Tsunami Stout - Pelican Pub & Brewery

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap @ the Pelican Pub & Brewery (Pacific City, OR) on 8/30/11. Served in a pint glass.

Pours black, with a ½ finger of mocha colored head. This maintains some rich edges, along with near ½ finger flare-up that throws up a foamy cascade of lacing which hangs in sticky swathes down the sides of the glass. Chocolate and dark roast control the aroma, which melds nicely with some underlying earthy green hops. The sweetness here and smokiness from the roast are giving off a bit of an acrid twang in the nose at times.

Things get switched up a bit in the taste, with a tight feeling green bitterness that unfurls into bittersweet chocolate character. A flush of dark grains comes out across the back, while the hops hang in there, lingering a bit in the finish along with a mostly dry roasted feel. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, maybe a touch fuller; with a pretty lively and sharp feeling carbonation that luckily doesn’t overstay its welcome. This fills up the mouth nicely upon each sip, with any alcohol presence for that 7% merely intensifying the already robust roasted character here.

Man, this was really great Stout, full flavored as heck, and just drenching the mouth with a well balanced mix of sweetness and bitter flavors. I just love when a beer that you didn’t have many expectations for just blindsides you with its sheer goodness the way this one did. The Pelican has a real winner here with this one.

Serving type: on-tap

09-16-2011 17:13:57 | More by Kegatron

zeff80

Missouri

4.33/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Poured out an opaque, jet-black color with a one-finger, light brown head of foam. It left sudsy trails of lace on the glass.

S - It smelled very roasty with coffee, chocolate and molasses notes.

T - It tasted of dark chocolate, rich roasted coffee and burnt molasses. Subtle piney bitterness, too.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A medium bodied ale with a clean finish.

O - This is a really good stout. I hope to find more brews from Pelican.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2012 00:54:08 | More by zeff80

blackie

Virginia

4.33/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

bomber split, thanks Louie

a: served in a standard pint glass, the stout appears black, with some deep browns showing around the edges, a good mocha head to start falls back to a low level of retention

s: at first sniff the aroma is rich, but maintains a smooth balance of chocolate, roast, burnt sugars, and an earthy, grassy hop aroma

m: carbonation light to moderate, medium-full in body

t: dark chocolate and burnt sugars on the tongue, rich and creamy with sweet roasted flavors, hops earthy with a touch of grass, moderately bitter with long lingering roasts, flavorful and supremely balanced

o: a very well-brewed little stout, lots of character and everything seems to work towards the whole, drinks easily

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2013 01:57:01 | More by blackie

PatandDavid

Massachusetts

4.35/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served on tap at 'bones...Very black and opaque. Dark coffee colored head, looked like espresso. Dark roasted coffee aroma. Let's carry the whole coffee connection throughout the review...Tastewise it hought it was coffee like all the way, no room for cocoa or chocolate notes. Mouthfeel was medium and prickly. I thought this was a well made brew, nothing was lacking.

Serving type: on-tap

12-11-2004 15:37:44 | More by PatandDavid

mckajd03

Illinois

4.35/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Disclaimer: got this bomber on sale at $3 (original price $7) without having any preconceived expectations, so my tastes may have been a bit skewed because of that. However, this was a great stout. Head was a thick, tan foam of sticky goodness, color was midnight black. Aroma and taste of big milk chocolate and coffee with a medium bitterness. Mouthfeel was thick and creamy. I might buy this again at $7, but at $3, I'm going to pick up a case.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2009 18:24:26 | More by mckajd03

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

4.38/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pitch black with only a glimmer of dusky garnet at the bottom edge. The cap is wonderful and is the color of buttered, well-toasted wheat bread. Thick, chunky sheets of lace coat the glass and look like they're here for the long haul. Unfortunately, they don't last as long as I'd hoped.

The nose is redolent of heavily roasted malt and bittersweet chocolate. I can also appreciate dark caramel and a swirl or two of treacle. No hops to speak of. All of the above described elements add to the nose, but are secondary to fire-roasted black patent malt; too much so. More aromatic accessory aromas would instantly change things from good to excellent.

