Emelisse Espresso Stout - Bierbrouwerij Grand-Café Emelisse

ESPNman

California

3.31/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.25

Poured into a Delirium Tremens snifter.

A - Pours a near-black (like a too-syrupy coca cola). Virtually zero head, some lacing. It's a very, very dark brew with just hints of brown when you hold it up to the light.

S - Good stout character with some sweetness and roasted malts. A decent amount of espresso and some booze in there as well. Good nose, but nothing really special. Representative of the style, but not as much coffee as I'd like.

T - Just not what I was looking for out of this beer... it's woody, has a hint of bitter espresso, but just too much of the malty sweetness. Some alcohol in the middle, and it just finishes flat. A bit of bitterness lingers at the end.

M - Thin, almost watery. Surprising for an imperial stout like this. Light carbonation, not a lot of body.

O - Not worth the price-point that it sells at. It's good, but certainly not great. It has good elements, but just has too many misses to be considered a recommended beer. This would be a value at $8-10 for a 6-pack, but at $5.50 for a single it's just not there.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2013 04:54:38 | More by ESPNman

bobhits

Kentucky

4.26/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25

Pours is dark, creamy, thick and dark. Very nice imperial stout.

A lot of more fruity and flora aromas than expected given the espresso stout name. Rich chocolate and coffee still are huge and rewarding.

Chocolate and espresso take front stage but unexpected fruits and floral hops end the show with force.

Creamy so so creamy and carbonated totally enhancing the mouth feel and making things amazing.

Not even close to perfect but this is really great stout, I'm shocked how poor the reviews are. I'm a big fan.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2013 00:12:50 | More by bobhits

Maltmaiden

Alabama

4.49/5  rDev +24.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

A: dark tan head. looks on the thicker side. great lacing. can't see through it.

S: Dark very roasted malts are equally sensed at the espresso. Sweet chocolate. Alcohol is apparent but not off-putting. some plum.

T: Almost dark covered espresso bean with vanilla. Alcohol is pretty well hidden for being 10%. Very well balanced with bitterness and sweetness. Little bit of spiciness (from hops in that area?) Wow!

M: Medium. Very smooth. Plenty of carbonation. Nice long finish but not an abrasive one.

O: Just a fantastic beer that shows you don't have to overdo it with the coffee if you make an espresso/coffee beer. This had complexity without being cloying. Loved it!

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2013 03:27:37 | More by Maltmaiden

OneDropSoup

Pennsylvania

3.06/5  rDev -15%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3

Poured into a shaker pint: Black body with just a dusting of tan head & some floaties. Some brown highlights around the edges.

Very sweet, nougatty cocoa smell, with some dark fruit & a kind of caramel or butterscotch syrup character. Approaching bourbon, but like with a really candy-counter toffee note. Not really getting any espresso.

Taste has a sharp chocolate liqueur note, some licorice, then turns to a kind of black espresso note toward the back. Finishes with some alcohol, raisin-like rum sugar & a mild astringency, a little woody.

Medium-bodied, somewhat warming, goes down both sticky but a little too thin given the strength.

This beer doesn't lack for complexity & I find myself going through it pretty quickly because I keep going back & trying to taste things again, sift through all the flavors & layers. But I also find that none of them are terribly rewarding & are kind of thin & insipid. The espresso is pretty weak, & it's way too sweet for my liking.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2013 23:45:04 | More by OneDropSoup

Beer-A-Lot

Virginia

4.08/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Murky, lots of lacing, nice head. A really nice beer. Not a style I've had that much, but one I'd like to try more of. The stronger abv gives a nice balance to the typical Euro stout flavors. Kinda different, kind nice. This seemed much less potent than it is, but very enjoyable.

Serving type: on-tap

01-23-2013 04:06:41 | More by Beer-A-Lot

drabmuh

Maryland

3.63/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Served in a becher because it was the only thing handy. This beer hides the alcohol really well but it isn't a great stout.

