Pisgah Valdez - Pisgah Brewing Co.

Erdinger2003

Iowa

3.75/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Deuane for this bottle...I finally got around to drinking this.

Pours a highly carbonated black colored liquid that has a dark red hue when thinned out into light. Lacing is not present, but small pieces of what would be a lacing trail slightly. Smells like bourbon with an almost sour note that I think comes from the roastiness meeting the bourbon. Almost light bodied, it feels highly attenuated with such carbonation and lighter feeling body.

It's fairly dry and seemingly higher in alcohol than what's presented on the label. The sourness of the bourbon meets the roastiness and right away a lot of flavor seems to be released from the palate due to the carbonation. The slightly sweeter bourbon does make an appearance after swallowing starting the aftertaste off nicely.

Mouthfeel is highly carbonated and light, making the overall drinkability go down slightly judging by mouthfeel alone.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2009 04:35:12 | More by Erdinger2003

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +8.4%

05-15-2013 11:25:50 | More by Slatetank

Jlang2012

South Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -9.6%

05-09-2013 01:10:41 | More by Jlang2012

JoninVT

New Hampshire

3.75/5  rDev -9.6%

04-28-2013 23:07:51 | More by JoninVT

mikeyv35

New York

4.29/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Date: 06/21/2011
Type: 22oz. Bomber
Vintage: 2010
Glass: Sweetwater Tulip

Pours a jet black in color w/ a 1 finger tan head that produces nice sticky lacing. Aromas of coffee beans, roasted malts, chocolate, and subtle vanilla. The flavor starts w/ initial chocolate sweetness, leading into smooth coffee, and finishes w/ mild vanilla and ever so slight hop bitterness. Medium bodied and finishes dry. I could drink this brew all day especially w/ the lower end ABV.

Overall, this is one of my favorite brews out of the South region and the best coffee stout coming out of the South hands down. The brew is extremely flavorful, but yet very drinkable, just fantastic stuff!

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 23:18:03 | More by mikeyv35

orangesol

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

04-11-2013 03:12:23 | More by orangesol

cosmicevan

New York

4.43/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

big thanks to hopsleroy for hitting this long time want. enjoyed from a mother earth brewing snifter.

a - poured a watery black that settled into the glass deep and ominous with a tan mocha bubbly head that bubbled away quickly.

s - YUM! gourmet coffee. a fine roast. some chocolate. really just dominated by a really nice gourmet coffee smell. smells fantastic.

t - again, HUGE coffee notes. this is not for the faint of heart. big roast and some hints of bakers chocolate...some nice sweetness. i'm a fan.

m - slightly watery. almost tastes like a watered down coffee. carbonation is soft, body has some porter like char.

o - overall, i'm a BIG fan of this one. it is huge for coffee, but a bit watered down, but still works. not sure what vintage this is, but it doesn't taste anything like what some of the bad reviews boast so there might be bottle variation or even some batch variation? i couldn't have dug this one more.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2013 20:54:53 | More by cosmicevan

richkrull

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev -9.6%

03-31-2013 22:23:40 | More by richkrull

nickfl

Florida

3.75/5  rDev -9.6%

03-11-2013 07:14:55 | More by nickfl

popery

California

3.75/5  rDev -9.6%

03-01-2013 07:29:02 | More by popery

BlackBelt5112203

South Carolina

4.75/5  rDev +14.5%

02-28-2013 05:38:06 | More by BlackBelt5112203

djrn2

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -3.6%

02-24-2013 01:14:17 | More by djrn2

KevinGordon

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

02-11-2013 13:56:47 | More by KevinGordon

Thur123

Georgia

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

02-08-2013 07:01:03 | More by Thur123

Jadjunk

Georgia

3.46/5  rDev -16.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25

"Adhering to the strict philosophy of the Pisgah brewers, this mouth watering coffee stout is brewed just miles downstream from America's most beautiful watershed. Brewed with coffee beans from asheville Coffee Roasters, and weighing in at a respectable 6.8% abv, the aroma of fresh coffee leaps from the glass, and finishes slightly dry. Treat yourself to the finest coffee stout this season, Unfiltered for your enjoyment. Respect tradition. Love beer. Treat Yourself!"

Poured from a 22 oz. bomber to a snifter. Served above 48º Fahrenheit.

