Sunny Side Up (Little Amps! Double Coffee) - Al's of Hampden / Pizza Boy Brewing

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.39/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Growler hand delivered to DaveHack by Millerbuffoon today. Fresh growler opened and poured. The beer is black with a nice tan head on top. The retention an lacing are pretty good. The smell of the beer has a nice roasted malt and coffee aroma. There is a bit of ethanol too not the nose. The taste is loaded with coffee. It's sweet and balanced really well. The mouthfeel is thick, smooth and nicely carbonated. Overall this is a good coffee stout. Really worth trying . Very glad I got to try this one.

Serving type: growler

01-30-2013 23:43:19 | More by Knapp85

oline73

Maryland

4.5/5  rDev +3.7%

05-16-2013 23:20:42 | More by oline73

mendvicdog

Maryland

4.25/5  rDev -2.1%

05-16-2013 12:59:27 | More by mendvicdog

Alieniloquium

Florida

4.15/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

32 oz. growler poured into a snifter.

Appearance - Inky and glass staining. Nice khaki head.

Smell - Big coffee aroma. Roasty. Nice coffee. Slightly fruity.

Taste - Excellent coffee flavor. Lends a complexity to the dark malts. Coffee and deep roasted malts. I get a lot less of that oatmeal flavor here though. Strange finish with a bit of nuttiness.

Mouthfeel - That finish is unpleasant, but everything else is nice. Chewy.

Overall - This is even better than the base. I miss some of the subtleties but the coffee is really nice.

Serving type: growler

05-14-2013 01:51:57 | More by Alieniloquium

ppoitras

Massachusetts

4.49/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Screw-top 1 /2 growler received via Growling at the Moon. Thanks for the brew, Deuane!

Big old stein pours with a a few bubbles over the opaque dark brown/black brew. Bubbles immediately rush for the rim, with lots of legs, no lace. Aroma is COFFEE. I like a brew that has what it advertises.

Taste is sweet to start, surprisingly moderate coffee in the middle, with a touch of chocolate and some bitterness to close. Some lingering warmth, but nowhere near what I expected. Mouthfeel is flat, slickerly smooth, but we'll give the benefit of the doubt since it leaked some. Drinkability dangerous for the abv. Nice brew, way more approachable than I was fearing. Check it out if you can.

Serving type: growler

05-11-2013 01:12:30 | More by ppoitras

runner_pe

Pennsylvania

4.75/5  rDev +9.4%

05-04-2013 12:00:48 | More by runner_pe

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev -2.1%

05-03-2013 19:47:38 | More by Kegatron

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +3.7%

04-08-2013 15:03:55 | More by Thorpe429

yourefragile

District of Columbia

4/5  rDev -7.8%

04-07-2013 17:45:37 | More by yourefragile

danedelman

Pennsylvania

4.46/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Had both on tap and now growler

A-black as dirty oil with small 1 finger head.

S-medium roast coffee, dark malts some acidity not sure coming from what.

T-coffee, biscuity malts, chocolate with an alcohol burn showing the alcohol. Smooth and sweet finish.

O- very well done. Will go back for this one alone!

Serving type: on-tap

04-02-2013 23:22:33 | More by danedelman

roon

Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +3.7%

04-02-2013 22:48:12 | More by roon

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.03/5  rDev -30.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

First had: on tap at Pizza Boy

I found the base beer to be pretty much undrinkable, and while the coffee version was an improvement, it was unfortunately not much of an improvement.

The appearance was similar to the base: opaque black with a small tan head that receded to a filmy layer. Aroma of obvious coffee up front, dark malts, a touch of smoke, fusel alcohol. The booze hits right up front and never really goes away, but in this version, at least the coffee takes the edge off a little, notes of tobacco, and liquid smoke, with that stale malt liquor taste ever present. The coffee was a nice touch, but overall, it just can't really save the beer. Body was medium, boozy heat was noticeable; not a smooth beer at all. Like it's counterpart this is quite messy, and I almost couldn't finish the small pour that I had.

Serving type: on-tap

04-02-2013 13:36:43 | More by Rifugium

dbrauneis

New Jersey

4.18/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served on tap at Al's of Hampden in Enola, PA

A: Pours an opaque jet black in color with some very light notes of visible carbonation and some very dark amber + cola brown highlights. The beer has a finger tall dense foamy dark mocha head that slowly reduces to a very thin film covering about half of the surface of the beer with a medium thick ring at the edges of the glass.

S: Moderate to strong aromas of both freshly ground and freshly brewed espresso over the top of slightly light aromas of dark roasted malts, chocolate, and just a hint of smokiness.

T: Upfront there are light to moderate flavors of dark roasted and slightly burnt malts that have a touch of smoke to them, but those flavors are quickly overtaken by the moderate flavors of dark chocolate and the strong flavors of coffee. Moderate amounts of lingering bitterness.

M: Heavy bodied with a moderate amounts of carbonation. Smooth with just a hint of alcohol warmth in the finish.

O: Overall this was an extremely enjoyable coffee stout and the alcohol in it was pretty well hidden - there are great coffee flavors and aromas that make this one perfect to be sipped an enjoyed. A little too big to be an easy drinking beer, it is still one I would definitely get again.

