Cavatica Stout - Fort George Brewery + Public House

NWer

Washington

4.58/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured very dark with abundant chocolate foam. Chocolate notes up front aroma and taste. Wow factor kicked in. Enjoyable. Very tasty. To be savored.
Only picked up one can when I picked up some Vortex on impulse. Will definitely fill my stash next time I visit Oregon. Haven't seen it around here anywhere.
A shame. This beer is begging to get out more.

Serving type: can

03-08-2012 21:25:37 | More by NWer

Mebuzzard

Colorado

4.38/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Brought this back to Denver from my trek to Oregon/Washington. Kept it about 2 months before cracking it open

Darn! Great looking beer. Perfect! Dark dark reddish brown, almost black. Somewhat hazy, if you can make it out. Looks rich. Beautiful tan, creamy, rocky head. Nice lacing. Don't get much better, my friend

Aroma is great, too. Coffee, mocha, chocolate, chocolate milk. Some faint hints of sweet fruits

Great tasting beer. Nothing over the top, but it's close. Smooth chocolate and caramel coffee blended together. Hints of roastiness and toast. Dark fruit sweetness, but it's not much. Not as dry and tannin-y as a lot of Imp Stouts, but this makes it easy drinking. And that can be a good or bad thing.
For 8%, this is very drinkable. Great beer.

Serving type: can

10-06-2012 19:30:05 | More by Mebuzzard

Impfan

Washington

4.38/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Nice black body with off-white head, creamy, roasty, hoppy, coffee-ish, and a nice balance of chocolate with a nice dry (but not overly so) finish. Not as austere as Old Rasputin, and firmer in character than Ten Fidy, it's just unpretentious and delicious.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2012 19:25:24 | More by Impfan

msubulldog25

Oregon

4.28/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

16 oz. can (dated 12/02 on the bottom), cracked & glugged to a teardrop glass, pre- and post-dinner.

Interesting label, ominously black and full of taxonomic facts regarding different forms of 'Cavatica' (spiders)... including the rare 'Cavaticus astorius' and 'Cavatica fortus Georgium'. A good couple minutes of reading here.

A: Black, pure black. Well, almost. Held to light, you get a lighter version of ebony. Each pour greets you with a healthy finger of tawny head, a little fizzy and slow to die. Lace is in speckles and fractured ribbons.

S: A dark chocolate nose, with a strange vanilla/caramel. An intoxicating cocoa powder, sort of musty and rooty, even a bit metallic and meaty-sweet, but altogether intriguing.

T: Lots of dark cocoa and a grainy/burnt finish.Coffee grounds and crushed spices that dance on the tongue, play nicely. Mint and vanilla, tangy wood and muddy fruit. Ashy bitterness, too. Licorice and fennel hints are a little odd, but are sordidly delicious. For my palate, this is a near-perfect stout - never one I can quite grasp, changing from sip to sip.

M: Creamy feel, medium/heavy body. About as velvety as I can recall any recent Imperial Stout. A thinly veiled mouthfeel that progressively coats; smooth is an understatement. A bit of dryness and brassiness in the finish, but i like those things in a stout.

O: OK, I don't just like this beer, I LOVE it. Take your OB Ten Fidy and shove it, because THIS is my lead beer for canned imperial stouts. Hell, it's among the best imperial stouts I've had, regardless of presentation, barrel-aging, whatever, as far as 'drinkability'. Every time I go to the grocery I want to pick up a single or two of this (reasonably priced at $2.99 for 16 oz)... and frequently I do. Oh so worthy.

Serving type: can

01-10-2012 01:26:13 | More by msubulldog25

Hoptometrist

Oregon

4.23/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served from tallboy can into a globed shaped glass

A- Poured black with a fluffy ice cream like mocha head that left tons of dense chunky lace.