Now we're talkin'. On the palate, the palette of flavors is much more expansive. Dark chocolate is uppermost with espresso close behind. There's a little vanilla lurking and a little citrusy hoppiness, but they ultimately get smacked down with a vengeance by the darker flavors.

Sweet and bitter work together in the beginning and the middle, with pleasantly sour joining the party by the finish. As the beer approaches room temperature, the flavor gathers intensity and begins to break, tidal wave-like, over the tongue, reminding me more and more of a baby Imperial stout.

Although the mouthfeel isn't what I'd call full, but it's a more than adequate vehicle for this bewitchingly dark, flavorful brew. Supple seems an adequate descriptor. I'm enjoying the mouthfeel more and more with each passing ounce.

Who knew that 'white horses' is another name for a tsunami? Pelican Tsunami Stout is more like a herd of big, black Arabian horses rampaging across the taste buds. I haven't had a lot of Foreign/Export stouts, nor do I purport to understand how they differ from other stout styles. What I do know is that this beer is delicious and is a testament to the skill of the good folks at Pelican Pub & Brewery.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2005 21:34:19 | More by BuckeyeNation

Derek

British Columbia (Canada)

4.38/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Thick black with a dark tan head, very little retention but a nice lacing.

S: Roasted coffee, bread & chocolate.

T: Java (coffee & chocolate), bread, brown sugar, roasted grain, hint of tar-like bitterness, alcohol is subtle.

M: Moderate to full body is creamy & smooth, dry finish, modest carbonation.

D: Very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2008 00:09:16 | More by Derek

freed

Oregon

4.4/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Doug for this beauty. A bottle specially delivered from the brewery.

Poured a thick, uh, stout black with a rich brown head that started out thick but thinned to a nice thin covering.

Aroma was smokey, and improved as it warmed.

The taste was an abundance of chocolate and dry smoke. The sensation of dry malt chaffe creates a nice smooth and full body.

It drinks well too.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2004 03:38:18 | More by freed

Knuckles

Washington

4.4/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

It's about 80 degrees outside. I walked my wife to yoga from the ferry. Then I walked back to the truck and drove home. I've felt dirty and sticky all freakin' day. I want a beer. What would go perfectly with the first hot-ass day since summer officially began? Oh yeah, that's right: Pelican's Tsunami Stout.

Me, I'm a year-round stout drinker. Stouts in the summer, stouts in the winter, stouts all year long. Don't get me wrong, I love me an IPA (or better yet, an imperial IPA), but there's something about stouts that appeals to the not-so-hidden fatass beer snob in me. So yeah, I'm one hirsute stout drinkin' mofo, and at this precise moment, I'm pretty damn happy to be one.

Appearance: Gloriously, splendidly black. Opaque. Black like someone painted the inside of my glass in case the air raid sirens go off and I need to finish my beer. Held up to the light in my lovely Duiske 20 oz. mug there is just the faintest hint of ruby around the edges of the beerl. Gorgeous.

Smell: Coffee and just a wee hint of dark chocolate. Out of the fridge, of course, there's very little aroma at all. But let this beauty warm up and the smells come out. They are faint, sadly, as I really love that bitter, roasted smell from the roasted barley, but they are there. I'd love to have that be a little more prominent.

Taste: Magnificent. It's all I can say. The first taste is just a bit of sweet from the malts, and then BAM! the roasted barley takes over. However, this hostile act is only briefly successful, as it is almost immediately escorted off the premises with a gentle hop finish. Mmm...

Mouthfeel: I've said it before and I'll say it again: NOTHING pisses me off more than a thin-tasting stout. As you can probably surmise from my rating, this isn't one of those. The viscosity is perfect.

Drinkability: As always, this is a pretty damn subjective rating. I could drink this sumbitch all night long. It's THAT good. It's also quite deceptive. Some stouts fall prey to a malt bill that really overtakes the beer when it warms, but this is definitely not one of those beers. The malts play very nicely with the rest of the beer, so I'm inclined to allow recess to continue for another, oh, twenty minutes or so (gotta pick up the wife).

