Cappuccino Stout - Lagunitas Brewing Company

pacino77

Maryland

4.73/5  rDev +22.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

generally, after i've overstuffed my gullet on a big meal of mashed potatoes, roasted asparagus, vinagretted salad, and (seemingly discordant) kimchi, followed by a course of various hard cheeses from spain and portugal, i binge further and help myself to a mugful of breyers vanilla icecream. i know there are better dessert options out there, but in terms of consistency and availability, said flavor really shines. what i do not want, historically, after giant dinners with menus akin to the one above described, is beer. enter lagunitas espresso stout, which breaks all precedent. i was full like thanksgiving, stuffed to the gills, but not ready to let the night end, and all out of breyers. so i reached into the cellar and withdrew this whopper (which, at $4.99 for twenty-two ounces, is among the best-priced beers on the market) from the cellar and pried off the cap. the first sip was a total knockout--terrifically bitter, but, beyond that, unbelievably complex. it poured handsomely with a short, dry head that dissolved quickly. i took my time drinking it, such that by the time i had an inch-or-so left in my collins glass, it was well warmed. hot coffee gone cold i find repulsively unenjoyable, but chilled espresso stout turned room temperature? outstanding. those final sips even tasted a bit like vanilla ice cream.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 02:38:44 | More by pacino77

Gmann

New York

3.86/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75

Pours a dirty brown, chocolate color with a moderate frothy head that actually built up a minute or so after it was poured. The head left some nice lace rings as I drank the brew.

The aroma is of brown bread malt, lightly toasted. Some light chocolate and caramel notes. Kind of faint.

The taste is more of a milk chocolate flavor than cappuccino. There is some cocoa and caramel that gives the stout a candy bar like sweetness. Dare I say a nugat flavor? It is also a touch woody and appears to have a leafy hop flavor in the finish.

The feel is light and almost watery with weak carbonation. Sweet on the palate with mild roast bitterness.

A very flavorful stout but too light in the mouthfeel department.

Serving type: on-tap

05-04-2013 15:15:49 | More by Gmann

stephenjmoore

Maryland

4.26/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A- Pours a dark brown that settles into the glass as black-looking with no light coming through. Thick, frothy tan head that lingers around for awhile.

S- Lots of roasted coffee and roasted malts. Slight bittersweet chocolate aroma comes through as well. Really pleasant.

T- Smooth roasted malts and coffee grounds come through. Really big flavors. Somewhat of a slight chocolate cake flavor comes through as well.

M- Smooth complexity, full bodied, just enough carbonation.

O- Really no complaints about this one. Big flavors, very drinkable, solid.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2013 00:40:28 | More by stephenjmoore

bendern

Florida

4.64/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75

22oz bottle poured into a tulip.

Bottled on 3/11/2013. About one month old when I drank it.

Appearance - Poured dark brown to black with a frothy, khaki colored, two finger head. Retention was medium. Thin layer of head stayed throughout the glass. Good lacing.

Aroma - Coffee, toffee, caramel, dark roasty sweet malts, chocolate.

Taste - Huge coffee notes, malt forward, sweet caramel, maybe a bit of chocolate. Alcohol (9.2%) is extremely well hidden. Can barely pick up a hint of it even after the beer warms. Delicious. One of the better imperial stouts I've had.

Mouthfeel - Full bodied, creamy. Decent carbonation.

Overall - I will be returning to the store to pick up another couple of these before they go out of season. Delicious imperial stout. Will most certainly look forward to trying this beer whenever I see it and I'm in the mood for a creamy, sweet stout.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2013 05:52:11 | More by bendern

Roman5150

Michigan

3.69/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Appearance: Huge foamy mocha head, dark black body

Smell: caramel, coffee, chocolate, earthy hops, bread, raisin

Taste: very chocolatey and upfront coffee, but fades quickly into a malty presence then ends with a hoppy bitterness. Rollercoaster of flavors. Not a huge fan of the dry ending. Breadiness and chocolate comes out when it warms.