S- Big cocoa powder and vanilla, almost a marshmallow like scent, big mineral notes, and a little coffee bean in the aroma

T- Big milk chocolate and cocoa powder notes, some vanilla and marshmallow flavor, some whiskey notes but not overpowering. Some roasty notes

M- Medium body with really nice alcohol warming and very slight burn. Pretty soft mouthfeel with some light prickly carbonation on the finish. Finishes dry.

O- A pretty incredible imperial stout in a tallboy can at a steal of a price (2.99), yes please.

Serving type: can

04-06-2013 03:41:42 | More by Hoptometrist

olmatty

Oregon

4.2/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance-Pours a cloudy, brown, black beer with excellent lacing and a two finger tan head with reasonable retention.

Smell- Sweet roasted malts, some hop biterness and yeast.

Taste- Roasty malts, immediately followed by building sweetness of molasses. The base pale malt plays a huge role here. Notes of espresso coffee and some cocoa, even a touch of dried dark fruits. Very complex and unique.

Mouthfeel- Medium to full bodied, moderately carbonated with a great aftertaste.

Drinkability- Full bodied and delicious. Not heavy for the style and therefore very drinkable. Very surprising that the ABV is nearly nine percent.

Serving type: growler

04-27-2009 06:44:22 | More by olmatty

libbey

Washington

4.18/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

16oz tallboy poured into a NB globe.

A: Beer pours a jet black with a thick fluffy khaki head that lingers leaving a trail of lacing throughout the session.

S: Big chocolate notes that mingle with an almost Belgian like yeast note. Interesting but I dig it. Touch of roasted malt and slight hop presence on the finish. Alcohol comes forward as it warms.

T: A surprising amount of hop bite but its like the bite from a nice Belgian pale ale. It mingles really well with the roasted malt bill, it is different but I'm really enjoying it. Unique.

M: The shortfall for the beer in my opinion. Mouthfeel is a bit thin for the style and the overall lingering on the pallet is short and crisp due to the hop bill.

O: Overall this is my first beer from Fort George it was a unique take on the style that I enjoyed. I would certainly give this guy another whirl if the opportunity presented itself.

Serving type: can

03-13-2012 06:16:04 | More by libbey

grittybrews

Washington

4.15/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured near black with dark brown edges and three fingers of light mocha head. Mild roasty cocoa aroma with a touch of caramel.

Moderate carbonation and a thick, creamy mouthfeel. Dark cocoa up front followed by some roasty coffee, hints of molasses and vanilla, and some strong earthy/spicy hop bitterness on the long finish.

Tasty, nice balance, not too heavy...no complaints here!

Serving type: can

04-11-2012 03:05:12 | More by grittybrews

djbreezy

Washington

4.1/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

appearance - massive carbonation, 50% head in glass, some spots of lacing once dissipated, dark and opaque, tan head

smell - notes of roasty malts and chocolate

taste - chocolate up front followed by a nice a malt backbone, overall very tasty, some alcohol noticeable in the finish

mouthfeel - medium body and carbonation

overall - not a bad stout, good flavor, easy to drink

Serving type: can

01-05-2012 06:41:15 | More by djbreezy

Docer

Washington

4.05/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Had just a sampler of this on-tap at the brewpub yesterday in Astoria.. served in a snifter (to a friend).

- Rich dark complex brew... fuzzy mocha head.. lots of lacing..

- Grains, oats, sweet with light chocolate... bitterness.... earthy.. and more oats.

- Rich and smooth oats, grains, barley, chocolate malts... it's all there and in perfect harmony. The way a stout should be. Bitterness from hops without adding too much citrus or floral notes. Big fan of stouts that don't do that like this one. True Irish style.

- Slightly chalky, but surprisingly medium bodied and smooth. Just a bit chewy and dry.

- Overall this is a killer stout, and one that I will certainly have to get a bigger glass of when I go there.

Serving type: on-tap

01-19-2010 17:48:29 | More by Docer

boralyl

Oregon

4.05/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

A - 16 oz can poured into a tulip glass. This beer produces a huge 2 finger tan head that sits atop of a pitch black beer.

S - The aroma consists of sweet malt and chocolate. There are also hints of roasted malts.

