Sweet Tat's Breakfast Stout - Wormtown Brewing Co.

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

3.89/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured on-tap and served in a tulip, the beer is a dark brown color with a thin, frothy, brown, clingy head. Good lacing as you drink. Nose of bitter chocolate and light roasted coffee, with a touch of smokiness. Flavors of bitter coffee, roasty and coffee grounds, with a dark chocolate ribbon throughout. Aftertaste of roastiness and coffee, with a linger in the dry, smooth finish. Thin, smooth bodied throughout. Damn tasty.

Serving type: on-tap

03-06-2013 03:00:23 | More by GarthDanielson

seanwhite

Massachusetts

4.4/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had this on draft at Stoddard's in downtown Boston, a great beer bar.

A - Pours solid black with hints of brown with a decent tan head and minimal lacing.

S - Lots of coffee and roasted malts, espresso bitterness, dry cocoa and some sweet molasses. Also some vanilla comes through

T - Bittersweet cocoa, noticeable dryness, fair amount of coffee notes and the espresso bitterness lingers throughout. Roasted malts and oats are think and faintly smokey.

M - Medium body, fairly balanced carbonation and a very dry finish.

O - All in all an excellent stout that I enjoyed very much. Look forward to getting a bottle of this one.

Serving type: on-tap

01-12-2012 04:05:56 | More by seanwhite

Jayli

Massachusetts

4.22/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had on tap at The Publick House 7/25
Served in a tulip

A: This beer pours an opaque thick black with a one finger of mocha colored frothy head. Head recedes at a moderate pace to a film that retains the legnth of the beer and leaves sheets of lacing.

S: Nose is of hints of oatmeal, roasted and burnt malts, mild coffee, and caramel malts.

T: Taste starts with a caramel malts, light chocolate and toffee presence before burnt malts take over. Middle is filled with roasted and burnt malts and a good dose of oatmeal. Finish has a nice coffee flavoring with mild grassy hop notes.

M: Full body, light carbonation, creamy body with a dry finish.

D: Goes down easily, mild kick, good representation of the style. This is the first brew that I have had from Wormtown, and I have to say that I am impressed! Looking forward to trying more from these folks!

Serving type: on-tap

07-26-2010 13:47:18 | More by Jayli

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Had on tap @ Prezo.

A: Rich creamy 1 finger head shows no signs of leaving the pitch black beer.

N: Rich dark malts, caramel, some roast, black and dark malts, a little coffee, some earthy spicy hops too, and def lots of oatmeal.

T: Starts very rich and thick right off the bat. Fluffy and smooth as well, with lots of dark malts, creamy oatmeal and slight powdered chocolate milk, some sweetness with more caramel, as well as lots of roast and coffee, slight chewy malts. All that with some bitterness from charred malts as well as some earthy spicy hops. I also get some minerality, and a touch of fresh hop pellets, like I just took a bit from a pelletized Warrior hop. A touch of tingly warming booze too.

M: Thick, rich, creamy and smooth, with good carbonation.

F: Finishes pretty bitter with more spicy hops, and quite a bit of the earthy charred malt bitterness and a little minerality that adds a touch of soy sauce. I also get a little tobacco, some dark rich fruit, lingering sweetness and caramel, but dries a bit with the bitterness. Some roast and coffee lingering too with a lot more creamy oatmeal. Leaves a little viscousy feel on the mouth for a long time, and a slight tingly warming booze.

Serving type: on-tap

07-09-2010 20:02:20 | More by jlindros

4DAloveofSTOUT

Illinois

4.26/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Thanks to Surge1311 for this bottle!

vintage 2013; poured into snifter glass.

Appearance: black bodied beer with 3 fingers of light tan head. The beer leaves a better than spotty lace on the glass. Good head retention as well.

Smell: Its vanilla forward stout with a mild roast and cocoa nib in the nose. This beer smells really sweet. Brewing adjuncts take the spot light over the malt profile of this beer. This beer smells great! I am digging the nose of this beer alot.

Taste: Thats a surprise! I expected to have a lot of sweet vanilla flavor based on the nose, but its not the case. Lots of cocoa and chocolate notes with a hint of sweetness. Little bit of roasty malts and a light bitterness in the finish. Not getting too much coffee either.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied beer with moderate carbonation. Really drinkable 9% stout; I would place it around 5-6% abv if I didnt see the label. Creamy and silky mouthfeel. Sooo darn soild.