Mouthfeel: good amount of carbonation

Overall: great for the price (4.99) but id rather drink a Stone Espresso IRS or a Founder Breakfast Stout. I like the chocolate and coffee presence but the hop bitterness seemed little much for this type of beer. It tastes a lot better once you let it sit and warm for a bit, i will be trying this again in the future.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2013 02:06:25 | More by Roman5150

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle from Total Wine in Tampa.

A - Not exactly black in the pour, but very dark amber or dark brown. Appears black in the glass, but with some clarity in the light. One finger of nice creamy medium brown head. Good carbonation coming up the side of the glass. Thick lace ring and a film of retention.

S - Good dose of roasted coffee beans. Some roast and chocolate. Sweet iced coffee aromas. Mostly that typical aroma of coffee added to stout. Quite chocolatey in fact. Bodes well for the name at least.

T - Coffee, some chocolate, roasty. Lot's of coffee. A touch of alcohol.

M - Nice mild to medium carbonation, full body, some bitterness in the finish with obvious coffee bite.

O/D - A nice coffee stout. I expected more richness b/c of the name, but it does well. If the coffee was hammered down a bit better you could ignore the lack of complexity. Tasty enough though.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 22:12:34 | More by tbeckett

elNopalero

Texas

4.55/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This pours a roasted caramel color, the shade of a dark coffee or cola. It has a nice aroma of toffee and coffee notes, rounded and smooth. The flavor has a lot of the coffee and toffee notes as well, without being sharp or overly roasty. It’s a mild taste with a sweet finish and a light body. Really enjoyable!

Serving type: on-tap

04-19-2013 07:01:06 | More by elNopalero

PaleZombie

Arizona

4.08/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22 oz bomber into a large wine glass.

A - Very dark black color (ruby when held to the light) with about a finger of tan head that leaves very nice lacing.

S - Rich toasty malts, lots of coffee and milk chocolate. Slight vanilla hints. Slight alcohol smell.

T - Taste is similar to the nose but much stronger. Nice smooth coffee, chocolate. Alcohol is prominent once it warms up a bit but still hidden well.

M - Very pleasant smooth medium to heavy body. Perfect carbonation. Nice.

O - Next year when this comes out I will pick it up for sure if I can find it. Very nice, great sipper, and at 3.99 for a bomber I'm sold!

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2013 04:41:16 | More by PaleZombie

Darkmagus82

Montana

4.25/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Poured from bottle into a snifter

Appearance – The beer pours a nearly pitch black color with a small tan colored head. The head fades quite quickly leaving a good level of lace on the sides of the glass.

Smell – Coffee and chocolate mixed with a good caramel sweetness are the heaviest and the majority of the aroma on this one. Mixed with these smalls however are some other aromas of a light vanilla, some smells of an oaky nature as well as a light boozy smell.

Taste – The taste begins with a big dose of creamy and smooth chocolate and coffee. Some sweeter flavors of vanilla and caramel are present upfront and are soon met with some flavors of a more milky and creamy nature bringing a more milk chocolate mocha flavor to the brew. Soon a little bit of bitterness enters the taste as some more roasted malt and coffee flavors come to the tongue. Other more bitter flavors of an earthy hop taste come to the tongue more toward the end of the taste. This mixed with a more oaky taste ends up leaving a roasty cappuccino taste to the tongue.

Mouthfeel –The body of the beer is big and robust with a nice thick creaminess which matched the nice dark roasted malt and sweeter cappuccino flavor of the brew very well. This mixed with the lighter carbonation make for a fantastic sipper.

Overall – Quite delicious. A big sweet coffee/cappuccino stout with a nice smooth flavor profile and feel. Give it a chance if you can.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2013 01:02:11 | More by Darkmagus82

Siriusfisherman

Montana

3.98/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

A: Rather thin looking, with noticeable light coming trhough and a foamy off-white/brown head with great retention. Good lacing.

S: Big coffee notes, sweet, cracker malt, a little bit of hops and noticeable alcohol.