Beer is black with a tan head of small bubbles, some retention, no lacing, moderate to low carbonation.

Aroma is mildly roasty, a little sweet.

Beer drinks smooth, almost like an RIS but lighter, almost airy on the palate, mild bitterness and hints of coffee throughout. Not horrible but not a repeat for me.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2013 18:07:36 | More by drabmuh

MaximalC

Illinois

3.6/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours dark brown with faint highlights and a negligible--and by that I mean nearly nonexistent--tan head. The aroma smells boldly of alcohol, molasses, coffee, and something resembling bourbon. I could swear one could get drunk via inhalation alone...

The flavor is more mild than the aroma would suggest. The front end is smooth and roasty, with notable alcohol and some dark fruit. The finish is where the coffee really comes through, with a long, pronounced crescendo of fresh-roasted coffee beans. Now, I'm not a coffee drinker, mostly because what little coffee I've had tastes much more bitter and bland than it smells, but the finish on this beer tastes as much like the smell of coffee as I've come across. Tiramisu would be another apt comparison.

As fine as this beer finishes, the detractor here is the peculiarity of the front end, which doesn't taste like anything in particular. There is some flavor there, perhaps a shade of bitterness and some alcohol, but it's not something that I would envision as foundational, and in that regard this brew falls short. Perhaps the gross lack of carbonation deprives the mouthfeel of some much needed texture? The alcohol could be a little better concealed as well, but at 10% ABV that may be a tall order. The delicious coffee finish is laudable, but the lack of a cohesive identity all the way through leaves something to be desired.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 04:00:59 | More by MaximalC

RuudJH

Netherlands

4/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Very dark brown with brown head.
Smell is dominated by coffee. Also a lot of black chocolate, raisins, figs.
Taste is full bitterness. Roasted malts, coffee, chocolate. Even some ash. Fruit sweetness way in the background.
This beer has quite a quick finish. The alcohol is well masked.
Overall it's a clean but powerfull brew in this style.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2012 15:18:16 | More by RuudJH

snaotheus

Washington

3.65/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12oz (or 11.2) bottle poured into a large snifter

Pours dark gray with no head. Small amount of slow carbonation. Smell is cherries, plums, and coffee, roasted malty.

Taste is sweet, roasty, lots of coffee, not as much of the fruit, some black licorice. It's pretty tasty.

Mouthfeel is rather flat (or "still"). Overall, this is a pretty good beer, but could use more carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 03:54:30 | More by snaotheus

AgentMunky

California

3.83/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 33cL bottle into a brandy snifter. Lot A. Best before 03 2014. 9.5% ABV. 75 EBU.

A: Mocha head. Dark, but translucent. Reddish brown.

S: Flat coffee. Chocolate malt.

T/M: Tasty! Thinnish, but chock full of roasted, malty barley. Rich and chocolatey. Trace coffee bitterness appears on the long, long aftertaste, but isn't nearly as prevalent as I expected.

O: Very nice! Recommended. Would have again. A great stout that is lightly more sweet than not.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2012 05:03:20 | More by AgentMunky

brentk56

North Carolina

3.58/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: A hard pour brings up a khaki film that fades quickly to a ringlet; though it leaves a smattering of dots behind

Smell: Espresso, with undertones of chocolate and caramel

Taste: Espresso dominates the flavor profile, with chocolate and caramel tones entering the picture in the middle; after, the swallow, the bitter bite of the espresso returns to dominate the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Overall: Not my favorite beer from this brewery, unfortunately; a bit too one dimensional with the espresso flavor

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2012 21:53:13 | More by brentk56

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

B/B 09/14. Lot A

Different label than the one pictured above and label listed ABV at 9.5%, not 10%.

A - Very dark brown with a ring of light brown head.

S - Dark roasted espresso aroma up front that overpowers lighter aromas of roast and sweet molasses

T - Roast, sweet chocolate, dark bitter espresso and brown sugar. Good balance of bitter and sweet. The ABV is very well hidden.

