Sugar Shack - Third Street Brewhouse

kristenrae8

Illinois

4.35/5  rDev +18.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I've been waiting all week to have this beer. Last night I found some and decided to start my Sunday off with this sweet breakfast beer.

A: Dark as coffee. Short-lived head, low carbonation in pour. Perfect for Sunday breakfast.

S: Sweetness, maple, carmel. It's smells sweeter than any beer I've smelled. But sort of what I expected with a name like Sugar Shack.

T: It's sweet but not as sweet as it smells. There are roasted malts hiding under the maple and hints of timid hops. This would be a good introduction to dark beers for your pal that is leary of them.

M: It's smooth however it's a little thin and pretty low in carbonation. I don't mind that, I'd rather have low carbonation than super fizzy beer.

O: It's another great beer from Third Street. I don't know if you could have two in a row of this particular brew, after trying this beer I had a balanced out my tastebuds with Third Street's Bitter Neighbor and that countered the sweetness. I was unable to find this in a six-pack, but found it in a 12 pack variety sampler.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 22:05:53 | More by kristenrae8

sweemzander

Illinois

3.26/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

12oz. bottle poured into a snifter.

(A)- Pours a very dark brown color. Some tan froth and lacing.

(S)- Slightly woody/bark-like with a rustic nuttiness meets some maple sweetness.

(T)- Almost smoky with a woody maple and vanilla sweetness. Very root beer-like only much darker with the subtle roasted qualities of the base stout.

(M)- A smooth carbonation level. A lighter body and mouthfeel even for an american style stout but it has a nice sweetness profile with the added richness of the maple.

(O)- A fun and enjoyable stout with an authentic maple addition that really drives this home for me.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2013 16:41:07 | More by sweemzander

capuchinpilates

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +9%

05-03-2013 02:14:34 | More by capuchinpilates

iL0VEbeer

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev +2.2%

04-26-2013 19:23:47 | More by iL0VEbeer

maximum12

Minnesota

3.8/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

One of the things I like as much as good beer is small-batch, real maple syrup, so I had to pick up a single of this beer; I'll buy pretty much anything with both beer & syrup! 12 oz. bottle.

Pour is a few minutes to red midnight. Smell is excellent, just like a Sunday morning pour over my famous Belgian waffles, along with the smell of my wife's coffee. Damn, that's good! This smells like my kitchen on the weekend. And I like my kitchen.

Sugar Shack's syrup makers can put up a hut behind my house anytime. The maple sweetness is front-n-center, quickly followed by a quick chop of roast. Mild hop bitterness surprises on the end. The only downside is a vague artificial, almost medicinal impression that sticks around in the aftertaste. Not sure where that's coming from. Easy to pour down the throat, nice to have a tasty, 'lighter' stout once in a while.

This weighs in at 'good' for me, & if it weren't for that tinge of artificial sweeteners (& there probably aren't any), this could go up, easily. Nicely done, & I'll try another of their beers based on this one.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2013 02:06:18 | More by maximum12

deonreds

New York

4.25/5  rDev +15.8%

04-10-2013 05:53:42 | More by deonreds

alelover

Michigan

4/5  rDev +9%

04-07-2013 01:31:45 | More by alelover

vobr0002

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev +2.2%

04-06-2013 04:04:31 | More by vobr0002

Hessian257

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +9%

04-06-2013 03:53:43 | More by Hessian257

Seefeldt

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev +2.2%

04-01-2013 23:01:01 | More by Seefeldt

yamar68

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The darkest single stout I've ever encountered... pitch black with a half finger of khaki brown head that sinks to a thin collar pretty quickly.

Loads of maple, caramel, molasses... very aromatic for the genre. Toffee and leather. Brown ale aromas and sugar.

Dry brown sugar flavors, french toast and dull coffee bean, earthy peat and cola. Unique.