Overall: This is my 2nd Wormtown beer. I was very impressed with Pro Am Porter and Sweet Tats is pretty good too. I was a little bit dissapointed that the coffee and vanilla didnt translate into the taste of the beer very much. Nonetheless, its a really good american stout. The nose and mouthfeel are fantastic. I must say that the creamy and silkiness in the mouthfeel is a Wormtown trademark because both dark beers that I have drank from Wormtown are similiar in this manner. Great local beer, if I could pick this up off the shelf I would be a repeat customer of this beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 03:39:43 | More by 4DAloveofSTOUT

Lambocalrisien

New York

4.84/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Bottle poured into a pint glass.

A - Pours a dark brown almost black chocolate color with a nice 1 1/2 finger coffee colored head

S - Not an intense aroma coming out of this, hints of roasty chocolate, coffee, and even a little vanilla come through. Intensifies as it warms.

T - Wow! Did not expect it to taste this good after smelling it. Sweet and roasted chocolate with almost the perfect amount of coffee, vanilla and caramel flavor.

M - Thick and creamy but not overly heavy. Very smooth, excellent carbonation and goes down really easy.

O - Wormtown nailed this one damn near to perfection. Great brew that can hold its own against the likes of Founders Breakfast Stout. A must try.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 01:05:50 | More by Lambocalrisien

jbertsch

Massachusetts

3.18/5  rDev -23.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured intona tulip.

Jet black in color. khaki head one finger in size fades to a ring.

Aroma is primarily coffee, along with vanilla spice. Roasted chocolate malt firmly in the background.

The flavor is mainly dark roasted coffee along with vanilla bean up front. Chocolate malt is 2nd fiddle. Acidic coffee on the finish.

A little thin on the mouthfeel, given that its a big stout. Not satisfying.

Overall it's not bad. Similar to the appraoch of FBS. I just had speedway stout recently so its hard not to compareit to that. I enjoyed speedway much more. I can see how many would like Sweet Tats though.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 03:46:32 | More by jbertsch

sentomaster

Connecticut

4.08/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Deep dark black with no light penetrating whatsoever. A lovely, thick crown of foam erupts on the pour providing a gorgeous mocha colored cap to the massively dark body. As the glass nears empty brown highlights become present around the edges. Great sticky lacing as the foam slowly recedes. Great looking beer.

S- Lots of stuff going on here. I'm taken back by the smack of coffee; fresh, dark, black and roasty notes of coffee waft from the glass. I'm also surprised at the amount of english hop aroma I'm getting- it may be accentuated by the vanilla bean. The cocoa nib isn't as present as the coffee and vanilla, but I think it is there in the nose...hard to tell over the copious amounts of coffee.

T/M- Big things going on here. Coffee, coffee, and more coffee. Big time coffee- dark and robust. As in the nose, the coffee is followed by herbal hops and vanilla- not sure which is in the lead; they play so nicely off eachother. Followed by a nice, clean oatmeal crispness in the mid palate. A bit of dark, bitter chocolate also shows up in the middle and follows into the finish.

O- This is a very good beer. A few tweaks could make a huge difference and turn a good beer into an absolutely world class stout. It needs a bit more heft to the body and more malt sweetness and roast to counter the massive coffee bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2013 05:59:16 | More by sentomaster

Beerisheaven

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to kelp for passing along a bottle in the latest version of our continuing trading adventures. Always a pleasure trading with my go-to New England trader.

Had never heard of this brewery or beer.

Poured from a 2012 bottle into two snifters.

A- Darkest brown you can get. Pours with a nice khaki head that settles down into a bubbly party.

S/T - This beer is about the closest I have had to Founders Breakfast Stout. Combines the dark malts and coffee to produce that classic breakfast stout style. I don't get any of the vanilla and the oat must be dialed back to allow the coffee bitterness to dominate. With a little tweaking, this could be world class. It is just a tad bitter, if it was dialed back a bit it would be the perfect integration. As it is, it is really good though. Should be a 4.25 on both.

M - Very nice. Rich and full.

O- a really nice beer. I would go pretty much 4.25 across the board.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2012 05:07:09 | More by Beerisheaven

Jwale73

Rhode Island

4.05/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

2011 vintage shared by jdiddy. Pours the color of cola with a loose, tan-colored head that dissipates into a skim. Coffee aromas dominate the nose. There's also a slightly vegetal, spent grounds character as well as a trace of vanilla at the back. Taste follows nose - the coffee presence is just way too over the top though. It's not bad, but really hides any possible nuance to this beer. Mouthfeel is medium-light with a lively carbonation and a slightly chalky texture. Overall, I think this beer is really quite good and well worth trying if the opportunity presents; however, the coffee character just dominates a little too much.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2012 23:41:17 | More by Jwale73

eclipse54

Idaho

4.43/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A 22 ounce bottle from FluffyMcTingle; thank you once again! Bottled in 12/2011, and split into tulips this evening.