M - Medium body. Moderate carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2012 11:29:43 | More by TheSevenDuffs

womencantsail

California

3.78/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The pour is black in color with a small khaki head. Lots of coffee and roasted malt on the nose with a hint of alcohol. A bit of dark chocolate and maybe even a touch of vanilla. The flavor doesn’t quite live up to the aroma’s standards. Still a lot of coffee, but it’s a touch acrid. The roasted malt character is strong and there’s a little bit of chocolate flavor to it as well.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2012 20:49:11 | More by womencantsail

woemad

Washington

3.53/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

11.16oz bottle purchased at Jim’s Homebrew in Spokane for $6.74. I have seen this beer nowhere else. The label seems to have a freshness date of March, 2013, but the wording is in Dutch so I’ve no idea if it means the beer should be drunk by then or after then.

Pours what looks to be a solid black color with a decent sized, mocha colored head. The beer takes on an extremely dark, almost imperceptible reddish tint when held up to the light.

Coffee notes are in the nose, along with brown sugar and chocolate. For a coffee beer, the coffee scent isn’t terribly strong.

Coffee and milk chocolate flavors hit the tastebuds pretty much at the same time. Perhaps it should be called a mocha stout rather than an espresso stout. There’s also a warming alcohol sensation in the background, which is not surprising when one remembers this is 9.5% abv. However, it’s just barely noticeable. Hop flavor isn’t really a noticeable factor.

Not as big of a body as I expected for what is essentially an Imperial Stout. The mouthfeel is sticky and coating.

Not a bad beer but not as flavorful as I was expecting, but it might still work as a dessert beer after a meal (and I did have a big breakfast several hours ago), but I wouldn’t recommend it for sessioning on a hot summer day. It’s also deceptively strong, with nowhere near the booze bite you’d expect for a beer of this strength, so watch out.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2012 20:01:37 | More by woemad

tony223366

California

3.3/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: Brown fluffy 2+ fingered head with a brown color. There's absolutely no light passing through this baby. Big points for the awesome head though. Nice retention too. It lifts the beer way up.

S: About what you'd expect. Tons of malt aroma. Chocolate and dark fruits mostly. Then the coffee hits you. Not as strong as I thought but definitely there. I thought it'd be a little roastier but really the key aroma is the dark fruits.

T: Whoa this beer drops the ball at this point. The coffee is overwhelming. It's like when I try to choke down the work coffee when someone forgot to put the damn heater on so it's cold. But I'm nodding off at my computer so I need the pick me up. No, it's not quite that bad. This is definitely has more of a roasted element in the flavor. But it really is a one trick pony. None of those dark fruits made it to the party!

M: Medium body with some light carbonation.

O: I know some people tear at this beer but you just can't be expecting an American Stout. It has similar flavor profiles to other Export Stouts I've had. So I'd put it at an average.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2012 05:24:52 | More by tony223366

Heretic42

Texas

3.58/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Another purchase from De Bierkoning, BB date of 06/2013, bottle says 9.5% abv.

A: Pours black with very little head

S: Espresso, some faint whispers of dark chocolate

T: Overpowering espresso, a little bit of smoke, and just a hint of dark chocolate.

M: Medium-low carbonation, smooth and light-medium bodied

O: I like bold flavors, but I'd also like a little more complexity here. Aging it a little might help temper the espresso and bring out other flavors. Overall, it's a pleasant beer and I'd certainly drink it again, but it's not one I'll seek out.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2012 20:12:24 | More by Heretic42

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.45/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle: Poured a deep brown color ale with a large foamy head with good retention and some light lacing. Aroma of light dry coffee notes with light roasted malt is OK though not as powerful as expected. Taste is also an OK mix between some light dry coffee notes with light dry roasted malt with a side of caramelized malt. Body is about average with good carbonation and no apparent alcohol. A bit light for style and espresso flavour fell a bit short.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2012 20:00:02 | More by Phyl21ca

DARIVA

Netherlands

3.43/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Very dark beer with almost no head.

