Sierra Nevada Stout - Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

CrazyDavros

Australia

3.15/5  rDev -23%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

Pours black with a large tan lasting head.
Nose shows plenty of crystal malt in amongst lots of cocoa, truffles and spicy, piney hops. Perhaps too much hops but otherwise very nice.
Flavours are instead dominated by roasted malt with little of the cocoa and chocolate found in the aroma. The roasty character and hops create quite a formidable bitterness.
Carbonation is too high, the mouthfeel should be slicker.
Too much hops, not enough complexity. Somewhat disappointing after their lovely porter.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2010 11:01:54 | More by CrazyDavros

RobertColianni

Pennsylvania

3.15/5  rDev -23%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz. bottle poured into Hoegaarden Glass/Tumbler.

A: Thin, oily head. No head in center; just around the rim. Cola colored with cherry tones under light.

S: Smooth, malted scent with mildly roasted notes and settled coffee back-end. Smells like wet dog once warmed up to room temperature.

T: Roasted coffee beans and strong hop presence. Not very complex.

M: Fresh, grainy, dry-hopped tingle, dryness.

OVERALL: With some freshly ground, roasted coffee bean under-tones, I'm really digging it. It's textbook as hell, though, without that stout punch. Style points are high, but Sierra Nevada just didn't own up to this recipe as it has nothing very special or unorthodox to offer. Just another cow waiting to get slaughtered.

NOTE: Live review.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2012 17:38:21 | More by RobertColianni

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.13/5  rDev -23.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle: Poured a pitch-black dark stout with medium dark head with pretty good retention. Aroma is a mix between some bitterness and roasted malt. Taste is dominated by the bitterness from the hops and lacks some roastiness. Overall, this is not a bad stout just not too well balanced IMHO.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2005 17:56:49 | More by Phyl21ca

BeerBelcher

Ohio

3.1/5  rDev -24.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 4

I drank a fair amount of craft beer in the mid-1990's...then (like a lot of people) I stopped drinking it for a few years, and then started again in the early 2000s. And between these two periods of craft beer growth, there seems to be a marked difference in the types of beers that are popular. This beer strikes me as one that would've been exotic in the first craft beer explosion, but seems downright boring to me in the second (and current) expansion.

Pours a thin dark brown. Aroma is very faint, with a hint of smoke and a touch of roastiness. Flavor offers a bit of roastiness, but is also extremely mild. Mouthfeel is a bit thin and watery. This is not a beer to get real worked up about.

I would weakly recommend this beer.

I bought this bottle at Discount Liquor in Milwaukee.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2008 17:39:29 | More by BeerBelcher

ATSJer

Kentucky

3.1/5  rDev -24.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Bottle
Room Temp (glass)

Appearance: The Sierra Nevada pours oily black and builds a huge head, by my count three fingers and that was on a regular pour. The brew itself is black and opaque, with some light showing through on the edges which reveals a rich dark clear amber. The medium density almond colored head is a monster and holds fairly well lacing the glass evenly. The head indicates to me that this may well be a heavily carbonated brew.

Smell: The spice of the whole hops hits my nose first followed up with a mild sweetness and rounded out by the malts which are more subdued. This is a nice smelling brew, not to complex and what one would expect from a stout, although some more malts might increase the pleasure of the aroma. Also in keeping with the style there was no discernable alcohol aroma even with the 5.8% abv.

Taste: Just as the aroma started with the spicy hops so does the taste, this is followed by a dark malt taste with an espresso type quality, it finishes hard though bitter and a lingering bitterness on the palate which for me was uncomfortable and decreased my enjoyment. I was hoping this full bodied brew would be more along the lines of a Bison Chocolate Stout or a Guinness Draught with the malty richness but without the harsh bitterness, instead this brew reminds me very much of the Guinness Extra Stout, as such I think if it were presented as an extra stout it would be more fitting but since it is only a stout I find it harsher than it should be. There was however no alcohol taste although once I did feel the burn in my chest.

Mouthfeel: This is a thick full bodied brew with medium carbonation which results in a nice creaminess, the fizz is present but it is not harsh like with the Dogfish Head Chicory Stout. I actually enjoyed the way this rolled in my mouth.

Drinkability: With this stout being akin to the Guinness Extra Stout I found its drinkability on the low end as this is a sipping brew for a certain group of hopheads that enjoy the bitterness and the lingering bitter after-taste, as for me I found myself just wanting to be done with my glass which is a shame. Rename this as an Extra Stout and I think it would be more fitting of the experience in with this particular offering by Sierra Nevada.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2009 04:30:39 | More by ATSJer

bpbieste

Florida

3.1/5  rDev -24.2%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Appearance: Dark beer, nothing out of the ordinary.

