Dorothy Goodbody's Wholesome Stout - Wye Valley Brewery

Todd

Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev +10%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Presentation: 1pt 6oz brown bottle -- fat with a long neck. Poured carefully (as to not disturb the sediment) into an Imperial pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a very black beer, near opaque with a massive, rocky creamy tan foam head, leaving stick on the glass and a thin cream lace. Very tight. As close to nitro as you are going to get I think, without actually being nitro.

Smell: Soft roasted malts, molasses, a touch yeasty.

Taste: A firm-bodied offering, with an impressive watery (not thin) smoothness. Immediate semi-astringent twang of citrus, salt and semi-acrid roasted malts. Suggestions of liquorice, burnt around the edges with a dry molasses in the background. This is a very dry and crisp stout with little to no malt sweetness. Flavours seem to quickly snap for your attention. Big grain/tannin flavours. Metallic hidden in with the grain. Finish is bone-dry with yeasty afters.

Notes: Quite the interesting bottle-conditioned stout. Bang-on for a the style, and one of the best for the style that I've had in a long time. And, this beer really seems to grow on you.

It would be a treat to have this on cask ... *dream*

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2002 10:05:18 | More by Todd

Jason

Massachusetts

3.93/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this on cask at D.B.A. in NYC, they really know how to pull cask beers there.

Fluffy bubbly tan head stays pancaked on top of the striking black liquid. Medium bodied but not sweet. Soft and rounded burnt grain and charcoal flavours are lush within the maltiness and throw hints of smoke also. Earthiness comes from both this and the hops donning a growing bitter finish.

Serving type: cask

06-11-2002 16:55:40 | More by Jason

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +1.1%

05-24-2013 00:25:24 | More by Slatetank

Lukezilla90

Tennessee

4/5  rDev +7.8%

05-11-2013 17:01:45 | More by Lukezilla90

cfryman

Missouri

5/5  rDev +34.8%

04-27-2013 18:51:24 | More by cfryman

His_Royal_Hoppiness

United Kingdom (England)

3.75/5  rDev +1.1%

03-17-2013 18:20:37 | More by His_Royal_Hoppiness

CwrwAmByth

United Kingdom (Wales)

3.75/5  rDev +1.1%

02-24-2013 23:41:16 | More by CwrwAmByth

Beerstorian

District of Columbia

4.5/5  rDev +21.3%

02-14-2013 16:36:19 | More by Beerstorian

sneaks2210

New York

3/5  rDev -19.1%

11-21-2012 19:08:14 | More by sneaks2210

ScaryEd

New Hampshire

3.5/5  rDev -5.7%

11-11-2012 12:51:04 | More by ScaryEd

MEP

4.25/5  rDev +14.6%

08-30-2012 20:32:10 | More by MEP

DARIVA

Netherlands

3.55/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: This is a black colored beer with a small head.

S: This beer smells slightly of coffee and chocolate.

T: This beer tastes slightly coffee and chocolate and is a little on the weak side.

M: This beer is in reasonable balance.

O: Good drinkable and a slightly bitter aftertaste.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2012 17:47:49 | More by DARIVA

EmperorBevis

United Kingdom (England)

4.33/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pitch black body with quickly disappearing tan head.

Coffee and chocolate on the nose along with richly buttered burned toast.

Smooth tasting rich roasted strong coffee hints of sweetness but snapped away by a gorgeous bitter tang that stays on the tongue simply gorgeous.

Pitch perfect mouthfeel solid but not impeding the drinking experience and just ever so slightly too much carbonation.

Blimey this is good stuff

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2012 18:23:52 | More by EmperorBevis

DB0Z

4.75/5  rDev +28%

03-13-2012 23:19:29 | More by DB0Z

output01x

Ohio

3.98/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 500 mL. capped bottle (No Date) into a pint glass.

A moderate pour yields a 1-finger tan-colored head that slowly fades after a few minutes to a thick, even coating and thick foam ring. The body is a dark brown nearing black with faint traces of ruby when held to light. Thin, even lacing clings to the glass in rings on any available surface.

Dark, roasted malts give off aromas of dark chocolate, cacao, and roasted coffee beans. There does not seem to be much of a noticeable hops presence. Furthermore, the nose itself is a bit on the mild side, but that is to be expected of a traditional English Stout (especially one under 5% ABV).

