Riley's Stout - Paper City Brewery Co., Inc.

cbutova

Massachusetts

3.7/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours pitch black into my pint glass with a three finger creamy light tan head, which ends up retaining at about one finger for a decent amount of time. Pretty thick lacing is left behind by this one. A good looking Irish Stout. Instantly as I smell this one I think of a Guinness. Lots of roasted malts, some chocolate, vanilla, a coffee like smell that could come from a grain of some sort. The smell dies down pretty quickly and I have a hard time picking it up again. Taste is also that of roasted malts, chocolate/mocha and some hops, earthy ones. Part way into the beer the roastyness I enjoyed seems to disappear and allow the hops and sweetness to come through a bit too much. I wish the initial taste stayed there. Mouthfeel is decent for an Irish Dry but still a bit watery to me personally. The carbonation feels appropriate for the body and taste. No warming whatsoever going on here. Drinkability is good, the taste is not bad, the price is good, there are no huge off flavors to take over the beer and ruin it totally, it was certainly worth trying as I enjoy stouts very much but I'm not sure if I will get this one again.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2009 07:47:37 | More by cbutova

Georgiabeer

Georgia

3.98/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours black with a thin head that fades very quickly to a thin ring. Nicely balanced aromas of a medium roastiness, slightly sweet malt, and some creaminesss and some earthiness. Th flvor is similar, quite balanced between sweet cream and a dry roastinrss as well as a bitter earthiness and a hint of almond-like nuttiness. Very dry, and with a late, tight bitterness. Pretty enjoyable stuff from a brewery that is new to me.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2009 16:42:58 | More by Georgiabeer

albern

Massachusetts

3.98/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is a nice dry stout that comes in the Paper City variety pack. It pours a very dark brown, impenetrable to light color, with a creamy off white head that doesn't retain all that well, no lacing. The nose is on the subtle side, there is cocoa powder, coffee, dark chocolate, roasted grains.

The taste pretty well follows the aroma. There are deep roasted dark grains, chocolate, and mocha coffee. The beer is very creamy, very smooth, there isn't any bite or charred flavors, the beer is a touch sweet, but has nice drying qualities. The beer is medium bodied, maybe a touch watery. There is some drying notes in the finish, and there is a distinct coffee mocha flavor in the aftertaste. There maybe a slightly nutty quality to the beer, but the coffee flavors are the most striking. I'm not a big coffee guy, but this beer is good, so that is saying something right there. The chocolate notes are a touch powdery, bittering, not sweet at all, and really just deep dark cocoa. This is a nice creamy beer that has a lot going for it. L'Chaim.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2009 20:15:48 | More by albern

natasharai

Minnesota

3.95/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Appearance: Poured with a large tan creamy and fizzy head that dissipated quickly leaving no lacing. The beer is black but lets a little bit of light through around the edges.

Smell: Strong roasted and toasty malt, chocolate and coffee notes, sweet smokey smell.

Taste: Sweet chocolate, roasted malt, dark toasted malt, very light smokey flavor.

Mouthfeel: Light body, a lot of carbonation, dry, and leaves mouth with a light dry and slight sweet film.

Overall: Good drinkability, a little too much carbonation. Really good roasted flavors with sweet chocolate to balance it out.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2009 00:41:32 | More by natasharai

schroederm

Massachusetts

3.55/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

In a pint glass:

One finger of sudsy head which is off white in color. Ruby/brown body with good lacing and retention. Nose has soy and roasty aromas. Kindof salty. Overall somewhat muted. Taste isn't very malty, with hints of coffee and a touch sour. -Finishes very dry and roasty. Good body and very good carbonation level. Very drinkable, in line with the style. Helped by a subtle bitter and lightness.

Overall: Good brew, but its just not very exciting. I would buy it again.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2009 15:20:33 | More by schroederm

gfreed

Massachusetts

3.35/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Quite dark; not much of a head; what was there was airy and bubbly. Lightly roasted aroma with some vanilla and apricots, and even a little bubble gum. More roastiness in the taste, but it was swept aside by the hops which came on a bit stronger than I expected. Rather thin in the body, but that's what made this pleasant to drink on a nearly-spring day in New England: not too thick but still heavy enough for a chilly afternoon winter. Pleasant enough when you're seeking a lighter stout.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2009 01:39:53 | More by gfreed

marlinsfan4

Maryland

3.8/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The last one to review from the Paper City mixed 12 pack.. so far this brewery has really let me down to be honest with the first 3 beers.

