Coffeehouse Stout - Williamsburg AleWerks

stageseven

Delaware

2.88/5  rDev -27.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

The beer pours about as dark as one could imagine. It's straight black, with no trace of light coming through even on the sides. A vigorous pour left about a 1 finger head with somewhat poor retention. I felt like I really had to try to get any head to develop on this one.

The aroma at first has a sort of tart roast to it, a decidedly coffee bean oriented smell. It's a bit faint, but it evokes the feeling one would get walking into a coffee shop. Underneath is a hint of smoke, and a touch of caramel sweetness. I do wish the aroma was a bit stronger, as you really have to stick your nose in the glass to get a whiff of this beer. However, everything that does come through is quite pleasant.

At first sip it seems a bit light but pleasant, with a mild vanilla flavor complementing the weak roast. As it's swallowed, it seems to be missing any hint of bitterness though. While it isn't cloying at all, it tastes more like coffee would if you somehow extracted any hint of bitterness, dumped a bunch of cream in, and didn't have much roast at all. Their website has this beer listed as a milk/sweet stout, which seems more appropriate, but that is not how this beer seems to be marketed at all. I went into it expecting a whole different set of flavors. As it warms up a bit I get a little bit more of a coffee roast flavor, but it's still strongly lacking in bitterness.

In the mouth this beer is moderate-light bodied, and has a low but present level of carbonation. The lactose in it leaves a thick coating in the mouth and a slick feeling. Other than that, there's not a lot to the mouthfeel... no warmth, not a ton of substance.

I have to say that I am a little disappointed in this beer. It's not bad, it's not cloying or overly sweet, it's just not what I expected given how it was labeled. If you're being introduced to coffee stouts for the first time or find them to be too bitter or over the top usually, this is probably right up your alley. However, if you're like me and want a coffee stout that's big, bold, and has a little bit of a kick to it, pass this one by.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2011 21:38:41 | More by stageseven

Hojaminbag

Colorado

3.03/5  rDev -23.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Williamsburg Coffeehouse Stout has the look down, with a dark brown body, brown head and decent retention and lacing.

The aroma is mostly black coffee with some dark malt backing it up.

This is a coffee stout that is almost all coffee, with notes of black patent malt and hints of chocolate behind it. My problem with this one is a problem I run into with many coffee beers; the coffee flavors are bitter and acrid, making the beer harsh and the coffee flavor hard to appreciate. Like most beers that I find this flavor in, the coffee flavor dominates the beer, so when that flavor is off, the beer itself becomes much less desirable. With that said, the more I drink this, I taste a little bit of a creamy flavor, which imitates a creamer added to coffee. That does mellow things out a little bit (after seeing that this is a milk stout, that makes sense).

Nice amount of carbonation and the body is right where it should be.

I don't know a ton about coffee, but I do know my palate, and these harsh coffee stouts do not agree with me. Maybe a different batch would be better, especially because I have liked all of the other Williamsburg stuff that I have tried.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2012 15:41:08 | More by Hojaminbag

harrymel

Washington

3.04/5  rDev -23.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Batch: 15JAN13

Black with a very fine point rim of light tan foam, black mirror atop otherwise. Smells of coffee, cocoa, more coffee and pretty much just cold coffee. Flavor is coffee, soil, some bitterness, a little bit of bread, some bits of unsweetened chocolate. Medium bodied with hi carb and an off dry finish; a little less body and a little much carb for the style. Overall decent, quite a bit of coffee which makes it one dimensional.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2013 08:47:45 | More by harrymel

Minkybut

Virginia

3.13/5  rDev -21%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Wow!! I poured this black beer into my tumbler at 45 degrees. The beer was opaque and poured a really dark head. The smell was like pecan pith. The beer tasted like COFFEE. It had great lacing but tasted like COFFEE. Very dry mouthfeel. If you like cold coffee you will like this. I did not.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2010 19:29:59 | More by Minkybut

devilben02

North Carolina

3.13/5  rDev -21%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.75

I like my coffee black and my beer to have a decent malt presence, so coffee stouts are generally right in my wheelhouse. This one makes a fine but common first impression, with the pour producing a deep, nearly-black brown color, but it is topped by only a fine wisp of a coffee-foam head. The aroma drastically improves my expectations, with a rich, roasty, iced-coffee aroma over more subtle notes of bittersweet cocoa and caramel malts. The flavor lets me down, though, by being surprisingly sweet compared to the aroma, with a heavy caramel malt backbone that overwhelms the roast and coffee characteristics. The texture likewise detracts, with a low-level of carbonation that results in a moderately syrupy feel that further enhances the sweetness. Overall, the beer showed promise, but the over-sweetness and under-carbonation were harmful flaws to the experience.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2013 15:40:38 | More by devilben02

womencantsail

California

3.28/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Thanks to Bobby for sharing this tick.