Pours black and develops approximately 3 centimeters of thick, tan head. Retention is stupendous, with a minimum of a thin layer of bubbles still coating the surface even late into the drink. Additionally, gobs of wet lacing adorn the glass. I couldn’t ask for anything more here.

The aroma is of oatmeal, subdued coffee grounds, mocha and cacao, faint roasted nuts and grains, a touch of caramel malt, hints of vanilla, and brown sugar. A good amount of sweetness to balance out the grain and oat aromas.

It tastes of hearty oatmeal topped off with chocolate and vanilla, served with a side of sweetened coffee. Really, a delicious breakfast served in a glass. Nutty hints and traces of vanilla play well with the faintly roasted grain flavors. Very well done here.

Mouthfeel is wonderful as well. Sure, it coats the palate on first drink, but it removes itself promptly without a syrupy or sugary aftertaste; only the best of the oats seem to linger on the roof of the mouth. Ample carbonation helps with this and to pull out the more delicate flavors.

Ultimately, this is a phenomenal brew. It really does bring notions of a delicious, hearty breakfast to the forefront of one’s thoughts (and tastebuds). Off the top of my head, I can’t think of a better oatmeal stout, making this one worth all efforts of seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2012 00:09:56 | More by eclipse54

MoreThanWine

Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +20.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Holy crap this was awesome. Poured a massive 3" deep almost indescribable mocha colored head with quite a long life. Lovely. The body dark as coffee is a clear burnt umber brown. The taste is absolutely immense with coffee, roasted malt, and sour grains. That's followed by a long lingering taste of a finish. This is an ace of a beer so long as you're a fan of very dark.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2012 13:17:15 | More by MoreThanWine

ksimons

New York

4.33/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A-is a dark chocolate brown with a fingers worth of medium tan head that dissipates and leaves some foamy bubbles

S-malt, chocolate, coffee, oatmeal, and a spicy finish

T-taste matches the smell, lots of roasted and burnt notes in this one. Roasted malts, burnt coffee, dark chocolate, oatmeal, and light alcohol.

M-medium body, light to medium carbonation, slight dry finish

Overall I like this a lot, oatmeal is pretty strong which is nice, good amount of roast. I will definitely look for this again.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2012 23:22:50 | More by ksimons

mdfb79

New York

4.05/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

From 01/28/12 notes. 2011 vintage thanks to jslot38. 22 oz. bottle into a tulip.

a - Pours a dark mahogany brown color with one finger of dark tan head and moderate carbonation.

s - Smells of coffee, roasted malts, nuts, toasted malts, and dark chocolate. Pretty nice.

t - Tastes of coffee, vanilla, chocolate, roasted malts, toasted malts, nuts, and some earthy notes.

m - Medium body and a low but great level of carbonation. Super creamy and easy to drink. Awesome mouthfeel.

o - Overall a very nice beer here. Lots of coffee to it and super easy to drink. Have had a few good things from Wormtown in the past and this is another one.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2012 02:04:50 | More by mdfb79

smcolw

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

impressive beige head: thick and creamy. It settles very slowly, leaving a blanket of lace as it recedes. Dark,dark brown where no light shines through.

Mild aroma of chalky cocoa. Very dry, reminds me of the smell of fresh black patent grains.

Starts dry but becomes semi-sweet chocolate quickly. There's a touch of hops in the swallow but otherwise it's like a chocolate milk. The finish comes across like unsweetened chocolate and lingers long after the swallow.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2012 00:48:33 | More by smcolw

ppoitras

Massachusetts

4.15/5  rDev 0%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle purchased as a single at Yankee Spirits, Sturbridge, MA.

Poured into a stein, formed a 1 1/2" dark brown head over the opaque dark brown/black brew. Frothy head holds on and on, with lasting sticky lace. Aroma is sweet rich cake batter.

Taste starts with sweet dark malts, chocolate, coffee and vanilla in the middle, and then the coffee really comes on in the close, with a late alcohol warmth. Mouthfeel is velvet smooth, and drinkability is good. Liking this one, glad to see it in 22s.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2012 01:14:02 | More by ppoitras

ryan1788a5

Massachusetts

4.4/5  rDev +6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22oz bomber poured into an oversized snifter.

A: In color, it's as dark as brown can get before it becomes black. A one-inch khaki colored head soon settles into a thin slip. Lacing is sparse and thin.

S: A delightful aroma of freshly ground coffee beans wafts out of the glass. I could smell it long before I got my nose in there to sniff. Oats manifest themselves in the form of a starchy and somewhat spicy aroma. Hot cocoa and vanilla bean underneath the coffee scents. Very faint and vague darkfruit and only a suggestion of acidity. A good strong nose.