Pours a deep mahogany color with a tannish head and lots of lacing. Aroma is very roasty smelling.. nice touch to it. Taste it of roasted nuts, very malty but smooth. Nice mouthfeel and body to it and finishes dry. I haven't had much from this style but I find it smoother than Guinness. While it isn't spectacular, its by the best in their mixed 12 pack (other 3 are below average for sure) and was glad I saved this one for last. Give it a try if you're into Irish stouts.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2009 22:06:10 | More by marlinsfan4

tempest

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Picked up a single from Party Source in Syracuse. This is a good, rippingly dry Irish stout. It makes a touch in complexity, but the almost sour black roasted malts are big and bad (delicious). The appearance is pitch black with a tan head. I could drink more of these. Comes off very traditional - in the best way. A little heavier than the true Irish stout (Beamish, etc), but hardly less sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2009 17:18:56 | More by tempest

BeerTruth

Connecticut

4.15/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Got this one right here in Syracuse at Party Source.

12 oz. bottle poured into a nonic. Best If Served By: 06 30 09.

Pours a dark cola brown with a two finger light tan colored head that sticks around for a bit. A decent amount of lacing holds strong to the sides of the glass. Smell consists of dark roasted malts, toasted grains, and coffee grinds. Light cocoa powder, a bit of caramel malt, and some earth in the nose as well. Taste begins with some ashy wood, chocolate malt, and roasted nuts. Midway a vanilla flavor emerges with a dirty hop flavor. Aftertaste is pretty dry with smoke and caramel on the tongue. Medium body with a slick and creamy feel, very fitting for the style. The fairly low abv and smooth feel make this an easy drinking brew for sure. I like this one over their Mother's Milk, very solid Irish Dry Stout.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2009 00:54:09 | More by BeerTruth

Duhast500

Massachusetts

3.85/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a tasting glass from the tap.

The appearance is a black with a deep brown color when held to the light.

The smell is of roasted malt. A bit of a smokey character.

The taste has a chocolate taste to it with a malty flavor, and little charcoal flavoring as well.

This is a crisp brew, quite creamy and is easy drinking. One of the better local brews as well as one of the best Irish stouts I've had. Worth a try.

Serving type: on-tap

01-23-2009 17:37:48 | More by Duhast500

fitzy84

Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Great appearance. Dark black look with some nice, thin lacing. The smell is pretty sharp and rich. Good amounts of malt, chocolate, coffee all of which is nicely roasted. The taste has some of those sharp flavors, but there is a good, dry sense of hops included as well. Crisp mouthfeel allows for a full bodied drink that definitely fills you up for St. Patrick's Day. Overall, one of Massachusetts' finest.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2008 01:47:28 | More by fitzy84

currysage1

Maine

3.83/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Had at Stoney's Pub South Hadley,Ma.

Upon first smell I got typical Stout coffee, and chocolate. Also I got a slight barn (hay and horses) sort of smell, definately a good one though.

The first sip proved to be huge in the coffee section, with a little chocolate mixed in. Some nice acidity in this brew as well.

Overall a sessionable brew with good attributes.

Serving type: on-tap

03-05-2008 07:51:43 | More by currysage1

jwc215

New Jersey

4.2/5  rDev +8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to jcwattsrugger for bringing a bottle back for me from New England!

Best by date faded, but year is '08 so it's within freshness date...

Pours black with dark brown hues along edges. A thin tan head becomes patchy, leaving some spotted lacing on the glass.

The smell is of dark roasted maltiness with chocolate and coffee - earthy/fruitiness hints in the back. Mild, but pleasant.

The taste is of dark roasted malt - chocolate and coffee. Dry finish.

Fairly creamy and smooth though there is a very slight (alcohol?) astringency.