A: The pour is a dark brown color, nearing black, with a minimal tan head forming.

S: Not the greatest nose for a coffee beer. I get coffee grounds and acidic, roasted malts. There's some bitter chocolate to the beer as well, and maybe a touch of vanilla.

T: The roasted malts provide a strong flavor as well as some definite bitterness. Definitely a better coffee character than the nose offered, and there's a little caramel sweetness. Overall, though, it's sort of underwhelming.

M: The body is on the thin side, unfortunately, and there's a low to medium carbonation.

D: One of the few beers that I've had from these guys, but this one sort of missed the mark. I wasn't a huge fan of this one, I must say.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2011 17:15:47 | More by womencantsail

berserk4886

Wisconsin

3.28/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a pint glass

Appearance: Dark brown/black color with a small mocha colored head that faded quickly

Smell: Strong dark roast coffee aroma

Taste: Again, strong coffee presence with a lingering roasted/toasted aftertaste. I didn't pick up on the "creamy" taste that other reviewers have discussed.

Mouthfeel: Most disappointing part of this beer. I thought it was too thin. Watery would be a bit of an overstatement, but it's close

Overall: If you're looking for a coffee-forward beer, I would say that this one is slightly above average. The mouthfeel was too thin for me and detracted overall.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2012 21:37:51 | More by berserk4886

oglmcdgl

Pennsylvania

3.33/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A pint on tap at bluedog.

A- comes to me with a good finger or so of tan head that settles slowly to leave a sparse cap and a thin ring. Body is very dark brown almost black.

S- coffee and a light chocolate milk sweetness on top of a good amount of roasted malts.

T- opens up with a nice roasted coffee and milk chocolate hit like the nose but not as good. There's a bit of a vanilla coke thing going that I'm not super diggin but the coffee comes back around and rights the ship.

M- on the lighter side of body with a medium carb that tingles a bit and lighten things up a bit more then I'd like. A touch less carb or a scooch more body would be nice.

D- its tasty but not great. The coke thing puts me off a bit but for a super drinkable coffee stout its pretty solid.

Serving type: on-tap

01-31-2011 05:02:20 | More by oglmcdgl

brother_kenneth

Virginia

3.35/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A- Pours a dark, almost black, but is still semitransparent when held up to light. Very little head to speak of, and hardly any lacing.

S- Pretty mild smell; some toasted malt, coffee, caramel, etc.

T- Good taste of some roasted malts and coffee. Very little bitterness, but is slightly sweet and chocolaty. Mouth is nicely carbonated but fairly thin in my opinion.

O- Not a bad coffee stout. I like it pretty well for a lower ABV stout. First beer I have enjoyed from this brewery. Of course, I have yet to taste Cafe Royale...

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2012 02:04:38 | More by brother_kenneth

JamesS

Indiana

3.4/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured a very nice deep brown with some nice head and a bit of lacing. Nice deep scent with roastd grains and a noticable coffee aroma. Good taste, a nice stout with roasted grain flavors; a bit too much coffee for me and it did have some astringency. Went down fine, if slightly dry.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2010 17:26:28 | More by JamesS

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.4/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This brew pours out as a deep rich looking black color. There's a decent brown head that comes and goes within a few minutes. There is a light amount of lacing on the glass. The smell is mostly coffee, there isn't too much else happening on the nose here. The taste is semi sweet upfront but fades into a burnt toast bitterness with a lot of coffee throughout. The mouthfeel of this beer is medium bodied. Overall check it out, you may like it.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2011 04:28:03 | More by Knapp85

argock

Virginia

3.43/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12oz brown bottle into a Duvel tulip. No freshness date. Purchased as 6-pack at Wine Warehouse (Charlottesville, VA) for $8.99.

A: Brown-black with ethereal beige 1/2-finger head with minimal lacing.

S: Cold cafe-au-lait aroma with strong milky, lactose component and milder espresso note. Dark maltiness plays token sweetness. Hoppiness is minimal.

T: The flavor is good but merely that with sweet latte dominating and some additional dark fruit notes.

M: Low-medium body with low carbonation and a reasonably thin feel.

