Redband Stout - Great River Brewery

StlHopHead77

Illinois

4.53/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A-Pours an evil,asphalt black body with 2 inches of slowly dying,light mocha foam that left wide,gooey strands of lacing on the glass.

S-Smells of strong espresso,scalded milk,burnt sugars,sweet chocolate ganache and charred malts.Very robust and fragrant.

T-High grade coffee upfront with flavors of creamy oats,sweetened milk,bittersweet chocolate and light ash.

M-Medium bodied,rich and oily with moderate sweetness and a mildly bitter/charred finish.

O-What a solid coffee stout and in a 16oz can to boot.

Serving type: can

02-21-2012 12:44:25 | More by StlHopHead77

Kunstman

Wisconsin

3.25/5  rDev -21.3%

05-17-2013 03:37:02 | More by Kunstman

smartassboiler

Illinois

3/5  rDev -27.4%

05-13-2013 15:28:20 | More by smartassboiler

tectactoe

Michigan

3.95/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to Jeff for this one. Pours out like a black lagoon, bubbly and thick looking with a deep-tan colored can that rests softly on top of the black abyss. The head fades within a few minutes to a gentle skin atop the brew, with some marginal and spotty lacing left near the top of the glass.

Redband Stout has a fairly straightforward aroma profile that's primarily made up of two things: super heavy roasted coffee and a more laid-back, underlying creamy sweetness. The coffee beans I'm picking up are roasted to hell; scorched, burnt, and oily. The creamy sweetness is a bit more subtle, but balances well with some light, milk and sugar proponents, and even a mild touch of cocoa from the malt. For being so simple, it's actually quite robust on the nostrils, but then again, I'm biased to over-roasted coffee stouts.

It's a little thinner on the palate than you'd expect given the way it pours into the glass, but it still has a reasonably nice, slick mouth feel all around. Believe it or not, the first thing I taste is NOT the coffee - rather it's the nice, creamy sweetness of the malt, somewhat sugary and plopped with a bit of milk chocolate. While the coffee doesn't join until about midway through, it makes up for its immediate absence by lasting well into the aftertaste. Roasted coffee beans and grinds with a mild bitterness in the finish, dark, robust, charred, and a bit ashy. I'm not picking up any direct hop flavors - they are probably being washed out by the roast.

Nice stout here that'll be great for lovers of bitter-roasted coffee beans and whatnot. Enjoyable, albeit slightly one-dimensional and a little lackluster in terms of mouth feel. But considering the low ABV, it's got a very nice and full aroma and flavor profile. Definitely something I'd keep in the fridge to enjoy whenever I felt like kicking back an easy-drinking yet flavorful stout.

Serving type: can

05-12-2013 17:42:58 | More by tectactoe

jegross2

Illinois

4/5  rDev -3.1%

05-10-2013 04:21:04 | More by jegross2

tommyguz

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +2.9%

05-08-2013 03:40:44 | More by tommyguz

Fisticles

Iowa

4/5  rDev -3.1%

05-02-2013 05:53:55 | More by Fisticles

bennetj17

Arizona

4.25/5  rDev +2.9%

04-24-2013 05:39:48 | More by bennetj17

CarolinaKevin

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +2.9%

04-17-2013 23:27:02 | More by CarolinaKevin

PStriedl

Maryland

4/5  rDev -3.1%

04-14-2013 19:16:25 | More by PStriedl

mmapes

Colorado

3.89/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Brought a can back from Iowa. Can says 6% so I expected something relatively light. I was surprised at how black it poured, with a nice, thick, dark tan head.

Coffee smell is noticeable up front, blending nicely with the beer scents.

Mouthfeel is surprisingly viscous (rich and full) for a six-percenter. Long coffee finish has a hint of smoke. If you like coffee stouts, this one's very good. I think I like the thick stout foretaste better than the smoky/bitter aftertaste, but this one's surprisingly good.

Well done.

Might buy this one again, although I don't always like coffee stouts.

Serving type: can

04-09-2013 23:35:40 | More by mmapes

vidguy17

Iowa

4/5  rDev -3.1%

03-30-2013 15:05:19 | More by vidguy17

t0rin0

California

3.75/5  rDev -9.2%

03-28-2013 03:32:48 | More by t0rin0

kojevergas

California

3.16/5  rDev -23.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75

6% ABV confirmed. 16 fl oz aluminum can with appealing label art served into a conical Samuel Smith's pint glass in me gaff in low altitude Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California. Acquired from the very generous Duff27 in a trade. "Stout with Coffee added." 36 IBUs. I don't see a bottled on date. Expectations are high; I enjoyed their Hop*A*Potamus and Duff27 recommended this as a coffee-forward stout.