Nice roasted maltiness - a good interpretation of a traditional Irish dry stout (with a touch more alcohol).
Thanks again, John - I liked this one!

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2008 14:41:32 | More by jwc215

WesWes

New York

4/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer pours a deep, dark black color with a thick frothy tan head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is good. It has a dry, roasted malt scent as well as a coffee-like patent malt aroma. There is a bit of chocolate malt that adds just enough malt sweetness. The taste is good also. It has a very dry, roasted malt flavor. It's got an earthy black malt feel; very nice. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a full bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is probably the best beer I've ever had from these guys. It looks, smells, and tastes great; a fine stout.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2007 02:03:44 | More by WesWes

mountdew1

New Hampshire

4.1/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into standard pint glass. A nice very dark brown, but not quick black, opaque color. Head was about 1 finger, reddish brown, that disappeared quickly after pouring and before drinking. Aroma was slightly sweet, not sickeningly so, but had touches of coffee, and maybe caramel? Tasted the same. Not at all bitter, very easy to drink. Tasted slightly better warm than cooled. A nice solid stout.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2007 00:11:58 | More by mountdew1

jslot38

Massachusetts

4.18/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: A hard pour produces a nice cascading effect. Forms a heavy light toffee coloured head. The body is the shade of night. Lacing all over the place.

Smell: Rich unsweetened chocolate. A touch of that green smell wafts a bit in the nose, but is overpowered by the aroma of coffee, molases, and roasted grains.

Taste: All the lovely touches of the smell carry right over to the taste. Plenty of nice subtelties that meld together to form a nice taste of chocolate, coffee, roasted barley, a touch of smokiness, nuts, and toffee round it out.

Mouthfeel: Heavenly, near perfection.

Drinkability: Will one day make a journey up to Holyoke for a growler or two of this stuff.

Notes: Top notch irish dry stout. Exceeds Guinness extra stout by far. A perfectly blended stout that prides itself on many characters, and drinkability. Well done.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2007 02:56:40 | More by jslot38

taez555

Massachusetts

4.53/5  rDev +16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

This beer poured a black body with a thick tan head.

Nose has a rich milky chocolate and roasted malt/coffee smell. Very rich smelling and extremely inviting.

Taste is very smooth and very rich at first. A silky smooth medium body. Almost like drinking a silky chocolate milk. It has a strong hump half way through of hop bitterness and roasted malt that fades nicely in the end. Dark malt, coffee, espresso, milk chocolate, soy milk, milk, and roasted barley. There's a fireplace brick, charred smoke sort of flavor that balances against a slight leafy earth taste.

Wow, what a damn nice stout. Silky smooth with a load of classic stout flavors. I really wasn't expecting anything this nice from Paper City.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2006 23:46:40 | More by taez555

OldSock

District of Columbia

2.7/5  rDev -30.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Appearance – 12 oz bottle from Luke's. The best before date is unreadable. Dark brown opaque beer with a thin tan head. Poor head retention but decent spotty lacing.

Smell – A bit of oxidation at first wiff, cardboard ick. The smell eventually turns to chocolate and biscuits. Similar to Mother's Milk, but with much less sweetness.

Taste – A touch of charcoal to start, fading into smooth chocolate. Well balanced beer, hops are slightly earthy with just enough bitterness to balance the malts. The stale flavor carries over from the smell, its not foul just not what you expect from a local brewery.

Mouthfeel – Medium body with nice low carbonation.

Drinkability & Notes – Hopefully I just got a bad bottle, maybe I can find a fresher sample.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2006 01:14:43 | More by OldSock

akahn

Massachusetts

3.43/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Dark brown cola color. Disappointingly, very little head. I'll try a more vigorous pour next time.

Smells sweet, malty dark, vinous.

Tastes wet and it is to the point about roasted malt. Unfortunately, that's about all that's going on. Burnt flavors go along with some slight carbonation. Definitely some of the vinous & plum flavors in this brewery's Winter Palace Wee Heavy, but this beer isn't nearly as complex or fun as that beer.

Pretty thin, pretty simple, somewhat disappointing. But this would definitely be a quaff-able brew, which I think is the goal for "traditional irish stout".