D: Decent sweet coffee flavor but not much else to recommend it.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2011 05:17:58 | More by argock

Cee-Poe

Wisconsin

3.43/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

12oz bottle

A -- Little to no head... I feel there should be better head retention for this style of beer

S -- This is a quintessential coffee stout with big coffee aroma

T -- Not bad, some mild sour notes. Not sour in a spoiled beer way, however.

M -- Too thin for my liking.

O -- not a bad beer, just not one I would seek out again.

I'm a fan of coffee stouts and this one, although passable, is not in the upper tier of this style.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2013 18:00:31 | More by Cee-Poe

THECPJ

Delaware

3.5/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed from notes:

Appearance dark brown, black with a mocha lacing head.

Smell: coffee, roasted malts,

Taste: coffee,

Mouthfeel: mild carbonation, oily texture, full body

Drinkability: Decent coffee stout, not anything outstanding. Rise Up stout from Evo is better.

Cheers,

The CPJ

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2011 17:59:23 | More by THECPJ

AleWatcher

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle into snifter.

Pours a deep brown-- like cola with a dark tan head. Spotty lacing and weak retention.
Smells malty sweet and roasty like coffee. Notes of caramel, roasted grains, and weak coffee.

Taste is the same. There almost seems to be a slight cream sweetness too... The coffee doesn't lend much in the way of bitterness, and the finish is very sweet.

The body is oily but much more carbonated than the appearance lead me to expect! Very bubbly...

This is not really doing it for me. It's too sweet, especially at the finish. Kind of a one-dimensional beer... If I were in the mood for a sweet, slightly coffee flavored beer, this wouldn't be bad... but it is no where near an A for the style.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2011 01:34:33 | More by AleWatcher

biglite351

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - touch of orange around the edges. Very quickly falling light tan head.

S - heavy coffee with roasted malts. A touch of dried fruit in the after taste.

T - coffee, dried fruit and malts.

M - solid coating but barely any tingle.

O - drinkable but this bottle is not nearly as good as the draft I had a few weeks ago.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2011 23:49:37 | More by biglite351

ocelot2500

Arizona

3.53/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a cola color with a small, tan head that leaves little bits of lacing.

Smells of light coffee and chocolate notes.

Tastes of the roasted malts with a touch of bitterness. Roasted notes of a medium roast coffee lead off with semi-sweet chocolate following. Sweetens up a bit leading into a caramel note. Roasted bitterness comes in and adds to the coffee feel. Ends with a kiss of sugary sweetness.

Mouthfeel is medium with a smooth amount of carbonation.

Overall, this is a solid stout that is worth a look at $10 a six pack.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2012 21:02:04 | More by ocelot2500

Jesstyr

Virginia

3.55/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This was definitely an interesting beer, and in full disclosure I'm not a coffee fan, but this beer mixed an interesting flavor with some lacking characteristics.

This beer pours dark black with little or no dark brown head. Head fizzes out almost immediately after pouring. Nose is heavy in coffee, with a lot of toastiness in there.

The best part of the taste is the chocolate and malt which is quite plentiful. Downside is the coffee which can be overpowering and also the flat nature of the beer - it just misses on mouthfeel. Overall this one is fine, but not one I would go back to...

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2011 17:38:12 | More by Jesstyr

BelgiumBill

Virginia

3.55/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This cost $1.49 for a 12 oz bottle at Total Wine.

Gave a hard pour into a pint glass which gave a big 4 finger brown head wit a black body.

Bringing the glass close to the nose gave lots of espresso. I was hard pressed to pick anything else out of the fragrance profile.

The flavors were more of the same espresso, espresso, espresso. On the positive side, it was an enjoyable flavor of quality coffee. If you are looking for something with complexity you should look elsewhere.

Straight forward, nothing fancy, nice texture, superb value.

I prefer both the Left Hand Milk Stout and the Lancaster Milk Stout to this offering

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2011 22:28:49 | More by BelgiumBill

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

3.55/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle into a nonic pint glass.

A: Pours a very dark brown color with nice opacity. The head is a one finger mocha shade. I had to pour really aggressively in order to get just one finger; and even worse is the fact that it retains itself poorly.

S: The coffee here is more of a subtle add-on than the main focus - in other words, this isn't Wake-n-Bake, nor does it try to be. It's actually the qualities of cream and milk chocolate that are strongest; underneath that is roasted barley and the aforementioned coffee presence. Really a pleasant aroma in general.