(Appearance) Pours a silk foamy brown tone head with a slightly above average retention. Body is a dark brown with red highlights. Sediment heavy on the bottom, light flecks don't quite settle. Decent head quality, a little crisp and doesn't last long and lacing is thin. A decent appearance but worthy of much more. 3.25

(Smell) I am slightly put off by the aroma, perhaps by its dryness or the acid presence which makes a big part of the aroma. Bitter coffee bean notes forward and a chalky chocolate chip cookie. Earthy hop presence in places. Mild tones of char beyond a generally clean aroma. Relatively light on the nose, with a lesser balance towards sweetness and a bigger emphasis on bitterness and tart black coffee, light on the creamy notes. Most interesting is a doughy dry yeast aroma with some slight notes of tart fruit. The coffee notes are in decent balance with the other aromas in this beer, as there seems plenty of substance to be had. Potency is medium-high. 3.5

(Taste) Most interesting. Front has a fruity juice tartness, followed through with roasty chocolate notes. Mild black mocha coffee finish and a hint of char. Very heavy emphasis on fruit, quite interesting and a bit unusual for my expectations of a coffee stout, but not an unwelcome variation. The balance is actually quite decent and dryness isn't overwhelming. 3.5

(Mouthfeel) Oily slickness with a mild creaminess on the finish. Tartness in the body is really a confusion to the appropriate texture, slickness and creaminess is probably the best bet nonetheless. Body is just shy of medium for an Imperial Stout, medium/high amongst all beers. Alcohol presence is largely concealed. 3.75

(Overall) My thought is that this beer is a bit older than anticipated and that the yeast have had some fun transforming the beer. It wasn't a terrible transformation, just a much fruitier beer than I had anticipated with a bit less coffee and roasty flavors than I had desired. I hope to get a really fresh batch of this beer in the near future so that I can confirm these suspicions, as this beer currently seems unfocused, and perhaps misguided, at the worst. 3.25

Pisgah Brewing Company's
Valdez
3.46/5.00

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2013 22:39:59 | More by Jadjunk

CJS

Florida

1.4/5  rDev -66.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

A Looks like a average brew. Creamy head that sticks to the glass.

S Smells stoutish with much roasted coffee aroma.

T Extremely bitter and over carbonated. Most coffee I've ever had in a beer. Raw chocolate undertone with slight creaminess. And a tart sour finish that just doesn't belong.

M Too bitter to really enjoy.

O I would almost think it is infected from the sourness, but their is still a balanced flavor setting in this off flavored cocktail. Could not finish a glass.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2013 03:23:19 | More by CJS

spycow

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

01-13-2013 20:36:03 | More by spycow

westcoastbeerlvr

California

3.25/5  rDev -21.7%

01-10-2013 18:22:52 | More by westcoastbeerlvr

boonejag75

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +8.4%

01-10-2013 03:46:19 | More by boonejag75

Mantooth

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -9.6%

01-08-2013 01:13:04 | More by Mantooth

dirtylou

Washington

3.15/5  rDev -24.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Consumed a few times in the past 2 weeks, both on-tap and bottled

Classification as a Double Stout is quite misleading. The bottled version is over-carbonated and may be confused as *gasp* infected. It just isn't right - fruity and tangy with a metallic finish. On-draft, its an iced coffee overload and is really a nice beer. Unfortunately, the most recent bottling doesn't translate and I was really quite embarrassed to open this for people not familiar with Pisgah.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 07:04:06 | More by dirtylou

brentk56

North Carolina

3.8/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottled January 2009 (discovered today in my cellar)

Appearance: Pours pitch black with a massive, creamy tan head that coats the pint glass with a sheet of lace

Smell: Coffee, coffee and coffee....with sugar; smells like a Cuban coffee

Taste: Cuban coffee with chocolate underneath; the sweeter aspects grow in the middle, with chocolate building in the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with creamy carbonation

Overall: While it is a bit too sweet for my palate, that may be a function of age, with the hops falling by the wayside; other than that, the beer has held up pretty well over the past four years

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2012 21:17:40 | More by brentk56

Falcone

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

12-28-2012 00:24:04 | More by Falcone

bgramels

Indiana

3.75/5  rDev -9.6%

12-22-2012 18:27:30 | More by bgramels

t0rin0

California

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

12-08-2012 22:08:44 | More by t0rin0