T: Rich, earthy coffee tastes open. Vanilla bean and creamy hot cocoa meld with the coffee to create a beautiful flavor combination. Oat contribution is multi-dimensional and adds starchy and spicy tastes along with a creamy impression. Dark chocolate and some acidic bitterness ride up on the palate toward the finish, along with hints of some herbal hop tastes. Long, impressive finish showcases rich coffee, layered chocolatey flavors, and maybe just a kiss of smoke.

M: Thick, but not too heavy. Very full, creamy, and fluffy. Carbonation is moderate, tight, and a bit prickly. It's nitpicking really, but the carbonation feels a tad too aggressive, and it takes away just a bit from the overall smoothness.

O: This is one amazing beer, and the best local brew I've had in a very long time. It can hold its own with the likes of Founders Breakfast Stout and Peche Mortel. I predict that this will be a highly sought after trade item once word starts to get out about this great beer and this great brewery.

Notes: Wormtown may just be the Northeast's best kept secret at this point. The few beers I've had by them have been stellar.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2012 04:15:48 | More by ryan1788a5

Dope

Massachusetts

4.3/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours pretty much a pure black with a huge, fluffy chocolate milk colored head. Great retention. Lots of sticky lacing.

S: Loads of coffee and roasted malt jump out - even if if the glass is a few feet away. A bit of oatmeal and just a touch of cocoa in the background. Very coffee-heavy, regardless.

T: Wow, beautifully smooth mixture of coffee, roast and oatmeal up front. The oatmeal smooths out the harshness of the coffee and really makes for a great combination. As the oatmeal fades, bitter coffee carries through into the aftertaste. No real indication of alcohol.

M: Fairly heavy, but amazingly smooth and creamy at the same time.

O: Stunning combination of flavors along with the super smooth and creamy mouthfeel just makes for an incredible brew. They need to barrel age this and it could be KBS-level quality. However, if you don't like coffee, you might want to avoid or at least age it a bit. The coffee is pretty strong, especially once it warms up.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2012 03:14:10 | More by Dope

capeannbass36

Massachusetts

4.35/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22 ounce bomber poured into a pint glass...bottled December 2011.

A- Dark, dark brown...almost black, topped with a three finger coffee ice cream colored, extra foamy head that dissipates slowly. Medium heavy lacing left behind throughout.

S- Roasted coffee with chocolate and a hint of vanilla.

T- Holy crap! Sweet roasted coffee and chocolate. Hint of vanilla. Sinfully delicious! As it warms, just a slight hint of bitter on finish.

M- Slick, oily, and sweet. Very heavy. Medium carbonation.

O- This may just be my new favorite stout. Hope to get more ASAP! A "wow"....for sure!

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2012 17:59:11 | More by capeannbass36

Gushue3

Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A Pours very dark from the bottle and sits black in my glass. A large light brown head forms that turns rocky and foamy that stays around for quite some time. As it goes down lots of lacing is left. This beer looks really good.

S Big coffee bean roast is prominent along with some chocolate sweetness. Smells good but isnt to strong.

T Flavors all over the place. Somewhat comparable to a FBS with big coffee bean flavor with some sweetness. Sweet chocolate comes in there too along with a hint of vanilla to make this beer pretty tasty. really nice flavors going o with this.

M Heavier side of medium feel in the mouth and a medium carbonation on the tongue. Pretty smooth and easy to drink.

O Really nice beer from a smaller brewery in Mass. I still cant believe this beer was ~$5. If you like FBS definately seek this one out

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2012 17:51:52 | More by Gushue3

ms11781

Massachusetts

3.8/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Bottled labeled as Sweet Tats rather than Sweet Tats Breakfast Stout. Bottled in December 2011. 22oz bottle poured into a snifter.

Pours black with a light tan head that reaches about a finger or starting to recede. The creamy looking foam settles in as a very thin ring around the glass. There is no real lacing to speak of, a few small wisps here and there but even then the foam eventually slides back down the glass.

Nose isn't terribly strong. There are some light milk chocolate and even lighter coffee aromas. As the beer warms the aromas open up a bit with nice roasty notes being the main attraction. The chocolate pops up a bit more when it warms but the coffee is still a bit weaker and seems to be in the background.

The taste is definitely a step up from the nose. The characteristics are the same but they are a bit bolder. There is a good amount going on with each sip. Sweet milk chocolate comes across first but it's fleeting as big roasted notes come on and take over. Light coffee comes across towards the finish along with some vanilla that wasn't in the nose. There is a touch of roasty bitterness at the finish as well.