My friend picked this up for me from the Pelican. He raved about the views, but didn't care much for the food or the beer. So far I've had the India Pelican Ale (which I didn't rate, but came to enjoy after it warmed and the malts had a chance to beat down that insane hop nose and finish) and this splendid stout. I'm hoping his culinary experience was an aberration, as I'm going to be hitting that place up over Thanksgiving (and I refuse to leave the premises without at least four bombers of this). Excellent stuff, and one of the best new (to me) stouts I've had out of an Oregon brewery in quite some time.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2005 02:20:35 | More by Knuckles

GbVDave

Illinois

4.4/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 22oz bottle into two imperial pints. Thanks to HeatherAnn for the assist!

A: Pours black as pitch with a gorgeously pillow-y dark brown espresso crema head on top that left multiple sticky rings of lace down the inside of the glass.

S: Aromas of brown sugar/molassas, dark chocolate, dark rum soaked dark fruit, and heavily roasted malt.

T: Dark roast coffee, brown sugar, bittersweet chocolate, fudge brownies, chocolate covered cherries, roasted malt, and bitter piney hops.

M: Oily and sticky. Bitter, roasty, and slightly minty. Sweet with espresso and hop bitterness.

D: Surprisingly awesome. A rare big yet refreshing stout.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2009 15:30:16 | More by GbVDave

velosuds

Oregon

4.4/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 64oz growler direct from the brewery after tasting in the sampler platter. Note: not nearly as good from purchased bomber at grocer. Pelican has great beer on tap, but they have not achieved the same quality and consistency in their bottled beers. Review scores reflect qualities experienced from brewer vs. bottle. Bottled scores might be .5 less.

A-Black and tan. Pours a deep, dark brown nearly jet black hue with a two-three finger, creamy tan head with good retention and modest lacing. A nice appearance.

S-Dark chocolate, coffee, and toasted malts with a lovely hop balance.

T-Delicious. The best tasting stout I have had on tap, or fresh from the brewer in a growler. Very well balanced. Rich, creamy malt and dark chocolate. Hoppy, clean, and complex. Very nice. Coffee taste with faint vanilla notes present.

M-Exceedingly smooth and nicely carbonated.

D-This is a very drinkable, and would be more so if not so expensive. I have paid the same price ($6.49) for a bomber of Stone's IRS. At the same price, the nod always goes to Stone, especially since Tsunami not as good in its distributed bomber available at Salem grocers.

The restaurant offers a Tsunami Stout float on the desert menu. Vanilla ice cream floating in this beer will be something to try on my next visit. Oddly enough, it sounds really good.

Serving type: growler

06-21-2010 02:40:37 | More by velosuds

arizcards

Arizona

4.4/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Picked up a bomber to go after dining at the pub back in early August for $6.00.

Beer poured black as night with a thick brown head that is long lasting.

Nose is dark bitter chocolate and roasted malts.

Taste is chocolate infused roasted malts finishing with a nice dry bitter hop.

Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied and quite smooth.

Drinkability is very good. This beer has all the characteristics of an RIS but the alcohol is nowhere to be found. This is one of the better extra stouts i have had this year!

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2010 22:39:40 | More by arizcards

deejaydan

Michigan

4.43/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Wow.. what a nice roasty beer from skyhand. Pours with a nice whipped cream tan head. Pitch black body as should come from a stout. Almost, but not quite overpoweringly roastly flavor. This flavor is right on the edge for me. Its there, but not over the top. A great potential session beer. Overall, a darn good beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2004 05:22:27 | More by deejaydan

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.43/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at the brewpub today.

Tsunami stout pours a blackish brown color with good head retention and lacing. The nose is very attactive, showing considerable licorice, but then with an impressive amount of dark chocolate, vanilla and light coffee as well. The flavor profile replicates the nose, but the licorise isn't as prominent, and I'm impressed by the excellent balance in this moderately sweet beer. Also, there's just enough underlying hoppy bitterness to counter the licorice and vanilla, which dries this beer out on the finish, and really enhances this beer's drinkability. Mouthfeel is pretty full, with a long, vanilla and licorice, light bitter finish.

Really, this is just an excellent beer from Pelican brewing.

Serving type: on-tap

05-02-2011 02:36:49 | More by johnmichaelsen

scottfrie

California

4.43/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle into SN tulip pint glass.