S: Espresso, espresso and espresso.

T: Espresso, sweet gum and slightly acidic.

M: Too little body. Tastes like coffee grounds in your mouth, but that is the combination of espresso and the carbonation.

O: Great experience, very long aftertaste.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2012 16:29:08 | More by DARIVA

DarthKostrizer

California

3.4/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Look: Very dark brown not quite black and totally opaque with a 1/2 inch tan head and good retention with some very small spotty lacing

Smell: Roasted malt and roasted coffee bean nose with some dark fruit oak and a hint of vanilla

Taste: Lots of roasted malt upfront with quite a bit of ash a lot more roasted malt than expected especially since there is no coffee flavor here

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body and medium carbonation

Overall: Not at all what I was expecting but not a bad beer nor is it something I would buy again

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2012 21:10:36 | More by DarthKostrizer

Ratman197

Colorado

4.43/5  rDev +23.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Bottle from Beer Revolution poured a clear dark reddish brown with a lasting creamy brown head. Aromas of espresso, dark chocolate, roasted malt, licorice and light fruittiness. Mouthfeel was m,edium to full bodied and smooth. Flavors of espresso, roasted malt, bitter chocolate and light licorice with a smooth lingering espresso finish.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2012 00:14:50 | More by Ratman197

rtaps

California

3.85/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

pours pitch black, very minimal dark tan head (barely anything), minimal retention

not much to it coffee and chocolate as expected.

weird coffee and chocolate dominate the pallet. there is a nice vanilla note in there towards the end though.

light-medium bodied, low carbonation, a little viscous and smooth

overall it was enjoyable, and got what you expected

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2012 06:44:51 | More by rtaps

Sunnanek

Sweden

3.83/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours pitch black with a medium-large glowing pale brown head that sinks into rich lacings.

S: Rather weak in smell... Coffee and chocolate - not much else going on.

T: Dry and roasted malt. Rich, very rich coffee (no surprises there...). Some vanilla notes besides smoke. Chocolate. Bitter hops. Faint dark dried fruits - overpowered by the coffee.

M: Long lovely bitter aftertaste. Full body and low carbonation.

O: A very interesting beer, the only thing I hold against it is the weak smell.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2011 20:55:57 | More by Sunnanek

gorby10826

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: medium viscosity, black, medium head
S: smooth bitter roasted coffee notes,not much else, slight smell of sweetness
T: coffee, chocolate
M: light for a stout
O: a sit down lighter coffee stout, easier to drink than other coffee stouts, makes it a nice alternative that is readily available in my city.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2011 19:41:22 | More by gorby10826

bld81

Missouri

3.65/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: rich black pour with generous frothy head, well retained
S: big, big roasted coffee, totally dominates, chocolate present but muted
T: coffee forward for sure, cherries, currants, and sweet chocolate follow, drowning out the coffee on the tongue
M: light to medium body, creamy and softly carbonated
O: good choice, more pronounced coffee flavor than other American coffee stouts, and just sweet enough to be interesting

Serving type: on-tap

11-05-2011 16:36:22 | More by bld81

osusullins

Illinois

2.68/5  rDev -25.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

I'm not a fan. I like coffee stouts, but there is something on the back end of this beer that I just can't get past.

Pours a dark black with almost no head. Not much lacing.

Aroma is strong coffee and nothing else. Maybe a subtle hint of chocolate, but you really have to be looking for it.

Taste is ok at first. The coffee comes through immediately, but there is a bitterness that comes into play that doesn't seem to fit the beer. Very light bodied for a stout. If I am in the mood for a coffee stout, this will not be the one I reach for.

Serving type: on-tap

10-30-2011 05:09:09 | More by osusullins