Medium bodied with carbonation a bit higher than expected for the style. It leads to the mouthfeel feeling a bit thinner than it should.

Overall, this is a very nice oatmeal stout and a pretty good beer overall. The mouthfeel was a bit of a letdown. If it was a bit bigger this could be a great beer. That being said, it is still really good.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2012 03:20:29 | More by ms11781

Khazadum

Illinois

2.53/5  rDev -39%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

A- Easy to develop head, creamy appearance, but closer inspection reveals its mini and tiny bubbles closely packed. Good to decent lacing, dark oatmeal colored head. Retention was acceptable.

S- Strong licorice notes, bitter acrid grains, burnt coffee grounds, ethanol littering the edges, volatile spirit nature.

T- Blasts you in the mouth with insanely cloying bitter coffee ground and burnt grain. Really really harsh, acidic. Uncooked coffee bean mixed into the mash tun? Oh its... oh its got a harsh finish too. Its bitter of black coffee, not hops. That biting acidity that can only be described by tannins, coffee grounds, and espresso. There is some roast characteristic trying to balance it, a light sweetness as well. Doesn't really help. It hides the alcohol flavor well, at least.

M- Puckers my mouth due to the acrid and acidic nature. Full bodied. Some noticeable creaminess does break through the harshness of the beer. Carbonation bright at the beginning, but quickly blows away before the finish.

Like Founder's Breakfast Stout, but even worse.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 00:28:59 | More by Khazadum

CheezyBlaster

Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Delicious. Dark beautiful body with a velvety dark brown head.

Nose is a well done ensemble of dried cut oats, freshly ground dark roast coffee, and typical chocolate notes; I expect the taste and feel to follow this act.

Wonderful. Warm, full bodied, rich -not cloying or overly viscous. I love it. Oatmeal, yes. Coffee is present and accounted for, along with dark chocolate notes. Roasted/slightly burnt malts mmm, I really enjoy how the booze comes out a bit for a scotchy warmth, but doesn't have any other noticeable effect. Has a tempting hops bitterness that comes in to let you know, but fades out, leaving the rest of the stout to do its business.

If you're going to call this an oatmeal stout, it's my favorite oatmeal stout in Massachusetts. Definitely better than Ipswich, which is decent, and popular. Go Wormtown!

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2011 14:47:36 | More by CheezyBlaster

silentjay

Massachusetts

4.22/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

had this on tap and in growlers many times last year. reviewing the bottle this year. Not happy to have to pay the "bomber premium" for it, but this one (if its as good as last year) is worth it.

pours pitch black and thick with a light mocha head that fills up 1/3 of my Duvel Tulip while leaving behind decent lacing as it recedes.

Very roasty aroma with some milk chocolate, vanilla, watery coffee, and some cereal grains from the oatmeal.

nice and roasty flavor with more of a bitter chocolate flavor with some coffee and vanilla bean, and some considerable sweetness that sneaks up. very flavorful.

medium bodied with a smooth carbonation and a roasted/bitter finish.

An excellent beer. Probably Wormtown's best, but I seem to remember a bit more chocolate/vanilla in last year's version compared to the burnt oat flavors this year.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2011 04:32:35 | More by silentjay

rudzud

Massachusetts

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

Picked up a case of this at the brewery. Been waiting nearly a year for this. Really anxious to age this stuff. This it will bring out more of the vanilla/chocolate/coffee. There is a difference between this batch and the first batch they released last year...is one is 9.0% ABV, not 8.0%, and is 45 IBUs. Its worth noting that THIS WAS BOTTLED YESTERDAY!!!

A - Poured into a Duvel tulip a deep, rich midnight black. There was a nice mocha one finger head that leaves nice rich side lacing. and a thick halo/cloud.

S - Rich nose of oats (lots of oats), roasted malts, coffee grounds, cocoa nibs, and vanilla skin. Light on the booze.

T - This is where its at. Nice sweet and roasty malts with sweet oats. Alot more oat than I remember, which is nice. Very good chocolate notes along with nice fresh coffee. The coffee isnt too too strong, but thats nice as it feels more well rounded. There is some nice creamy chocolate notes as well as some good hints of vanilla. There is a faint hop bitterness on the finish. Doesnt taste like 45 IBU.

M - Really nice carbonation here. Its creamy but there is some sharp carbonation at the end. The booze isnt that noticeable.

O - Overall this beer is every bit as good as I remember it being, if not better. For me the carbonation was a big issue last year, feelign almost flat. This though, even as a higher ABV, is just delicious. A definate must buy.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2011 01:43:51 | More by rudzud