Smell: Caramel, malty aroma, sweet

Taste: Too bitter for a stout in my opinion. Not Impressed with the taste.

Mouthfeel: strong, bitter

Drinkability: Not enjoyable

There are other stouts that are more my liking.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2010 01:53:34 | More by bpbieste

LieutenantD

Tennessee

3.1/5  rDev -24.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Without all the technicallity, this beer tasted like Sierra's Pale Ale revisited. The only difference was added depth of character through the heavy use of malts. Otherwise, the same hop profile pulls through. When looking objectively at the style, I'd say they were confused as to what they were producing. Stouts and Porters are my favorites (I know, Hop Heads are scoffing now), and as such, I was expecting less hop character (again, for the style). If I wanted a Pale Ale, or IPA, then I'd go get one.

Overall, I give it a "C:" there is a "Chance" I'll buy this again.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2010 20:34:57 | More by LieutenantD

rastaman

United Kingdom (England)

3.05/5  rDev -25.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

It looks like a stout, but doesn't really taste like one. I was expecting a roasted malt/choc aroma, but it ended up being more hoppy. The palate was the same. Slight roasted malt at the start, but it grapefruits out too much (hops), particularly for a stout. I guess it kind of worked, but the ingredients (roasted malt and grapefruity hops) didn't quite blend together. Not really a good example of a stout, but tasty all the same.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2003 01:48:01 | More by rastaman

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.05/5  rDev -25.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance: Pours a black body, with a large, ivory-colored head. Splotchy lacing on the way down.

Smell: Smoky, burnt maltiness with lesser notes of unsweetened chocolate, caramel, and citrus.

Taste: Black malts with tastes of scorched grain, baker's chocolate, and dark caramel. As with their porter, there's not much sweetness to go around. Hint of licorice. Earthy, citrusy hop character with a medium bitterness. Finishes just as dry and roasty as one would expect.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation.

Drinkability: Not all too dissimilar from the porter, really, it's just got a dialed up roast component. So, if you dug the porter, you should dig the stout. If you didn't dig the porter, well...

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2009 03:21:25 | More by ChainGangGuy

Pahn

New York

3.05/5  rDev -25.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

12oz bottle into a wine glass.

Appearance: Free pour yields a two inch offwhite head that dissipates slowly leaving a large ring of lacing. Pours an almost black redbrown, and leaves spots of lacing.

Smell: Lots of c-hops from bottle and in the glass. Mild roasted malt comes out with more warmth, and strikes an okay balance with the persistent hops.

Taste: Nutty roasted malt up front that quickly becomes heavy characterless bitterness, I'm assuming from both the malt and the hops. Some hops fade in and out of the flavor, and there's a creamy coffee aftertaste. More roasted malt flavors emerge, but the hop flavor is getting in the way rather than marrying with them. Hops seem to be imparting a real soapiness that is not pleasant.

The overall impression is that the beer is too bitter without flavor to back it up (it feels like the flavor is drained somehow, the impression of which is only exacerbated by the watery mouthfeel), with a soapiness that has no business being in a stout.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied. Watery. Decent carbonation.

Overall: I don't mind a bitter stout, from hops, malt, chocolate, or whatever. I don't mind a hoppy stout. However, this beer seemed to be a strange combination of flavors that just don't work together. I finished it, but I wouldn't want another.

This beer is a headscratcher for me. Sierra Nevada is world class, and I love a lot of what they do. It's rated higher than I'd expect from tasting it, but more importantly it tastes worse than I'd expect from who made it. There's a slim possibility I'll pick up another bottle sometime to rereview on the strength of their other beers, but as is I was very unimpressed.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2011 04:23:44 | More by Pahn

Frozensoul327

Michigan

3.03/5  rDev -25.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Dark cherrywood color that poured out with a short lived brown head. Flavors of roasted grain, hops and alcohol, with hints of herbs and coffee. Finished with a touch of bitterness and malt. Far more drinkable than the pale ale, which I am not a big fan of. Worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2005 00:42:30 | More by Frozensoul327

Mitchster

Michigan

3/5  rDev -26.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Brewed with Two-row Pale, Munich, Caramel & Black patent malts. Hopped with Magnum for bittering, finishing with Cascade/Willamette. 5.8% ABV, OG=15.4p, FG=5.0p, 50 IBU.

