Hell's Bottom - DC Brau Brewing Co.

mdfb79

New York

3.7/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

From 06/09/12 notes. Had on cask at Meridian Pint in DC at their Drink Local event. Served in a pint glass.

a - Pours a pitch black color, with a few tan bubbles, and low carbonation evident. Looks pretty good.

s - Smells very strongly of hops. Smells of pine hops, mint, roasted malted, and bitter chocolate. Nice, but very surprised by the amount of hops in the nose.

t - Tastes of pine hops, roasted malts, sweet chocolate, bitter chocolate, cream, and some mint. Taste has more chocolate than the nose; a step up for me.

m - Light and thin body and no carbonation. Body a bit too thin for an oatmeal stout.

o - Overall a nice stab at an oatmeal stout, though very different due to the strong hop presence in the nose. Body is a bit too thin, but a good start. Would have it again.

Serving type: cask

06-20-2012 19:19:22 | More by mdfb79

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On cask, via gravity fed firkin, @ Meridian Pint (Washington, D.C.) on 6/9/12. Served in a pint glass.

Pours a deep brown, with a sudsy head of mocha colored foam. This retains with a foamy ring around the edges of the glass, leaving back spotty froth that dots the sides. The aroma smells of fresh citrus, pine, roasted coffee accents, and some malt sweetness that rounds out the edges. The hops really stand out here though, giving this a flat green feel across the nose.

The taste is coffee and green citrus flavors, which is surrounded by smooth notes of oatmeal and cocoa. The roast and hops make the biggest impression here though, lingering hard in the finish with a deep pithy bitterness and a dry resinous feel. The mouthfeel is medium bodied and quite mellow in the mouth from that combination of oatmeal and cask conditioning, with a soft crispness that is very smooth in the mouth.

I’ve got a feeling that this must have been dry-hopped in the cask, as those hops here pretty much completely dominated this at times and I’m going to have to check this out again on tap to really get a full handle on it. I did like what it teased though, so here’s hoping that I get a chance at some point.

Serving type: cask

06-11-2012 19:14:08 | More by Kegatron

Daniellobo

District of Columbia

3.88/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Good take on an oatmeal stout...

Presentation: Growler from DC Brau's NE headquarters. Small dry board with general growler offering notes. Served in a DC Brau tulip glass.

A - Deep brown/black pour, fair if a tad short creamy head, moderate retention, small surface memory with a small memory ring and rich lacing.

S - Soft roasted nose, a bit muted, coffee hint, light bitter insinuation...

T - Roasted malt sense, not too hefty but firm, touch of coffee with a soft bitter hoppy note.

M - Medium to medium/light body, small if nicely tuned carbonation, rather smooth feel with a nice soft bitter linger in the finish.

O - Smooth and with a nice flow, a bit shy compared to the roasted notes coming from other brews they offer. Recommendable in any case.

Notes: Another quality offering… For me a bit short of character, in particular compared to some of the other dark brews in their line up. But still pleasing and worth the try.

Serving type: growler

05-14-2012 23:40:52 | More by Daniellobo