Flavors of roasted coffee beans, cocoa powder, and chocolate milk all impact the tongue at the beginning of each sip. Swishing the beer about reveals an overlying metallic flavor along with a cacao pepperiness. As the beer is swallowed, the roasted coffee and dark chocolate flavors become a bit more pronounced, as does the metallic tang. As these flavors fade, a chalky bakers chocolate flavor lingers on the palate as an aftertaste.

Medium bodied with great carbonation, this beer exemplifies drinkability for the style. The body is about as full as a 4.6% ABV stout can get. It coats your mouth well without ever becoming sticky. The carbonation is only slightly fizzy but does not seem to interfere with the body or the flavors. The swallow foams up a bit but is a welcome part of the experience.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2012 07:34:52 | More by output01x

jfcaa193

Connecticut

4/5  rDev +7.8%

02-19-2012 03:31:50 | More by jfcaa193

carrymehome74

Illinois

4/5  rDev +7.8%

12-25-2011 01:19:11 | More by carrymehome74

Ralphs66

New York

3.5/5  rDev -5.7%

12-19-2011 19:15:45 | More by Ralphs66

barnzy78

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -5.7%

12-05-2011 04:47:58 | More by barnzy78

Rochefort10nh

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev +7.8%

11-28-2011 17:12:06 | More by Rochefort10nh

JAHMUR

Connecticut

4/5  rDev +7.8%

11-20-2011 05:13:46 | More by JAHMUR

OtherShoe2

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours deep brown with a thick tan head. No lacing, but really good retention. Note: Opened the bottle and it was filled nearly to the cap (meaning, the neck was full). Bonus!

Nice dark roasted malt aromas. I want to find some coffee in this, and I guess I could reach and do so, but this nose is just malt and some minerals. And it works.

Smooth dark roasted malt flavors. Some creamy sweetness, but just a touch really. Bitterness of grain and charred notes are just right. Long malt finish, with some mineral notes. This is a beer you flat out want to drink more of. Nothing sour in the finish; not too dry, not too sweet. Not too bitter.

Fuller bodied but some carbonation. The head is still there.

Loved this. Highly drinkable and complex enough to chase down again.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2011 20:25:09 | More by OtherShoe2

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

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

I am making an effort to clear some of the beer out of my basement and Dorothy has been sitting down there, patiently awaiting our rendezvous this evening.

From the bottle: "A bottle conditioned stout - pour slowly to retain natural sediment in bottle. Serve chilled." Aye aye to all of the above.

My slow, gentle pour resulted in only some tan wisps, but c'est la guerre. Color was a deep dark brown, black to the eye, but with brown highlights at the edges. Nose had notes of dark chocolate, fudge, licorice and dried dark fruit. It is a promising date with the lass. Mouthfeel was thin and she has aged well, but she has definitely aged. The taste was very charcoal smoky up front with dark chocolate underneath on the tongue. I have a feeling that the charcoal would have been more muted in her youth. Finish was smoky and charcoal, not bad, but perhaps not exactly as intended. It might be worth revisiting this beer, although it was billed as bottle conditioned.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2011 00:18:56 | More by woodychandler

brentk56

North Carolina

3.93/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Not the most impressive pouring stout, but still has the requisite look, though the head and lacing could be more impressive

Smell: Roasty chocolate, with distinct notes of char

Taste: Opens with a burnt toast and black bread character, that adds a fruity chocolate aspect by mid-palate; after the swallow, the bready flavor mellows out the roasty char, though those flavors do linger in the aftertaste

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with surprisingly prickly carbonation

Drinkability: Mouthfeel issues aside, this is a very nice example of the style

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2011 19:06:16 | More by brentk56

biglite351

Pennsylvania

3.03/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A - red around the edges some light through the middle of the glass. Bubbly head leaving a lot of thin lace.

S - malts, some chocolate and coffee. Not very strong.

T - some roasted malts, acidic coffee. Mild bitterness.

M - mild coating with tingle on both sides of tongue.

D - a little too bitter and acidic to drink more than one.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2010 01:58:01 | More by biglite351