A: Pours a very thick near black color beneath a dense and foamy dark brown head. Fluffy dense head faded into a very thick layer that stuck around through the whole beer and left deep streaks of lace down the sides of the glass.
S: Rich and roasted smelling with notes of bitter chocolate and roasted grains. Hints of coffee as well.
T: Deep notes of dark chocolate followed by anise, peat, hints of dark fruits, and roasted malts. Finish is roasted and slightly nutty. Bitter coffee and more chocolate in the aftertaste. Smoky just smoked a cigar aftertaste (good thing) long after the swallow.
M: Very rich and creamy mouthfeel with a thicker body than I was expecting for the style. Carbonation is fluffy and everything goes down very smoothly.
O: One of the best foreign stouts I’ve had. Knocks the socks off of Guinness. Check it out if you get a chance.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2012 23:31:14 | More by scottfrie

marc77

California

4.45/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Completely absorbant opaque black hue. Well retained mud brown head leaves Belgian lace. Bittersweet dark chocolate, and sharp, carbonaceous roasted barley dominate the aroma, with secondary support from butterscotch diacetyl and nutty carob. Trace dryish date esters and heaty alcohol surface with a swirl. Quite appetizing in aroma. Prune laced sweetness initially in flavor is superceded by a melange of assertive burnt barley and citrus tinged hop bitterness. Chocolate malt presence melds with mellow, treacle undertones to lend an earthy, semisweet, raw cacao impression mid palate. Moderate in body, with a quasi dry, well attenuated mouthfeel. Finishes with a snap of roasted barley sharpness yielding to lingering deep, yet agreeable molasses sweetness. Tsunami stout has tremendous chocolate and roasted grain character, yet retains an elegant dryness. Delicious, satiating and quaffable.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2003 19:31:45 | More by marc77

RoyalT

Ohio

4.45/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance – This one is black in color with a tanned, foamy head. The head formed into clumps as it slowly subsided. Nice.

Smell – The aroma here in incredibly smooth and even with a rich texture. The darkish malts and light, dark sugars dance in perfect harmony. Simple, yet extremely well done.

Taste – I’ll christian this one “Mr. Smoothie”. The dark, roasted malts and high-quality sugars are expertly balanced. Again, nothing fancy here, just Stout done right.

Mouthfeel – This one is heavy and full-bodied with a wonderful mouthfeel. It is satisfying on so many levels. I can’t overstate how incredibly smooth this is in the mouth. It’s one of those Stouts that you just want to hold in between your cheeks all night long.

Drinkability – This one was exciting enough to earn the “Tsunami” moniker.

Comments - Big thanks to skyhand for popping this one at one of her famous tasting events.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2004 16:33:40 | More by RoyalT

guitarmage

Oregon

4.47/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: On-tap at the brewery, black. A semi-thick tan lacing caps the beer.

Smell: Big chocolate, maybe a walnut like sweetness.

Taste: Ripe fruit, suggestions of plum, chocolate, coffee, delicious.

Mouthfeel: Full bodied and creamy smooth, carbonation makes one solid appearance and the beer foams up a bit in the mouth.

Drinkability: Really flavorful yet drinkable stout. Alcohol isn't a big factor, flavors are big but not challenging, very tasty and balanced.

Serving type: on-tap

03-27-2007 20:17:37 | More by guitarmage

cswhitehorse

Oregon

4.47/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The Tsunami Stout was so delicious on tap at the brewery that had to get a liter to go. The look of the tsunami is pretty. It is black as opal but less shine. In had a good 2 finger foam head with some encompassing lacing.

The aroma was a lovely roasted malt coffee smell. The taste was rich like a big square of a brownie. It has coffee bitterness and little bit of a bite.
In the mouth it was chewy and encompassing. Finish was toffee and caramel. Wonderfully pleased with the large wave stout.

Serving type: growler

04-05-2008 02:19:54 | More by cswhitehorse

Wildman

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This beer poured very dark, almost black and formed a huge dark tan foam head that left lots of nice circular lace around the glass as it subsided. An aroma of malt, coffee and chocolate with some toasted/roasted elements. A flavor of malt, coffee and chocolate. A very interesting sweetness is present in the finish, yet a touch of bitterness. Almost like bittersweet chocolate. A very good stout.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2003 19:07:43 | More by Wildman

cocojoe

Oregon

4.5/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22 oz bomber

A: Black color with two fingers of a rich mocha head

S: Roasty, smoothe, creamy. Subtle milk chocolate-esque notes. Subtle floral hop notes are prevalent.