T/M: Coffee right away, as well as a light but ample amount of bitterness, the middle is sweet, biscuit and caramel malt, more coffee and roast flavors as well. Slight hop presence, nothing much, and a thin but sweet finish. Detectable alcohol spice.

Overall: I really enjoyed the flavors in this beer, I just feel that it is a little thin in mouthfeel, although still sweet. This thing drinks like a cup of coffee, not like a coffee stout, which is what I think they were going for. Considering the price-point, I would say this is a great buy, and will certainly satisfy any coffee lovers cravings.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2013 23:23:28 | More by Siriusfisherman

JackMcAwesome

Florida

4.39/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Poured into a mug.

Look: A very solid black color. No light is getting through this beer. Poured a one finger head with some generous lacing that stays. Very nice.

Smell: Quite a few things going on here... I'm picking up what I consider more of an espresso than a cappuccino. But hey, maybe I'm having my cappuccino wrong. Either way, a coffee bean presence is definitely going on. The malt is there as well. I keep searching for the hops, but I'm not picking it up, but it doesn't hurt this wonderful smell at all imo.

Taste: Follows the nose in every aspect, but adds a bit of milk to it. There is also a bit of cocoa. Overall, tasted exactly like I expected. Very good.

Feel: Very full. It just wants to explode out of my mouth it seems. The carbonation is enough to give it that bite, and the abv is hidden extremely well and you can hardly detect the usual feel it gives. Very milky I think.

Overall: Extremely pleased with this. If it weren't for the abv, I would drink a pint before I went to work. Or pour cereal into it. It's that good. A great experience that I'll hold as the bar to judge others with. The only improvements I could see is a bit more complexity with the nose, and a bit more of a cappuccino taste. (After all, it's called a cappuccino stout) otherwise, awesome!

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2013 21:58:27 | More by JackMcAwesome

StaveHooks

Oklahoma

4.1/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle served in a Dogfish Head IPA glass

A - Pours a deep brown with mahogany egdes. 2 fingers of tan bubbles.

S - Smells like a cappuccino fudge brownie, creamy chocolate, espresso, roasted malts, some hop resin, vanilla.

T - Chocolate fudge, espresso bitterness, roasted malts and coffee beans, toasted macadamia nuts, burnt caramel, hints of berry fruit on the edges, vanilla cream, the sweetness comes in a coffee form and is squelched by the roasted bitterness. Finishes bitter and dry.

M - Lush and creamy feel, medium bodied, ample carbonation.

This beer lives up to the name. It's coffee forward with a sweet cream background. nice roasted malts with vanilla accents. Very nice for breakfast or dessert...or anytime really. This is a great stout for the $

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 00:04:32 | More by StaveHooks

vette2006c5r

Wisconsin

4.04/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Cappuccino Stout pours a black color with a long lasting creamy white head. The aroma is quite weak, and has a lactose like smell. The taste has a nice roasted malty flavor, with a lot of sweet coffee flavors; cappuccino flavors. Good full flavor and easy to drink. Overall a fanatic coffee stout, strong cappuccino like flavors.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2013 03:28:55 | More by vette2006c5r

JMScowcroft

Vermont

4.35/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Lagunitas Brewing Company - Cappuccino Stout - 1pt 6fl oz bottle

Look - Pours black and hearty, brown-red hue around the sides. Glorious soapy head that dissipates slowly. Good lacing.

Smell - Smells of milky coffee (duh), sweet malt, and toasty cocoa. As the brew warms the complexity grows and the aroma strengthens.

Taste - Snappy coffee and cocoa followed by a rush of cream, also getting milk chocolate and some vanilla.

Mouthfeel - Roasted espresso beans rest gently and accumulate over sips. Unmistakable creaminess. Slight booziness complements the flavor, no way of knowing this is 9.2% though, well done! Good drinkability.