This is pretty damn interesting, not like any other straight up single stout I can think of.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2013 03:29:30 | More by yamar68

koes0024

Minnesota

2.75/5  rDev -25.1%

03-30-2013 01:15:54 | More by koes0024

cmannes

Minnesota

3/5  rDev -18.3%

03-21-2013 19:17:37 | More by cmannes

Trexter103

Minnesota

2.25/5  rDev -38.7%

03-20-2013 13:39:36 | More by Trexter103

budgood1

Minnesota

3.7/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

pours out an opaque dark brown. no light seems to be able to penetrate this brew. short lived tan head appears and disapates quickly to some sparse lace. aromas of dark molten chocolate malts...accents of anise, coffee, caramel, nougat, toffee and maple syrup. the taste is typical of the stout style...dark roasted and black patent malts. the malt profile presents flavours of dark roasted coffee, charred malt, dark unsweetened chocolate with undertones of black currants and blackberries. the maple syrup aspect only adds a complexity around the edges and melds strikingly well in this stout. think one of those valentines day box of chocolates. like a liquid candy bar. all this slightly cloying sweetness makes for a slick, sweet, syrupy mouthfeel...which i do not find detracting since this IS a winter seasonal. appropriate i suppose. any hopping present is for show only and adds just the slightest touch of bitterness to balance out the overall sweetness and is a touch buried in the burnt malt bitterness. the body of this stout is also appropriate...rather full and lush. a nice foundation for the sugar shack which it's built upon. drinkability is good...it does get a tad sweet and cloying at times...but makes for a nice winter time quaffer...even into March when our winter season seems to be hanging on with a vengeance.

overall i'm utterly impressed with this offering from the town of Cold Spring, MN. most beers, craft and not, in the past 13-14 years, have been absolutely horrible and a terrible embarrasment to the state of Minnesota. this one is a giant step in the right direction.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2013 00:56:28 | More by budgood1

PieOhMy

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev +2.2%

03-05-2013 22:18:17 | More by PieOhMy

Mdog

Minnesota

3.39/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Black, ok head but not very good retention.

Smell: Roasted malt, sweetness--maple syrup.

Taste: Heavily sweetened coffee, almost to the point of cloying sweetness. There's just enough coffee flavor to keep it from going over the edge.

Mouthfeel: Light feel, slick.

Overall: I like sweeter stouts, but this one almost goes too far to the sweet side. The maple is noticeable and an interesting note to this beer. A decent addition to the 3rd street lineup.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 21:46:57 | More by Mdog

PingBob

Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev -4.6%

02-22-2013 01:58:21 | More by PingBob

KWMiles

Minnesota

2/5  rDev -45.5%

02-21-2013 17:40:58 | More by KWMiles

ChopsMeister

Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev -4.6%

02-20-2013 05:26:12 | More by ChopsMeister

King_KongDCO93

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev +2.2%

02-16-2013 01:29:48 | More by King_KongDCO93

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.48/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This poured out as a deep brown color with a tan colored head. The head retention is minimal along with a very light lacing. The smell of the beer is malty and sweet with a subtle maple aroma on the nose. The taste of the beer is sweet like the nose, there is a light toasted flavor in there along with maple also. It's not bitter at all. It's mouthfeel is smooth, medium bodied with a moderate carbonation. Overall it's an enjoyable beer for the winter season.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2013 04:08:30 | More by Knapp85

Darrell2777

4.25/5  rDev +15.8%

02-10-2013 05:51:01 | More by Darrell2777

GoldHorde

Minnesota

4.33/5  rDev +18%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

AROMA: Faint caramel coffee.
APPEARANCE: Very black; edging color of red amber even has trouble penetrating.

The promise of maple in Third Street Brewhouse's offering of Sugar Shack Maple Stout does not fail - it is there AND I am happy that they kept it in the flute section rather than on the trombone or tuba sections: it is a accent, rather than a base. This is my third sampling from the Third Street Brewhouse (TSB) and I like this one one the best of the three I've had even though it is only in my second favorite consuming category. I think this is a fine introductory Stout Style for new consumers of stout - who can learn that the stout style has many personalities to explore. I admire the effort and the beer is nicely drinkable and can stand up to a cigar (but probably NOT a maduro!).

ONE ISSUE: This being my third sampling from TSB I am concerned about the glaring lack of head and head retention. While I did not expect this in their lighter offerings, I most certainly did expect it in their "black IPA" and this "maple Stout". The TSB pours had minimal head and all samplings have had zero lacing. I did NOT include this review reservation in ANY of my reviews of TSB beers thus far because it isn't a critical factor for me in most other styles, but on this, my third, I thought I should mention it as many place it highly on their expectations in style. And I too, most certainly DO EXPECT a two finger creamy tan head PLUS very stubborn lacing on ANY stout style.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2013 04:49:23 | More by GoldHorde

Hopstout

Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev +15.8%

02-03-2013 17:50:22 | More by Hopstout