Irish Coffee Stout - Lift Bridge Brewery

SweJon

Minnesota

4.68/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This is my favorite brew that Lift Bridge has made. Really tasty - rich coffee flavor and a few other delicious notes in there. I don't think it was aged too long, because it doesn't have much of that barrel-taste - don't get me wrong it is still absolutely delicious! Try it.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2012 18:25:45 | More by SweJon

maximum12

Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Picked up a bottle of this based on Commander which, despite some bad press, is a wonderful beer. Could the second barrel-aged beer be just as good? Could we finally have a good barrel-aging program from a Twin Cities brewery? Man, I hope so. Let's go see.

Peel & popped, this one is lively for a bigger stout, thick tawny mane pouring into a pair of snifters. Smell is on the wispy side, what does come through is coffee (fairly strongly as it warms) & a shot of whole milk. Could be 2%. Have to bring my nose in for a tune-up.

Irish Coffee Stout leads, bends, & ends with the coffee - it should be called a Coffee Coffee Coffee. Bellicose coffee right up front, mixes in with a definite side of lactose (not the breast kind). Plenty of sweetness from the malts, & touch of cocoa, mixed in with the milkiness, along with a roasted note in the middle that's oddly distinct from the coffee nuke. There might be a note of vanilla, or whiskey, or something right in the middle, but if I didn't know this was barrel aged, not entirely sure I'd pick it out. Very...mild? Timid might be better. Coffee re-enters on the finish & destroys all other flavors. Everywhere.

If I was judging this with a ruler for barrel aging, it would flunk. As is, it's a coffee stout with a touch of nice character. If you're going to try to make a splash with big-price-point bombers, they need to be great. This is not, it's pretty good.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2012 02:23:49 | More by maximum12

ShanePB

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750 ml bottle
Poured into a Lift Bridge snifter

First off, both of these are courtesy of Ungertaker in the recent Secret Bunny 2012 BIF. I saw this one and could not wait to crack into it.

A: Pours a deep dark brown looking completely black sitting in the glass. Atop is a foamy, bubbly and creamy looking brown head. Nice sticky lacing is left behind on the walls, along with a great retention cap.

S: Big rich coffee bean notes, cream, coffee liqueur, cocoa beans, dark chocolate and whiskey. There's a nice barrel/wood element too that comes in towards the end. Extremely well round in the aroma and decadent at that.

T: Essentially just like the nose with roasted whole coffee beans being most dominant. A smooth cream flavor along with chocolate notes come in mid-palate. The back end is rounded out really nicely with whiskey notes and wood. This is one seriously delicious beer and quite unlike a majority of other barrel aged stouts.

M: Wonderfully creamy, smooth and full-bodied. It wasn't too sticky on the palate but had low enough carbonation (though enough overall) to give it a great feel.

I loved this beer, it was everything I want in an stout: coffee, chocolate, cream and whiskey. Really it took the classic Irish Coffee drink and turned it into its beer form. My first impression from Lift Bridge has been one to remember.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2012 18:19:50 | More by ShanePB

MattyG85

Minnesota

4.35/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 750 ml bottle into a Surly Darkness Chalice glass.

Appearance: Pours a deep oily black with a moderate amount of bubbles. Solid three fingers of tan head that slowly fades into a thin tan layer. Moderate amount of lacing on the glass.

Smell: Dark roasted malts with a big coffee aroma and some chocolate. Sweet milk chocolate with a good amount of molasses. Whiskey smell is pretty subtle as is the oak and vanilla. A bit odd for a barrel aged beer. Light hints of dark fruits. Mostly coffee and milk chocolate here.

Taste: Like the smell leads, a coffee forward stout with light barrel elements. Dark roasted malts giving big notes of coffee, chocolate, and milk. Lots of molasses and some light hints of dark fruit. The whiskey, oak, and vanilla is noticeable but kind of hidden behind the malts. A little bit of hops towards the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with a moderate level of carbonation. Creamy, syrupy, and pretty smooth. Finishes dry.

Overall: Overall a pretty nice stout even though the barrel aging didn't do much for it. Has a nice sweet milk character while staying balanced and drying.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2012 06:10:59 | More by MattyG85

jjanega08

Minnesota

3.68/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

St. Patties Day.. Why not. No freshness dating on the bottle. There's a grape plant on the top of the foil though... weird I thought this was a beer.

A= Pours a deep black color with a nice big ol' creamy tannish brown head on it that holds awesome retention and excellent lacing. A fine looking stout indeed. The head is practically immovable.

S= The smell is very much your basic stout smells with a coffee undertone. I thought this was barrel aged? I'm not getting much whiskey or barrel from it at all. The coffee smells nice however and the stouty chocolatyness is always a plus.

T= The barrel again seems to be a little lost. The coffee comes through a bit more assertive in the flavor and the stout undertones are a great compliment. I will say that if you search for it you may find a bit of a whiskey flavor and a woody aftertaste to it. It takes a little digging however. Not much of the vanilla or boozy tones I get from most barrel aged beers. Maybe a little more time in the barrel would have helped. The stout is definitally a sweeter stout but the bitter coffee notes cut right through that baby making it very tolerable to a guy who may not like sweet stouts as much like myself.