Overall - Great complexity, Lagunitas is a killer brewing company with a very diverse lineup, all of which are great or even superior quality. Would recommend to Stout and coffee lovers alike.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2013 21:24:21 | More by JMScowcroft

RacerX5k

Pennsylvania

4.48/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Delicious. Grabbed this at non descript NJ liquor store, run of the mill craft but this one stood out and was stored cold. Beter than I thought it would be. Beautiful dark brown, great head and retention throughout. Smells and tastes like cappuccino, with a little hop presence. Aroma gets better as you go. Drinks so easy, very creamy and pretty thick. This beer really sizzles on the tongue, leaving a great, memorable experience. Great value buy, glad I got 2.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2013 09:45:11 | More by RacerX5k

robhbest

Michigan

3.66/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from bottle into snifter glass.

A: Pours a dark brown. White 1 finger off white head forms. Minimal lacing,.

S: Cocoa, Coffee, Light on smell.

T: Light cocoa, some coffee, roasted malts, licorice. Hides almost 10% very well.

M: Medium to heavy bodied with good carbonation.

O: I expected more coffee out of this one, i mean it IS a cappuccino stout after all. A good stout though, just didn't wow me in the coffee factor.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2013 00:30:09 | More by robhbest

Thickfreakness

New York

4.46/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A- Pours an incredibly deep, dark brown. Just on the verge of black really. Ruby/Chesnut highlights glide around the edge of the glass when held to the light. A thick and chewy two finger head billows like a coffee cloud and sinks slowly into the abyss leaving islands of sticky lacing all around the glass.

S- Right up front is tons of milk and bittersweet chocolate followed by some sweet cream and black coffee. It's giving up some dark cherry, fig, raisin highlights as it warms up a bit. Little bits of toffee and caramel come in behind the huge chocolate and dark fruit mix. Amazing depth as it warms.

T- Bittersweet cocoa, really good black coffee... and bourbon? I swear I taste some vanilla heat in this. Crazy! I've had this before years ago and I don't remember it being this good. Milk chocolate, heavy whipping cream, perfectly roasted espresso, roasted nuts, butterscotch, sun dried cherries and raisins. This really has some depth to it! Each sip is another experiance.

M- Just a notch below medium thick. Butterscotch Lifesavers and Chocolate Resin candy. Nice bitterness that matches perfectly with the candybar sweetness. I still swear I'm picking up some vanilla/bourbon notes.

O- $4.99 for an RIS this good! Are you kidding me? Shhh... don't tell Lagunitas that this is better than half of the $15-20 Stouts on the market. Amazing depth, a fantastic inter-play between bitter/sweet/sour fruit. I need to put out an ISO: for a 2011 bottle so my vertical from 2008 will stay intact. Why buy a Starbucks coffee for $5 when you can have this beauty?

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2013 22:00:58 | More by Thickfreakness

ubenumber2

Arkansas

4.61/5  rDev +19.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Poured from bottle to glass, rich black color with a small tan colored head

Smell is kind of a sweet dark malty with a lot of coffee in the background , makes my mouth water

Not the full bodied mouthy beer I thought it would be , kind of weak in that aspect , but the carbonation was just right

The flavor is awsome , nice sweet malty with a ton of coffee flavor , a rich flavored beer that is a realy belly warmer , tons of booze coming off this beer but it goes well with the other rich flavors

Overall this is a great stout , I can't wait to get my hands on a few more bottles of this , just wish it was sold local to me and not 100 miles away

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 01:18:10 | More by ubenumber2

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.85/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

2012 Release

A: Pours a clear opaque extremely dark brown (almost black) in color with moderate to significant amounts of visible carbonation and some reddish brown highlights. The beer has a finger tall dense dark tan head that slowly reduces to a medium large thick patch with a thin film covering the remainder of the surface of the beer and a thick ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate aromas of roasted malts with some lighter notes of coffee, just a hint of piney hops towards the finish.

T: Upfront there are moderate flavors of dark roasted malts and some very light hints of dark chocolate. Following the malts, there are moderate to strong flavors of coffee with just a hint of piney hops. Moderate amounts of lingering bitterness.

M: Medium bodied with moderate to heavy amounts of carbonation. Smooth, though slightly thin, with light amounts of dryness in the finish.