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2005 02:12:57 | More by akahn

Brewfan

Connecticut

4.08/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured a very dark burnt-chocolate color with tinges dark mahogany. Minimal tan head leaves whisps of lace surrounding my Hennepin chalace.
Aroma of dark chocolate, malt and cappucino. Very malty. Me likes this already.
Nice burnt coffee and roasted malt taste with a sweet backbone. Malty with not much hoppy bitterness. Reminds me of a chilled espresso.
Creamy body and medium carbonation makes this one quite drinkable. Finishes dry and crisp. Very nice dry stout from Paper City. This could definately be a session beer for me.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2005 01:22:56 | More by Brewfan

bjohnson

Massachusetts

3.63/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a dark brown almost black color with a smallish head that quickly evaporates. No lace on my glass as it was going down. Smells of coffee, chocolate, malt, and a something sweet filled my nose. Tastes of coffee, chocolate and smoke. Left a dry taste in my mouth--Overall drinkability is good, sucked this guy down and could have a few more.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2005 23:16:44 | More by bjohnson

alexwag

New York

3.8/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Very dark but penetrable by light without too much trouble. Head is thick, mocha-colored and enduring. Leaves very nice, consistent lacing. Impressive.

Smell: Roasted/burnt malts very up front, alcohol is noticeable. Potent.

Taste: Those malts are still right there up front, along with the alcohol. Carbonation is mild at first but becomes more evident and sticks with you. Mid-sip it becomes more bitter, which endures until the end, mingling with the roasted coffee malts. Creamy near the end.

Mouthfeel: Pretty good, perhaps too much carbonation. Still, fairly smooth and creamy.

Drinkability: Good! Overall pretty tasty and easygoing.

Still, I've had better Irish stouts. But this one was good for the money ($5.99 at Town & County in W. Springfield).

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2005 00:53:03 | More by alexwag

alexgash

Connecticut

3.8/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Tar black body with a huge (three fingers) of dense, light cocoa brown head. Nice lacing. Smells of baking chocolate, rich, sweetish malts, with plenty of bitter roastedness. Taste starts off with a dry, sharp, roasted bitterness. Almost has a metallic edge to it. Lightly sweet, dark chocolate malt finds its way in mid-palate. Bitterness remains and takes us into a rich, chocolatey, bittersweeet finish. Not bad. Medium bodied plus, with a dry, creamy feel. Not my favorite style, but a good representative of it.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2005 03:18:24 | More by alexgash

cooter

New York

2.7/5  rDev -30.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4.5

Poor head retention, uneven. Very dark brown, pretty much completely opaque, even up to a light, which seems unusual. Its pre-imbibation character is unimpressive, given the head and pungent odor of orange peel, bitter bitter BITTER bitters, and sourness. It's like an almost-rotting, overripe ...something. If that's phenols, which I can't determine, then something's wrong with 'em.

There's a very distinctive taste of overly sharp almost-citrus. It feels thin, somehow both over- and under-carbonated, without body. What IS likable in the taste? The bitters at the very front are pleasantly sharp for a moment, before something sinister happens to it. It's unique, I'll grant, but not for me. Tastes more like a poor porter than any irish stout I know.

Looking at others' reviews, I could recognize vanilla, lime seltzer, scent of chocolate, a lot of the trademark dryness, and I think I can see ginger--plus the fairly excellent drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2005 05:56:57 | More by cooter

masterbruewer

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -10%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured a dark brown/black with tinges of amber.

The smell was malty sweet with a little flowery scent.

The taste was solid stout. Chocolate, coffee and burnt roast flavors are all present and accounted for, little noticeable hops. Nice malty sweetness.

There was a little bit of a spoiled fruit off-flavor to this. More prevalent in the smell than the taste. It may have been due to the two-days of travel in a brown bag in the back of the minivan. It was noticeable but didn't ruin the flavor.

Mouthfeel was smooth with solid carbonation and a slightly tart aftertaste.

Nice drinkability. A good example of the style, but not too strong.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2004 00:27:27 | More by masterbruewer