Nearly black, with ruby highlights forming a firm, whipped-egg consistency, light-tan head with nice head retention, perched atop small to medium-sized bubbles and moderate carbonation. Lacing is just adequate. Aroma is rich with sharply fruity cascade hops, dark coffee, and deeply roasted grains. Mouthfeel is initially medium-soft with a medium-dense body and then a harsh finish. Taste starts out with dark coffee, then gives way to a ton of Cascade flavor hops, a brief, subtle alcoholic note, some more Cascade, and then finishing with a long, dry, and harsh black patent/roasted barley character with mildly astringent, yet potently bitter hops. The hops become more pronounced with subsequent sips, and the malts become a tad sweeter as it warms. Completely out-of-balance with itself...the potential for complementary flavors is high, but instead succumbs to cacophony. Acrid, over-hopped, and over-roasted to be pleasant. Next beer, please.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2003 18:56:26 | More by Mitchster

maddamish

Tennessee

3/5  rDev -26.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I am a stout lover and this beer was more of a pale ale in disguise of a stout. Don't get me wrong, it was good pale ale but not what I was expecting from the style. If hops are your thing then this stout has them in spades.

This is not an average beer but it is for the style so my review reflects that. When I want a hop attack I will go for a hop devil or something similar. But I like my stouts to be a bit more balanced than this.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2006 15:14:15 | More by maddamish

BigB415

California

3/5  rDev -26.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

There's not much I can say about this beer other than it's average. Nothing really stood out for me while drinking it. It poured a nice color and had a nice foamy head, the retention was also very high when I swirled it around in my glass to bring out more flavor but the thing is, to me, there is not a lot of flavor. I had higher hopes for this beer but it fell a little short. It wasn't that complex. I also did taste some hops which is not common for stouts so that kind of turned me off a little. Stouts are my favorite kind of beer and I would recommend this one for a beginner just getting into stouts since most stouts can be overpowering with their taste and character but not for a regular stout drinker like myself.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2010 22:50:53 | More by BigB415

hopsbreath

Oregon

2.98/5  rDev -27.1%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Went through a six pack of these when I was in Oregon a couple weeks back. The review is from notes I took at that time.

Appearance is dark brown with a thin quickly dissipating 1 finger of head.

Smell is of a little biscuit, coffee, and roasted malts. Just what a stout should be.

Taste is OK. Hops upfront, dark grains in the middle, and bitter hops finish.

The mouthfeel was prickly and carbonated. One of my personal negatives in regard to stouts.

Drinkability was so-so and I was able to polish the whole six pack off over the span of a week.

I originally bought this beer as a way to "set my palette" for bigger stouts. The flavors were hoppier that what is more of the norm for today's stouts but not entirely unpleasant. To date this is probably my least favorite Sierra Nevada beer which came as a surprise to me because I am usually a big fan of theirs. I will not be buying again.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2010 19:40:03 | More by hopsbreath

DM1293

California

2.98/5  rDev -27.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

You're joking me.

Okay. It looks like a stout, kind of. Dark brown. Pours pretty thin. Smells pretty light. Tastes...pretty damn light. The most lightly roasted of malts. Maybe a touch of chocolate there. Its like....how to describe it...its like a stout if you diluted it, but still made it drinkable. Its like the adjunct lager of stouts.

Granted that still makes it a slightly better drink in some regards, but...when I think stout I think something big, bold, rich malt and coffee and chocolate notes (in whatever order in whatever intensity).

If you're used to RIS or stouts in general, this one will probably disappoint. On its own merits...meh. Its alright. Its drinkable, nothing imposing, but still comes off as a hybrid of stout and cheap beer. And if thats your kind of beer, power to you. Me, I was really hoping for something richer or at the very least, having a sturdier mouthfeel. Not recommended.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2012 04:21:52 | More by DM1293

HochFliegen

Oregon

2.95/5  rDev -27.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Pours a rich brown and tan frothy head.
Smell is chocolate with some burnt coffee tones and burnt bread crust smell as well.
Taste was rather basic and watery. Has a Light sweetness to it that fades quickly to a bitter aftertaste and slight dryness.
Compared to the smell the taste didnt stand up to what I thought it should. Nor did that mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2004 06:17:23 | More by HochFliegen

rarevos

New York

2.95/5  rDev -27.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Poured into pint glass on 9/21/06.

A: Pours a near-black that only shows dark brown when held up to the light. Thick, fluffy head after a careful pour. Great retention.

S: Very, very mild. Almost non-existent aroma. Very faint roastiness, very faint floral hop presence.

T: Luckily, it has more flavor than the nose suggests. Roasted coffee bean up front, hint of dark chocolate. Finish is lightly bitter and earthy with a rather abrupt smoky trail.

M: Creamy.

