Old Plowshare Stout - North Coast Brewing Co.

beerinator

Illinois

3.85/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Dark, but certainly not black. Off white head lingered a bit and then faded back into the beer. Retention is good.

Aroma: Roasty, burnt coffee snorts up the nose. The initial aromas are roasty, but there is some sweet malt and a bit of chocolate smell that fills the nose.

Taste: The flavor starts a bit roasty, but the taste finishes sweet with a bit of burned bitterness. The mouthfeel is solid, but not exceedingly full. The caramel sweetness is there, but the bitterness seems to keep it in check.

Notes: Balanced roasty beer. This doesn't look like a dry irish style, but it does have many of the flavors of it. Good beer, especially if you plan to drink more than two.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2005 04:05:57 | More by beerinator

johntfox

Florida

4/5  rDev +4.4%

05-21-2013 18:26:10 | More by johntfox

Geech

Pennsylvania

4.75/5  rDev +24%

01-08-2013 05:14:55 | More by Geech

cliff1066

Virginia

4/5  rDev +4.4%

01-05-2013 22:10:07 | More by cliff1066

superspak

Michigan

3.9/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 ounce bottle into pint glass, no bottle dating. Pours hazy dark reddish brown color with a small foamy khaky head with decent retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Light spotty lacing clings on the glass. Aromas of caramel, toffee, toast, molasses, chocolate, roasted malt, raisin, cream, and light herbal. Nice aromas with good strength and balance. Taste of dark chocolate, roasted malt, caramel, toffee, toast, biscuit, vanilla, light coffee, and light herbal. Light bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of chocolate, roasted malt, caramel, toffee, toast, and light coffee, and light herbal on the finish for a short bit. Very nice robustness and balance of flavors; zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a very creamy and lightly slick mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with zero warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a very nice dry stout! Nice robust and balanced flavors; very smooth to drink. Really enjoyable offering.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2012 04:15:04 | More by superspak

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +4.4%

10-21-2012 17:27:38 | More by RblWthACoz

grumpygerman

Alabama

4/5  rDev +4.4%

09-14-2012 02:37:57 | More by grumpygerman

slowdaddy

Alabama

4/5  rDev +4.4%

08-19-2012 17:04:57 | More by slowdaddy

jmbraxton

Alabama

5/5  rDev +30.5%

08-19-2012 00:44:06 | More by jmbraxton

sulldaddy

Connecticut

3.88/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Drinking a cellar temp bottle poured into a pint glass. The beer has been in my basement for about 2 years. Pops open nicely and pours a rich chocolate color with fizzy beige head of about 1 cm that fades rapidly, and noisily to a string of wispy islands. Several small streams of bubbles continue to rise to the surface.
Aroma is roasted malt with some dark chocolate maybe a little sweet brown sugar hit that could also be dark fruit. Aroma is mild and more roasted than sweet for certain.
First sip reveals a fairly light body that is smooth with very fine carbonation. Very easy to drink this beer.
Flavor is roasted malt and then some dark chocolate and actually a little bitter like a high % cacao chocolate bar.
No hops or ABV presence detected.
A fairly straightforward but tasty, easy to drink stout. Quite nice in a world of ever increasing punch you in the face beers.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2012 04:03:41 | More by sulldaddy

kevgod

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +11%

05-13-2012 16:02:48 | More by kevgod

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -2.1%

04-01-2012 22:28:53 | More by TMoney2591

jfcaa193

Connecticut

3.5/5  rDev -8.6%

02-15-2012 02:23:49 | More by jfcaa193

chrispoint

Connecticut

3/5  rDev -21.7%

02-01-2012 06:29:31 | More by chrispoint

Stoffel

Texas

4/5  rDev +4.4%

01-06-2012 03:07:43 | More by Stoffel

jak

North Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -8.6%

12-26-2011 02:25:00 | More by jak

tclapper

North Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -8.6%

12-17-2011 19:14:12 | More by tclapper

HopStoopid120

Connecticut

4/5  rDev +4.4%

12-16-2011 22:33:24 | More by HopStoopid120

Donsmitty

Connecticut

5/5  rDev +30.5%

12-06-2011 19:21:14 | More by Donsmitty

deapokid

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +4.4%

11-26-2011 13:42:14 | More by deapokid

JAHMUR

Connecticut

4/5  rDev +4.4%

11-20-2011 05:40:37 | More by JAHMUR

Neffbeer

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +4.4%

11-15-2011 04:59:14 | More by Neffbeer

mralphabet

Virginia

2.83/5  rDev -26.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

12 oz bottle poured into pint glass

A: Poured dark brown with a good 2 fingers worth of tan head that settles to a nice thin layer. Not much lacing here.

S: I'm getting dark chocolate and roasted malt... not much else.

T: Taste just like the smell.. the dark bitter chocolate hits first with a roasted malt backbone, finish is clean the aftertaste has a little cherry cough syrup too it.

M: Lighter than I was hoping for... I'd say mid to light bodied.... not a lot of carbonation here.

D: Not a bad stout, but feels a little weak.. lighter that I was hoping for... Not the best I've had from North Coast.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2011 03:36:17 | More by mralphabet

Rhettroactive

Virginia

2.35/5  rDev -38.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

From 12oz bottle to Bruges hybrid glass on 6/28/11
*From notes

A: Cherry brown in color. A 2.25 finger head is the product of a generous pour. The fluffy head leads to decent lacing.

S: Rusted metal left in a cesspool on the hottest day of the year. It's pretty awful. I can't find a single pleasantry about the bouquet.

T: A bit of milk chocolate up front that comes off as whimpy and meek. The mid is filled with the essence of caramel mocha, as the finish is metallic and a slight bit off-putting.

M: Thin and utterly oily. There's no residual bulid-up in the mouth like most of the quality stouts on the market. Instead, this one is in, out and over.

O: North Coast's Old Plowshare Organic Stout is a weak link in an otherwise solid catalog. I'm guessing they were looking to create an everyday, low ABV stout, and instead found a beer that I came close to drainpouring.

On a sidenote: if you're looking for a proper and simply top-notch interpretation of the low ABV American Stout style, check out Evolution's Rise Up! Stout. You're welcome.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2011 15:43:51 | More by Rhettroactive

mikesgroove

South Carolina

3.95/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Huge dark body that no light could penetrate at all. Big head of dark tan then rose up from the bottom of the glass and reached a height of around three fingers before returning back down to earth.

Aroma is very nice, very well balanced I have to admit with loads of roasted malts, light smoked notes, hints of chocolate and coffee. Warming brings out a nice blend of licorice and peat that mixed with a nice woody, earthy tone. Again really nicely done I have to admit. Each sip was rich, creamy, and very dry. Nice follow through on the palate as well left me looking for another sip of the semi sweet and definitley dark stout.

Overall very, very solid.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2011 16:03:43 | More by mikesgroove