Grog (Mocha) - Nodding Head Brewery and Restaurant

stakem

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Served at Nodding Head on 4/9/11 during the second Saturday of the month beer event: Groggy Afternoon. This one-off of Grog was cask conditioned with a full pound of coffee beans, six ounces of cocoa nibs and a single vanilla bean added to the firkin.

Served in a wine glass, approximately 7-8 ounces or so this brew appeared a muddy brown color that was very hazed to the point where some yeast trub made it's way into the glass. A tan cap of head quickly recedes to just a thin film across the top of the brew.

The smell of the brew is musty coffee, it is lacking a bit in that freshly roasted coffee quality that you might look for and is more musty, almost giving me a stale impression. There is some citrus elements to the coffee that accent the hops just a bit. Long lingering scents of chocolate mix with the roasted quality of the brew last in the nose. However, for the most part the stale coffee element completely dominates the aroma of this brew leaving the base beer's characteristics fighting for any attention.

The taste of the brew mimics the aroma. A thick, roasted grain flavor gets dominated by the coffee character with a faint amount of citrus that doesn't seem to come from hops but maybe just the citrus aspect of the coffe beans. A little bit of chocolate flavoring makes it's way through the coffee flavoring and lingers on the tongue.

This brew was just a bit too over the top with coffee for me and I enjoy coffee. It is a full bodied brew, thick and creamy with a low level of carbonation. This brew could have used a bit more carb to keep it away from feeling watery. At times I felt like I was drinking an accident, almost like someone mistakenly poured day old coffee into a glass of Grog. However, this offering was easy drinking and I wouldn't mind seeing them do it again perhaps with a different type of coffee or different method of introducing it to the beer.

Serving type: cask

04-12-2011 18:55:45 | More by stakem