this offering to turn out pleasant. In my defense the way it was served didn’t lend itself to an easy satisfying experience. It did pick up more chocolate and coffee notes and less astringency at the very end of the glass with a temperature much closure to room ambient than it had started.

on tap-pours a tight brown head with some lacing and black color. Aroma is dark malt-molasses/chocolate/coffee, earthy hops. Taste is dark malt/oat-molasses/chocolate/coffee/anise, earthy hops. Not my taste, but nicer at celler temp. occasional.

Tap. Pours almost jet black with a small tan head that leaves some lacing. Aroma of coffee, roasted malt, chocolate, and light caramel. Taste is the same as aroma. Medium mouthfeel with a good amount of bitterness. Very good.

Draft at the brewpub. I suspect this beer could have been better had my company not been so awful. <P> The aroma is highly concentrated with dark chocolate, black coffee and cocoa. The hop component was less concentrated than I anticipated from something dubbed an American stout. The body was dark brown to black with a diminishing mocha head. <P> The first sip revealed a smooth chocolate and cocoa flavor that I found quite comforting. It quickly transitioned into baker’s chocolate, hop and burnt bitterness and roasted malt. Very creamy and substantial mouth feel. About perfect for the style from a palate perspective though it gets faintly thin tasting in the aftertaste and leaves only the lingering hop bitterness. A decent change up on their regular stout.

New at the brewpub. Draught. Black pour, small lasting mocha head with nice lacing. Aromas of cocoa powder, coffee, licorice, burnt malts, booze. Flavor is more of the same, heavy on the roast notes. Finishes with a nice hoppy kick. Medium bodied, sticky palate. Finish is bitter and lengthy. Good stuff.