T: Smoothe roastiness up front, sweet chocolate notes in the middle, and finishes with a semi-dry roasty bitter quality.

M: Wet, smooth medium/medium full body.

O: Roasty, smoothe, wet, and enough chocolatey sweetness to balance it.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2013 05:08:23 | More by cocojoe

Reidrover

Oregon

4.53/5  rDev +11%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

22 oz bomber bought on my last trip to Lincoln City, Oregon. Wonderful yet slightly understated roasted dark coffee aroma..slight hint of a milky smell. Jet black in appearance with a nice sized creamy tan head. A very, very tasty stout..very milk chocoalty, cocoa taste to start..then a liquorice tinted bitterness at the end..all the time very smooith and creamy. felles excellent on the tongue. Fantastic stout..anyone fed up with those Murphy/Guiness/Beamish nitro stouts should try this beauty.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2004 15:09:45 | More by Reidrover

edmundfitzoil

Florida

4.53/5  rDev +11%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I picked up my bottle at the brewery this past spring, the bottle suggests to keep it in cold storage, but I kept mine at a consistent cellar temperature. I poured mine into a standard pint glass.

The beer poured the "midnight" black promised by the bottle with a inch thick, dark, dark tan head. The foam left nice lacing down the side of the glass in a variety of bubble sizes. It's a beautiful beer. A few co2 bubbles cling to the side of the glass just below the top of the liquid as the marathon retained head looms over the dark, mysterious liquid. The nose is an enormous nose of dark, burnt and chocolate malts, leaving an impression stronger and more memborable than some imperial or double stouts than I've tried. The flavor is robust maltiness, both dark chocolate and burnt flavors predominately, with a medium to lighter mouthfeel and a definite dry finish. It's lightness on the tongue and an entirely hidden, but with the expected higher abv because of its style, makes the beer one to watch but one that I don't want to stop drinking. An oiliness develops in the texture as the beer slowly warms in the glass.

This is a brewery/brewpub on its way up. The India Pelican Ale is a great hoppy beer, and this one is a sleeper and not nearly heard about enough. A place to visit and a beer to try and/or trade for if you can. A true treat.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2006 22:14:06 | More by edmundfitzoil

HimerMan

New Jersey

4.55/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

22oz bottle.

Pours black with a very dark brown head that has intense aromas of chocolate and a malted cream. I prefer this to be very cold - as this warms up a substantial amounts of hops emerge and tend to overtake the flavor of this incredibe dry stout.

When warming - this beer does have a very different texture in the mouth and palate. Flavors change from chocolate to very flowery/citrus with more alcohol taste evident.

Overall - Perhaps the finest dry stout I've tried; rated highly due to what gets packed in that 22oz bottle. The only thing keeping it from being a 5/5 for taste for me is the hops - but, if you like a lot of hops at the finish of a stout - this is flawless.

Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2006 18:05:12 | More by HimerMan

DmanGTR

New York

4.63/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A huge thank you to my buddy Ryan for this most delectable stout from the West Coast.

Served at 43°F and allowed to warm.

Poured deathly black with a creamy, well formed light tan head that lasted a little briefer than expected (even though I ensured the glass was well cleaned) in my Gulden Draak tulip. A thin cap remained, offering a touch of lace to adorn the sides. Letting the beer air out a bit, I notice the aromas are remarkably similar to the taste, so I shall combine both descriptions. Deliciously roasty, a hint of ash, blended nicely with chocolate and cream. The black patent malt is definitely in there, which is what gives the ashiness and slight tannic taste. A delicately sweet molasses finish, lasting a good moment, before giving way to trails of bitters. The texture is impeccable. I find no faults, as the carbonation is absolutely spot on, lending a smooth, creamy, and ever so slightly prickling character to the medium/heavy body. Not too thick, so it does not enter the realm of what I could consider an imperial stout. This beer is outstanding. One of the best stouts out there. It would pair excellently with a maduro cigar and black forest cake. Or contrast with cannoli's. Either way, DAMN this is good.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2010 02:31:20 | More by DmanGTR