Serving type: on-tap

04-02-2013 02:08:38 | More by dbrauneis

Beergelden

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev -2.1%

03-31-2013 22:36:19 | More by Beergelden

ThePorterSorter

New York

4.44/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Grabbed a growler on Tuesday 03/26, opening up 3 days later

The beer pours motor oil black with an inch of a creamy, dense tan head that fades relatively quickly and laces. The nose presents heavy grain sweetness, chocolate, coffee, and a bit of booze. The taste is very coffee/sugar sweetness forward with a touch of bitterness and booze in the finish. It's definitely full bodied, velvety smooth, sweet, and finishes with a delicious cocoa/coffee bitter (almost spicy chili) booziness. For an 11% coffee stout, this drinks deceptively well, especially when it's been given the chance to warm up. This beer exceeded my expectations and I hope they bottle it soon and work on variants.

Serving type: growler

03-29-2013 21:38:07 | More by ThePorterSorter

northernbrews

Michigan

5/5  rDev +15.2%

03-26-2013 16:56:13 | More by northernbrews

russwbeck

Virginia

4.05/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Big thanks to SpeedwayJim for providing a growler of this as an extra in our trade at the Voodoo release!

A: The appearance is black with a nicely sized brown head. The head lasts a long time, but doesn't cling to the sides of my glass. 4

S: The aroma reminds me of a roasted porter. There's roast from the coffee and from the roasted style of the beer, which play together nicely. Big notes of baker's chocolate tie the roast together. 4

T: The roasted malt, chocolate, and coffee are a great combination for this beer. I feel like it would be paired perfectly with bacon and eggs. The chocolate starts it off, which is overtaken by all of the roast. Each sip seems to bring a full shot of coffee. 4

MF: Full and robust, just like I like my coffee. The carbonation is at the perfect level for this beer, slightly tingling the tongue. 4.5

O: I was really hoping to get to try this beer, and I'm pumped to have gotten it as an extra. Solid trade SpeedwayJim! Hope to do it again soon. 4

Serving type: growler

03-24-2013 02:32:35 | More by russwbeck

OUJayhawk1799

Oklahoma

4/5  rDev -7.8%

03-22-2013 23:26:06 | More by OUJayhawk1799

Lare453

Florida

4.25/5  rDev -2.1%

03-09-2013 05:13:22 | More by Lare453

VipertheIV

Pennsylvania

4.8/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 5

Pours dark brown, almost black with an off white head. Has a strong coffee aroma. Nice roasted malt profile that is not overpowered by the coffee. ABV sneaks in a little, but is barely noticeable for 11%. My go to Pizza Boy Imperial Stout if Pappy is not available.

Serving type: on-tap

02-28-2013 01:59:11 | More by VipertheIV

tectactoe

Michigan

4.55/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to robieobie1 for this one - poured out of a growler and split at a tasting amongst four of us. Pours a very dark brown color that appears to be pitch black once it reaches the glass. Only very light edges of deep ruby red break the blackness on this one. The head is a light-tan color with a grey-ish hue to it, low retention and little to no lacing left behind on the glass.

The aroma on this one carries far and heavy, and it hits my nose before I even bring the glass up to it. Big time coffee up front; coffee beans, dark and roasted while being lightly sweet and creamy on the nostrils all at once. A nice tale of two flavors going on here. Some deeply roasted malts make up a nice background to the coffee aroma. Little, tiny bits of cocoa comes through a little bit more as time goes on, but the coffee remains the strongest. Very nice, dense coffee aroma without being too bitterly roasted or too sweet. Very powerful but pleasing at the same time.

As I take my first sip, I'm reminded of some of my favorite coffee stouts - FBS, WnB, etc... Heavy, heavy coffee flavor is packed densely into each and every sip. It starts off with a light sweetness and a creamy, milk texture and flavor. After swarming the palate for a few seconds, it cascades into a more roasty and bitter coffee blend - the same time that the roasted malts becomes noticeable.

Chocolate bits are mixed in as well - more-so at the beginning of the sip and not so much at the end - the finish is dominated by coffee and roasted malt. There is definitely a light hop character to this one, a bit ashy and dry, that adds a touch more bitterness to the mix. The aftertaste is a nice, lasting roasted coffee bean flavor. A touch thinner on the mouth than expected, but still silky and slick. Nice carbonation, especially after a week in a growler.

Holy shit - after looking this one up, I was shocked that it was 11% ABV. I had no idea - you couldn't feel any heat, aside from a little bit of warming that is even common in sub-7% stouts. So drinkable it's scary. This was kind of an "unknown" coffee stout to me, but I'll be the first to say that this could stand up with some of the best. One of our group's favorites from the tasting event. Can't wait for the barrel-aged version of this stuff.

Serving type: growler

02-25-2013 04:36:37 | More by tectactoe

jagada

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -7.8%

02-24-2013 05:15:25 | More by jagada

robieobie1

Pennsylvania

4.55/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had this on tap at al's Last night.
Awesome beer. The smell of dark roasted grains and coffee smacks you in the face at first whiff. Smells delicious.

This beer is pitch black, and viscous. Small white to tan head.

I let this one sit to warm before trying it.

On first sip i would say it was 55 degrees, The coffee is really up front in this one, followed by some nice roasted grain, finished with the coffee and some light cocoa/dark chocolate. Nicely sweet but not overwhelming.

This is a thick brew that is nice and creamy on the palatte. Staying true to the style.

I will have this beer again and again.

I am liking the tweaking of the recipe on this batch. Nice work Pizza boy.

Serving type: on-tap

02-18-2013 16:15:41 | More by robieobie1

mozim

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +3.7%

02-09-2013 21:11:01 | More by mozim

Lane23

Pennsylvania

4.75/5  rDev +9.4%

02-07-2013 21:34:16 | More by Lane23