Served chilled and allowed to warm over the course of consumption. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Pours a gorgeous dark chocolatey tan head reminiscent of hot cocoa. Three finger height, with great cream and thickness, and very good (8+ minute) retention. Light lacing sticks to the sides of the glass as the head recedes. Body colour is a solid nontransparent opaque black. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. Right on the money for a coffee stout, but the head colour is strange; it's dark but lacks the richness of the great coffee stouts I've seen. Hm. In any case, I'm excited to try it.

Sm: Chocolate, chocolate malt, light roast, and coffee. Little coffee roast; it definitely does seem cold-pressed. Rich coffee bean with a bit of bitterness. Light earthiness. No real cream. Chocolate isn't particularly evocative. The coffee isn't all that special either, at least compared to the great coffee stouts I've had before. Lightly burnt. Dark malts. A moderate strength aroma that isn't really selling me on the quality of the coffee. Quite assertive, but it lacks the rich creamy character of more appealing coffee stout aromas. Still, I'm looking forward to trying it. More coffee (and bitterness) comes through as it warms.

T: Hm. Metallic - its largest flaw. Coffee is definitely cold-pressed; it's got none of the roast, richness, or creaminess I want and a lot of the bitterness I hate about coffee. Little chocolate comes through at all. Boy, I'm not big on that bitterness on the climax; it destroys the balance. Caramel. Ugh, that bitterness just isn't balanced at all and adds nothing good in terms of flavour. No yeast or alcohol comes through. I'm not real big on this coffee stout, admittedly. To be honest, they do meet their goal of brewing a coffee stout reminiscent of iced coffee, but then I don't really like iced coffee. I appreciate what they're doing, but this one isn't really for me. I'm more a breakfast coffee stout kind of person. Lacks complexity and subtlety. It's not quite one note, but it's certainly simple.

Mf: Weak. Lightly undercarbonated. Smooth and wet. Lacks adequate body. Cream is sorely sorely missed here. Presence on the palate is decent. A missed opportunity.

Dr: Mainly will love this, and I wish I was one of them. But this just isn't what I want from a coffee stout; it lacks the subtlety and richness of something like Founder's Breakfast Stout or Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast/Brunch Weasel. The iced coffee emphasis really kills it for me, but that's probably just my personal tastes. If you want a bitter coffee stout redolent of iced coffee with little balance, this may be the beer for you. I'm glad to have tried it and will have little trouble finishing this pint, but I won't seek it out in the future. Thanks for the opportunity to try this, Duff27!

As it warmed, I came to like it more and more. But its main flaws still remained. Serve a hair below room temperature.

C+

Serving type: can

03-20-2013 04:51:34 | More by kojevergas

somnus

California

4.75/5  rDev +15%

03-17-2013 18:56:38 | More by somnus

oline73

Maryland

4/5  rDev -3.1%

03-16-2013 00:55:24 | More by oline73

DirtyKurt

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -15.3%

02-26-2013 22:16:15 | More by DirtyKurt

bsuedekum

Missouri

3.25/5  rDev -21.3%

02-03-2013 20:37:04 | More by bsuedekum

OCHoundNBrewGrrl

California

4.25/5  rDev +2.9%

01-14-2013 06:34:56 | More by OCHoundNBrewGrrl

Anodontine

Minnesota

5/5  rDev +21.1%

01-14-2013 00:36:20 | More by Anodontine

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

3.6/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Robbie for this can. Poured in to tulip.

A - Poured dark black with one finger of cocoa brown head.

S - Big bitter coffee aroma up front with roast and sweet molasses notes.

T - Lots of roast and dark roasted coffee. Fairly big sweetness with hints of molasses and chocolate. The finish is dry and bitter.

M - Medium body. Creamy. Light carbonation.

Serving type: can

01-02-2013 23:37:27 | More by TheSevenDuffs

polishkaz

Massachusetts

3.25/5  rDev -21.3%

01-01-2013 03:29:23 | More by polishkaz

SalukiAlum

Colorado

4.25/5  rDev +2.9%

12-23-2012 22:22:44 | More by SalukiAlum

schoon

Iowa

4.75/5  rDev +15%

12-12-2012 01:12:24 | More by schoon

wcl113

Illinois

4/5  rDev -3.1%

12-04-2012 01:42:45 | More by wcl113