M - Full in body with light carbonation. It's got a creamy silky feel.

T - Milk chocolate sweetness up front followed by some hoppy bitterness. There is some light roastiness and coffee towards the finish.

A nice chocolaty stout. Nothing outstanding but it's very good nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 03:48:41 | More by boralyl

LiquidAmber

Washington

4.05/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours an opaque dark brown appearing black. Nice fine two finger light brown head with good retention and lacing. Looks good. Decent aroma of dark roasted malt, chocolate, dried fruit and a faint hint of vanilla. Flavor of roasted malts, coffee and chocolate, a hint of char and vanilla, slight licorice. Finishes rather dry and bitter, like a dark intense coffee, but with a hop kick. Flavor is mellow and well integrated. Medium bodied with some creaminess. I liked this stout, but the finish is somewhat on the dry side for me. Will definitely try other beers from Fort George in the future.

Serving type: can

03-09-2012 03:15:05 | More by LiquidAmber

rinhaak

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Inky black and very smooth, the Cavatica Stout from Fort George is surprisingly mellow given the ABV. A fruity nose with hints of bourbon (despite NOT being the version aged in bourbon barrels), there is a gentle roasted character to the mouth, in addition to flavors of oatmeal, cocoa, and molasses.

Perhaps my can is different than the others tasted by some of my fellow BAs, but I did not get a mouth full of burnt toast. Granted, my can is about 8 months old, and perhaps the time mellowed it out a bit.

I really found the beer quite well balanced and very enjoyable, with only a trace of a hint that it was almost 9%.

Serving type: can

10-05-2012 00:19:42 | More by rinhaak

RedDiamond

Oregon

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

My server suggested this stout ranged upwards of 8% ABV. That seemed unlikely to my tastes, but Cavatica is certainly a hearty brew. It is opaque with a gentle roasted aroma and a taste that touches upon roasted barley, molasses, and a rooted woodiness akin to ginseng. It ultimately tips to the sweet side though I wouldn’t guess it’s a milk stout.

Apparently the name refers to a deep, dark place such as an abyss. It’s also Charlotte’s last name from Charlotte’s Web. Either way, the suggested reference to darkness compliments the beer, which achieves vigor, balance and a healthy show of lace. Try it with the oysters poboy.

Serving type: on-tap

07-15-2007 06:35:06 | More by RedDiamond

czechsaaz

Washington

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

I also had a pint at the brewery and decided to take some home.

Mildly roasty aroma with lots of fruity yeast character. Hops aren't really there which is all right for stout.

Deep black with no light getting through when held up to a bulb. Started out with a half inch layer of nice milk chocolate colored foam but faded to just a small ring around the glass. (The pint at the brewery had a long lasting solid head.)

Big chocolate taste. Sweet malt and roast chocolate malt combineto make a nice flavor profile with just enough bittering hops so it isn't sugary. It could maybe stand somemore drying from roast malt or hops but it's a good drinking sweet stout.

Full bodied with light creamy carb that reminds meof cask or nitro pour.

REally a nice beer. Easy drinking for a beer this big. Deceptively "sessionable."

Serving type: growler

08-25-2010 04:46:09 | More by czechsaaz

Reidrover

Oregon

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

16 oz can from Lifesource S.Salem. $2.99 Black,black as can be beer with a very nice tan head..big and frothy. Roasty,toasty malts,some demerara rum,dark chocolate nice aromas Toasty,fruity ,creamy ,rum laden stout,sweet candy sugar intertwines..slight resiny hop at the end. Nice thick satiny palate on this one Nice staout on the verge of Imperial territory

Serving type: can

01-20-2012 02:50:59 | More by Reidrover

EgadBananas

Louisiana

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

Big thanks to msubulldog25 for the local can!

16oz can poured into a Stone nonic.