O: This beer is deceptive in it's strength as the alcohol is extremely well hidden - I really enjoyed the coffee flavors which become even more pronounced as the beer warms up. Pretty easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2013 18:53:20 | More by dbrauneis

scratch69

Missouri

3.78/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

I poured a bottle into a mug.

Appearance- Dark brown with half a fingers worth of tan head. The head disappeared quickly and there are light amounts of runny lace.

Smell- Coffee and roasted malt aromas.

Taste- Roasted malt and moderate coffee flavors with hints of cocoa and char. No hint of booziness from the high ABV.

Mouthfeel- Full bodied, creamy, and smooth. Low amount of carbonation.

Overall- Not too bad. I have had coffee stouts with more coffee flavor but this is still worth checking out.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2013 22:50:04 | More by scratch69

Ranz

Texas

4.26/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: In my stemless wine glass, this stout poured about half a finger of head on top of pitch black brew.

S: There's a pronounced spice from the coffee here that's quite unusual, but I like it. Notes of caramel as well. With a bit of warming, this thing starts to shine: notes of oak come in the fore.

T: The coffee infusion does good work here--it goes with the heavy malt backbone and roasted cocoa flavors. The alcohol is well-hidden, too. The finish is thick and meaty.

M: Rich and decadent, but there's little carbonation to note. Medium-bodied.

O: Lagunitas has always been at least fairly impressive, and I would rate this around that area. It's got a few twists to the coffee porter/stout that I like, but it does nothing spectacular.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2013 01:04:10 | More by Ranz

Braz

Washington

2.85/5  rDev -26.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 2.75

Aroma: Stale coffee, musty. Not appealing.

Appearance: Black with a decent cream colored head. Leaves pretty good lace.

Taste: Bitter coffee flavor. Much like the smell, there's a strange offness to it. Tastes alot like a used coffee filter smells if that makes sense at all. Not for me.

Mouthfeel: A bit more carbonated than typical stouts. Feel is not bad.

Overall: This is just not my thing. I can see coffee lovers digging this but it's just strange to me. I do think this should be drunk at a colder temp than other stouts as the warmer this became, the stranger the taste became.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2013 04:29:13 | More by Braz

atalayafr

4.75/5  rDev +22.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Dark stout color with coffee undertones and plenty of mouthfeel. Pours heavily and with a nice head that lingers. Aromas of chocolate and coffee with alcohol that gently snips from the glass: but a heavy enough beer that disguises the alcohol content. Mouthfeel is full and smooth and not overwhelming. Very drinkable. Plenty of character but not too heavy. I'll have another.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2013 04:41:54 | More by atalayafr

EORS

Maryland

3.79/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a bomber into a tulip glass.

This ticks all the boxes for a big stout remarkably well: pours with about a half inch of deep tan head that migrates quickly to the edges, clings to the glass a bit. Opaque in color. Really nice mouthfeel: smooth and velvety with hints of lactose. Smells bready, with a good deal of coffee, roast malt, raisin sweetness, and a sharp note of alcohol. Taste is all of the above, full and roasty around the edges.

The only thing I found a bit out of balance in this beer is the alcohol, the sharp note in the smell comes through in the taste of the beer, rising off the back of the palate and muscling out some of the nice malty notes in the finish. Overall, definitely worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2013 03:30:12 | More by EORS

Flounder57

Massachusetts

4.01/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Having on draft at the Union Brewhouse in Weymouth. Served in a goblet.

Appearance: This beer poured a small mocha head that reduced to a thin layer. It is a pitch black with no clarity. There is spotty lacing on the glass as the beer was drank.

Smell: roasted coffee, bittersweet chocolate, and hints of sweetness.

Taste: Very tasty brew. The cappucino flavor is delicious and blends well with the stout flavors.

Mouthfeel: creamy smooth, full bodied, a little dry, medium carbonation, and quite the treat.

Overall: Pretty sweet stout. It's the real deal and delicious. I want more.

Serving type: on-tap

02-12-2013 04:42:53 | More by Flounder57