T: The first wave of flavor that's unleashed on the tongue is a lot of milky cream and chocolate. Roasted coffee will gradually build on the midtaste and climax on the finish. The coffee comes across a little stale, and that's my biggest beef here by far. Luckily, it's not a huge problem - since this isn't a coffee-first, everything-else-second kind of stout, the subtle note can get away with being a mild deterrent behind a rock-solid cream stout.

M: I'd like just a touch less fizz to allow the creaminess of the texture to shine through better. Once allowed to fade, the softness of the texture does come through decently; but the finish isn't dry enough to allow the more bitter/roasted qualities to balance the sweetness some. The syrupy linger makes it a bit hard to drink.

O: Pretty solid. Once I realized this wasn't designed to be a coffee-bomb FBS killer, I could appreciate its subtleties a lot more thoroughly. Hardly my favorite coffee beer, but good enough where I'd considering getting a 6 pack of in the future.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2013 20:49:11 | More by ThisWangsChung

Zraly

Virginia

3.58/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours black with a dark, tan head. Head diminishes quickly. Predominate nose is the smell of dark coffee beans.

It is very clear that this is a sweet stout made with coffee. The nose and the note that really comes through is a cup of coffee. There is a hint of cream on the palate, lending some smoothness. The carbonation lifts a bit more than I'd like, but seems still within range. Light-medium bodied.

A decent session ale for those who like their stouts sweet and also like coffee. This could go well in a vanilla milkshake or with some muffins (blueberry would be interesting for some flavor contrast).

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2012 23:13:46 | More by Zraly

nanobrew

California

3.6/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a large tulip.

a: A nice two finger sized tan head formed on top of the black beer. The head dissipated fairly quickly.

s: a little off putting. Strong coffee, but not a very pleasant coffee smell. A little bit of chocolate and roasted malt

t: much better than the smell, still the coffee profile is not the best I have tasted. More chocolate and sweetness in the taste than smell. No real roastiness, little hints of vanilla.

m: initially very smooth and thick, this was my favorite part of the beer. However, as I continue to drink it I continue to get more of a thin body, mainly when compared to other milk stouts.

o: not a bad beer at all. Definitely an enjoyable milk stout, though not my favorite. I would love to try this again some time next to some of my favorites.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2012 17:20:00 | More by nanobrew

Kadonny

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 ounce bottle into a snifter glass. I got this via trade from Hanzo.

A: A light black color with some hints of dark brown. Head was very small on a fairly aggressive pour. No glass lacing at all.

S: Tons of coffee in the nose mixed with some chocolate and slight roasted notes.

T: Coffee is first with heavy flavors up front, but it gets quickly overwhelmed by the sweet milk chocolate, cocoa, slgiht vanilla and creamy flavors. Sweetness stays as does the chocolate flavor to finish out the beer. I'm not getting much hops and the coffee really never comes back.

M: I actually felt it was a bit thin. No real lasting flavors and it left my mouth wanting more. No alcohol.

O: I know this is a milk stout and not an impy stout, but still I thought the beer lacked body and complexity. A good beer, just not great.

Glad I got to try another Williamsburg beer, I can't thank Hanzo enough.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2012 12:20:25 | More by Kadonny

7UCK

Virginia

3.63/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A- Poured out a dark brown with a light amount of head.

S- Coffee smell with a light milky chocolate aroma

Taste- Stong taste of coffee present with a sweet cafe-mocha taste.

D- very plesent for sipping of that of an after dinner beer.

As a coffee drinker myself, I liked the way this tasted and would buy again.

Serving type: on-tap

02-22-2011 16:12:43 | More by 7UCK

teromous

Virginia

3.63/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

I had this beer last year, and it has changed very much (for the better) so I am doing a re-review.

A: Dark brown...black in the glass. Very minimal tan head with spotted lacing.

S: Very strong coffee scent, a slightly "spoiled" smell like spoiled milk...but it's very faint. Mostly the coffee dominates the flavor and it smells good.

T: Again...coffee is in the forefront. It tastes like a coffee energy drink with lots of carbonation. I gave it a 4 because it tastes just like the label would suggest..."coffee".

M: The mouthfeel feels too bright. It has a lot more carbonation than I'd expect out of a stout. It's to the point where it makes me burp up bubbles.

O: Overall I think it's a pretty good beer...it tastes more like coffee than anything. Unfortunately it feels over-carbonated but that's about it. I would probably drink it again, but it's a toss-up. It tastes more like a coffee stout than it did last year, but it has a soda-like carbonation which makes it hard to drink.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2012 21:41:54 | More by teromous