Appeared nearly pitch black. There were slight blood red hues near the glasses thinner bottom edges. Head was very creamy, almost mousse-like, light brown in color, with some pretty potent retention. The aroma was this medium pronounced, luscious, silky chocolate note. Slight pine wants to creep in, but it's very subtle. A light roasted malt note as well. The taste brings more of that chocolate, with an almost equal roasted quality and some finishing bitter hops. Not like a black IPA kinda hoppiness, but you can tell they wanted a little bit of polarity. The alcohol is well masked for nearly 9%, aiding in it's nice drinkability. The feel has a very creamy, upper-medium bodied feel to it. Not entirely viscous, but in no way thin.

As it warms and the more I sip it, the more the piny hops play a role here. Still not creeping to the over-the-top for the style, but I do like that kinda edge.

Serving type: can

03-10-2012 01:28:41 | More by EgadBananas

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

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

Appearance. Pours a deep black/brown with a half finger of dark tan head that lasts a while.

Smell. Dark roasty and lightly smokey malts, some licorice, molasses.

Taste. Roasty malts, herby hops, a little booze and molasses.

Mouthfeel. Medium+ body with below medium carbonation.

Overall. Good stout, maybe not so much an imperial besides the booze.

Serving type: can

04-15-2012 18:30:01 | More by Rutager

velosuds

Oregon

3.98/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 16oz can into a clear pint glass. Paid $2.99 - a great price compared to other brewery's imperial stouts when comparing the prize per ounce.

A-Pours a deep, dark brown almost black hue with a two + finger, creamy tan head with good retention that recedes into a blotchy lace. Slightly hazy.

S-Chocolate and roasted malts. Very simple malt bill of organic 2 row malted barley, black barley and Munich malt provide a great backdrop for the Cascade hops to assert their influence not only on the aroma, but the taste too. I wouldn't have expected Cascade, but the hops provide a nice citrusy aroma against the dark malts.

T-Rich malt and bittersweet chocolate with balanced hop bitterness. Very reminiscent of "chocolate orange" confection taste. Sufficiently hoppy, clean, and well balanced. A very straightforward stout.

M-Very smooth, full bodied, and nicely carbonated, but just a tad thin.

O-This is a very drinkable stout. I just recently discovered Fort George and am very glad. Brewing some very good beers and available in cans.

Serving type: can

12-05-2011 02:33:09 | More by velosuds

CaptainTripps

Oregon

3.85/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served from a growler.

A: I wouldn't call it black but maybe a very dark brown. Can see reddish-dark brown hues on the edges. The pour came with about half a fingers worth of "soft" mocha head. Good amounts of lacing down the glass.

S: Slight roastedness to it, with hints of semi-sweet dark chocolate. Slight bitterness coming off paired with some alcohol.

T: One mellow beer. No flavor is really peeking out and hitting you. Everything flows very nicely together bringing together one complex brew. Roasted malts with maybe a hop bitterness on the back end. Dark chocolate and alcohol.

M: Almost milk chocolate, but I was hoping for it to be maybe a little bit more "thicker." Alcohol could tone down a little bit as well.

O: Great mellow beer for a rainy day in Oregon. Will be coming back to it. Can't beat 64oz for 10 bucks.

Serving type: growler

09-20-2011 22:33:57 | More by CaptainTripps

robwestcott

Indiana

3.85/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

big thanks to my trading pal Kalton for this one.

poured cold and cola black from the can to a dogfish head signature glass with a full finger, fluffy tan, long lasting head leaving spotty lace after each sip.

aroma of great big dank hops(?) with a wee bit of chocolate and coffee in the wayback if you look for it hard.

wow - big bitter hops forward, its like a black IPA unsuccessfully masquerading as a big stout. on second sip, getting a bit of smoke and bitter coffee, but still, its a majorly hopped stout.

medium to light bodied, big carbonation, medium bitter to the middle of the tongue, if there's stout sweet, i'm missing it.

overall: interesting left turn from the stylebook, a good beer, but this is a stout ?