M= I was expecting something a bit thicker but maybe the sexy head just threw me off a little. It holds its weight however and isn't too thin. I just had high hopes with the head.

O= A great coffee stout indeed and if you look for it the barrel flavors come through a little. Upon reading the label it says the Imperial stout portion was aged in barrels then blended with a sweet stout which would make sense for the light barrel tones in it. A fine beer and another interesting experiment from the guys at LiftBridge. I'll likely be buying more.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2012 04:06:23 | More by jjanega08

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

4.33/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a 1/2 finger of tan head. Color is a deep black.

Aroma: Lots of coffee and a little bit of roast. Caramel and vanilla. Chocolate. A little bit of barrels coming through here, reminding me of peruvian morning. The milk stout brings a creamy lactose flavor to the nose.

Taste: Coffee roast. Very fresh coffee. A little bite from the alcohol. Definitely taste the whiskey. Chocolate and cocoa. Vanilla. Oak and the creamy lactose comes through. Kind of reminds me of Big Eddy meets barrels.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, creamy, and warming. Full bodied with a fine amount of carbonation. Ends very dry.

Overall, this was an excellent brew. Glad we got another local brewery that can pump out a nice barrel aged beer. Don't under estimate these guys. This is a great -bal aged coffee stout. Not kbs level, but its worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2012 19:12:49 | More by mothman

Blackboardbrewing

Minnesota

2.98/5  rDev -27.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

I've had every special release of lift bridge to date and many cellaring. Let me say this beer is not worth the hype nor the price!

Appearance: thick black amid creamy (the best part about this brew).

Aroma: Faint hints of coffee and a bit of whiskey otherwise lacking in every other sense.

Taste: malty, sweet, a bit over carbonated and just something I cannot justify for the $12 price tag. Not much here others than a over carbonated hybrid stout that is confused what it actually wants to be!

Mouthfeel: Highly carbonated, champagne like for a stout...at only 8% this beer has some issues.

Overall: Progressively downhill since the commander. Maybe the last I purchase at the over priced point.

Mind you I was charged $15 to just get in to buy my allotment wtf!?

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2012 09:00:22 | More by Blackboardbrewing

jera1350

Minnesota

4.43/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Solid black with a creamy brown head that leaves some nice lacing.

Irish coffee stout indeed. The nose is full of fresh coffee beans and whiskey with some creamy lactose behind. Kind of a Baileys and Kahlua thing going on.

Lots of roasted coffee beans up front and throughout. Toasty malt with some bitterness from the coffee. The whiskey is light and comes in at the end with the feeling of warm alcohol. Pretty darn complex.

The carbonation is mostly soft and right for the style. The body is more of a medium feel. Very dry on the palate in the finish.

This is another nice beer from Lift Bridge. They are doing some great things over there. With every sip I take from this, the flavor seems to get better and more complex. I will have to grab some more of this one.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2012 01:20:34 | More by jera1350

LIQUORBARREL

Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Lift Bridge - Irish Coffee Stout Release

Matty D and I rolled on the scene..Good old Brad was there to give us a couple wooden tokens.

We drank out of festive green solo cups - 12 oz.

Appereance..Darkish brownish with a creamy big fat head on this mofo.

Smell..Alot of Coffee, and lil sweet toffee.

Taste..Tiny bit of alcohol..roasted coffee, light sweetness..lending to a very light reminder of Irish whisky.

Mouthfeel..WOW and I went straight to line and bought bottles. Very drinkable..I really liked the creamy mouthfeel with very moderate carbonation. Glad I got a couple to drink now and try down the line.

Overall - Liftbridge killed this one. Drink it and you will know why..missed it and regret it later!

Serving type: on-tap

03-14-2012 01:34:26 | More by LIQUORBARREL

biglobo8971

Minnesota

4.6/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

poured from bottle into tulip. This beer was bought at the brewery the day of the official release.
A - pours a deep dark black with mohagany lacing that lasts the whole drink. Nice 3/4 inch head upon pouring, a slim head lasted the whole glass.
S - smell the coffe at first, then your hit with toffee. A very interesting smell that changed the whole taste. Once it warmed up, the smell is absolutely one of the more impressive that I have had in a long time.
T - small hint of alcohol, nice roast from the coffee, definite taste of toffey/burnt sugar. Small hint of the whiskey, very well balanced.
M - very easy to drink, especially for a milk stout. Found myself almost salivating after each drink.
O - one of the best MN beers that I have had. Very well put together and easy to drink and enjoy. Definitely glad I went to the release for this one.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2012 01:33:40 | More by biglobo8971

Ungertaker

Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a goblet at the brewery on the day of the release.

A- A slightly translucent crimson/black with a 1/8" deep khaki head that leaves a sticky lacing.

S- Licorice, molasses, coffee, vanilla and faint notes of bourbon.

T- coffee hits right away and is followed by a sweet vanilla and raisin. The finish has a light coffee and whiskey flavor.

M- the higher than normal carbonation level and the medium mouthfeel combine perfectly.

O- This is a gem if you let it warm to cellar temp. Each sip got better as it warmed. The blend (65% milk stout, 35% barrel aged imperial, then infused with cold pressed coffee) is different from almost anything I have had, but in a very good way.

Serving type: on-tap

03-10-2012 21:55:44 | More by Ungertaker