D: It's easy to drink, but as stouts go, this was a dud for me. It's not very stout, and I found the porter to be the superior beer of the two. I'll revisit it in a few months, but I won't be counting down the days until I do. I found this to be a really bland beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2006 20:13:16 | More by rarevos

voraciousalky

Mississippi

2.93/5  rDev -28.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

This particular stout is acceptable, but it's not THAT good. I'm a little amazed to see so many "A" reviews. It's tolerable, and I'll drink the entire six-pack I bought, but I won't be buying it again. In my opinion, they went a little overboard with the hops. This has been the case with every Sierra Nevada brew I've tried, irrespective of style. I don't think of stouts as being this "hoppy," so it was not what I expected, to say the least.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2010 19:44:48 | More by voraciousalky

tweeder263

Pennsylvania

2.9/5  rDev -29.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured out of the bottle dark with a little light showing through.Smells good coffee like. However in the taste department im not impressed. Leaves a bitter taste i cant point out but not desirable.Mouthfeel is thin,,its drinkable but doesnt have much of a place in my fridge.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2004 01:17:55 | More by tweeder263

PatronWizard

California

2.9/5  rDev -29.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Finally grabbed this puppy. Been looking at it in the store for awhile but I generally like my stouts to be friggin huge with 10+% ABV. At 5.8, this little guy should still be worth a try.

Pours out a coffee/cola shade of brown but looks quite black in the glass. Generous light mocha head. Very inviting.

Smell is mostly a light roasted coffee malt kinda thing with a subtle hop undertone. Again with the inviting.

Tastes seems a bit off to me. Starts with some bitter coffee, then continues with some bitter coffee. Burnt malt, burnt coffee, toasted, roasted whatever. The hop backing seems to conflict instead of balance. Then again I'm just some podunk drunk trying to have a beer here.

Fairly full bodied, carbonation is generous and pleasing, but I'm not getting very excited.

I'm a fan of Sierra Nevada for sure but this one is a miss for me.

Overall: won't be purchasing again.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2009 18:29:40 | More by PatronWizard

biglite351

Pennsylvania

2.9/5  rDev -29.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A - the foam is nice and large and long lasting, but the brew looked Luke a cherry cola.

S - the scent is rather strong and different than I expected.

T - it is a little to bitter for me. The flavor seems to only hit the front of the mouth. It seems to vanish by the time it get to the back of the mouth.

M - while the flavor leaves a little yo be desired, the brew nicely coats the whole mouth.

D - while it feels nice, the flavor would keep my hand moving down the shelf.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2010 03:54:51 | More by biglite351

AdamBear

Pennsylvania

2.9/5  rDev -29.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Even for a semi-sessionable stout, this just isn't all that great

A-dark brown, with a decent cream colored head

S-some mocha but fairly hoppy, creamy but mild

T-hits with a good amount of dark roasted coffee beans that are quite creamy. not as bitter as i expected. leaves with dark roasted malts.

M-medium carbonation that is a bit tangy. dry finish

D-develops a creamy tanginess that i find undesirable. alcohol, of course, doesn't come in to play which is nice for a stout, but still...i couldn't drink a lot of this.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2011 19:02:46 | More by AdamBear

JoeAmerican77

Colorado

2.85/5  rDev -30.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Pours out a charcoal mud water with one inch of multi bubble head with a custard color...

Mild roasted malts and a hint of juniper kind of weak in smell.

Toasted cereal grains and roasted malts, a pinch of hops, light cocoa powder, and its quite the expected taste, in a agreeable way.

light bodied, stringent and soapy, small carbonation.

It is drinkable, however I expect a lot larger and more prominent palate out of my Stouts. Just too uncomplicated.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2011 17:19:37 | More by JoeAmerican77

Jbelokur

New York

2.83/5  rDev -30.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

I was completely disappointed with this beer. Having tasted the Sierra Nevada Porter I had high expectations for this beer, and was frustrated by what I got.

Appearance: Very dark color, no light passed through at all. The head was a solid three fingers, tan in color, and very bubbly as apposed to the creamy head one would expect from a stout.

Smell: Intense hop smell, citrus was over powering for a stout.

Taste: The first thing that hits you is the intense hop flavor, followed by a distant second of roasted malt. Other flavors are masked by the hoppiness of the beer.

Mouth Feel: This beer was far thinner than I had expected. It has less mouth-feel than their porter.

Drinkability: As a stout it is something to have once and a while but is not a session beer (for me).

Again completely disappointed. I love their porter, but his was completely over hopped for the style. The reason people drink stouts and porters are for the maltiness of them not the hops. If I wanted and IPA I would have drank one.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2010 02:14:44 | More by Jbelokur