Serving type: can

12-25-2011 00:54:45 | More by robwestcott

Viciousknishs

Virginia

3.85/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A- pours pitch black with a generous( when I say generous I'm talking three and a half fingers) tightly bubbled light tan head. Superb head retention. One of the best looking stouts I've seen in a long time,

S- Decadent Belgian chocolate with an undertone of stewed dark cherry and molasses. Sweet maltiness with the right amount of roast and gourmet coffee in the middle. Subtle hop on the finish with more chocolate characteristics begging one to take a sip!

T- big mocha flavor on the front end with a cream and sugar note. Chocolate cake like malt envelopes the previous flavor while including what came before. Strong roast and mild coffee tones on the finish with a good amount of bitterness and a dusty yeasty characteristic.

MF- slick expressive mouthfeel with a medium body. Very active carbonation.

D- drinkable indeed. A stout that transcends the average Choco/coffee stereotype.

P.S. thanks to Drew for this one! I enjoyed it very much.

Serving type: can

06-12-2012 04:28:41 | More by Viciousknishs

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.81/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Poured from the can into the Canfest sampler glass. Black and very dark brown edges. You know the drill, its a hella black and thick double stout. Light beige head, would have expected darker. Bitter chocolate malt aroma, some alcohol, lots of heavily roasted malt in the aroma.

Pretty mellow taste, I kept coming back to this one, its got substantial two row, substantial chocolate malt. Easy drinking enough at this abv, no alcohol sting, bitterness isn't too high, but they didn't avoid the hop bill either. Its there, right about where it should. No one flavor dominates here. A little coffee esque bitterness, a little hop bitterness. Carbonation is just right, just enough to push the beer through, but far from seltzer water impressions.

Nothing out of the ordinary, this is just your standard, well made double stout. Yeast flavors are overstated, I didn't really grab onto anything that would make me think this was anything but a standard yeast for an American double stout.

A solid alternative to TenFidy. This is an upper echelon canned stout. It isn't great at anything, but its solid in every department.

Serving type: can

04-04-2013 23:49:19 | More by Beerandraiderfan

KajII

North Carolina

3.8/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

[Suggested Glassware: Snifter]

The pour was a muddy pitch black with a large (2-3 finger) khaki colored rocky head that slowly receded, down to a thin film with a medium collar and produced good sticky streaky lacing.

The aroma was of a roasted dark bread malt, pine hops and a leathery yeast with notes of dark chocolate, coffee and possessed a moderate alcohol odor.

The taste was quite roasty and rather malty with a bold bitter chocolate presence early on, becoming quite a bit hoppier with a nice roasted coffee note and a bit of alcohol towards the finish. The flavor lingered for a very long time proceeding the swallow, with a bitter hoppy taste left behind to settle in on the taste buds.

Mouthfeel was full in body with a dry, creamy texture and a mild carbonation.

Overall this was a nice hoppy Stout that had a nice thick creaminess to it. This is definitely a brew that a hophead would truly enjoy, in fact it's kind of like (but not) a thick Black IPA...

http://www.facebook.com/KAJIIsBeerReviews

Serving type: can

12-17-2012 16:47:12 | More by KajII

flagmantho

Washington

3.63/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 16oz can into a pint glass.

Appearance: completely, entirely black with four (!!) fingers of tenacious, creamy dark-tan foam. Incredible.

Smell: big roasted-malt aroma with a little bit of a band-aid-ey Belgian funk to it. Not bad but not usually what I'm looking for in the style.

Taste: very much like the aroma. Nice chocolate notes in the malt, but with this definitely Belgian funk to it. Unfortunately, it doesn't really work in context. It's still tasty, after a fashion, but not wonderful.

Mouthfeel: big body with a decent carbonation. Not really creamy, but there's a silky smoothness to it which I really like.

Overall: this is a bizarre beer. Its primary flavor notes belong more to a dubbel or BSDA than to an American imperial stout. I don't dislike it, per se, but it's not my favorite flavor profile and definitely not what I'm looking for in this style.

Serving type: can

04-01-2012 04:53:06 | More by flagmantho