Captain Stout - Alpine Beer Company

GRG1313

California

3.38/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours black with a medium dark tan head.

Nose is a plummy sweet dark chocolate and roasted coffee.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, with a light creamy character - simple, well balanced and nicely carbonated.

Flavor profile is all rich coffee and bitter black chocolate. Simple but pleasing and a nice example of a drinkable simple stout, done right and not trying to be anything else.

Finish is all medium bitter black coffee/espresso.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2011 21:31:38 | More by GRG1313

dmsohyea

California

3.38/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

On-tap at Alpine brewpub. Served in a taster glass.

A - Dark brown with khaki head, about 1 finger. Head is very thin and bubbly. This beer is probably better suited to a nitro tap.

S - Smells like coffee with a touch of chocolate and milk.

T - taste follows the nose to a good extent. A bit of burnt malt and brown sugar followed by a bit of bitterness and a toffee/coffee finish. Average considering the style. Not big on flavor, but also easy to drink and not a strong alcohol taste.

M - thin and high carbonation. Not a good aspect for me. I was surprised how watery this was for a stout.

O - a decent, light stout, but a little too watery for my tastes. I wouldn't be opposed to having this one again.

Serving type: on-tap

05-01-2011 06:58:04 | More by dmsohyea

mactrail

California

3.33/5  rDev -11%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Black color with a mahogany edge in the tulip glass. Not much foam and the retention is minimal. Not very spritzy in the mouth but has a decent mouthfeel. A little body to the stuff. Some club soda taste.

Quite grainy, burnt oatmeal. A touch of perfume to the flavor. Some fruit in the nose along with the burnt caramel. Hops as pretty minimal; tastes more like the bitterness of charred malt. Tangy but not too acidic. Some nice malt sweetness. Not as dry nor as bitter as many stouts.

From the usual 22 oz bottle. Quite drinkable, but I can't see paying the bomber price for an average stout.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2012 06:41:09 | More by mactrail

brystmar

Texas

3.33/5  rDev -11%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle's been in my fridge for a month, about time to crack this. Waaay too much carbonation from the pour; was surprisingly difficult to pour a nice mixture of head and body.

Decent aroma: oats & chocolate, mild roast. Taste underwhelms as the excessive carbonation removes much of the flavor. Definitely an oatmeal stout; not much chocolate here, and the roast isn't as deep as I'd like either.

Nice to try, wouldn't seek it out.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2012 02:39:15 | More by brystmar

farrago

New Jersey

3.3/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Large and bubbly head, easy three fingers during the pour, large concentration of big bubbles in the middle simmers down to a more consistent surface which retains at the one finger level, dark brown in hue, the lacing is thin yet clings impressively to the glass. The liquid is fully black, skips brown and goes straight to orange for a thin stripe at the glass bottom. The nose is noticeably dry and somewhat sour as well, oats, grains, breads, sour milk mixed in with dark chocolate, cocoa and coffee grinds, more herbaceous than nutty, the fruit is muted but what’s there is sweeter than the rest of the scents, nectarine, peach, melon, the roast outlasts all else. Medium-bodied, if flatfooted, picks a spot and just sits there. The carbonation is too weak to add liveliness. Same emphasis on coffee, cocoa, mocha with heavy roast leading to dry mouth feel. Here orange citrus sweetens the pot some, even as the apple, peach, white grape fruit struggles to find a place, not the usual darker fruit profile. The nuttiness comes through more, the bready, yeasty notes less so. Keeps its weight throughout and never gets undesirably bitter. Leaves you wishing there was more breadth of flavor as well as sweetness, drinkable but not remarkable.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2011 22:09:21 | More by farrago

hopdog

Pennsylvania

3.28/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle acquired in trade with bu11zeye (thanks!).

Poured a dark, dark brown color with a huge sized off white head. Aromas of roast, chocolate, caramel, a little earthy, and a touch of maple. Tastes of roast, chocolate, and some coffee. Both the tastes and body on the thin side.

Notes from 12/28/07

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2008 02:06:40 | More by hopdog

SPLITGRIN

Kentucky

3.25/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Pours beautiful as a stout should with a fuzzy active milk chocolate colored three finger head. It quickly settles to just a half inch. Body sets in the glass like a big black opal. Nose is zesty and sweet with malty spice smoke. An initial sweet and sour battle dances on the tongue. Noticeable bitter sweet feel reminds me of bakers chocolate. This tart bitter feel bounces off each other and completely dominates the palate. As for as an American stout goes this one lacks the soft rich balance I expect from this style. Mouthfeel stays with that same sour bitter with a bit of thickness. As I do some research I relize that I may have gotten a bad bottle based on other reviews I have looked at. As far as this one goes its drinkability is just OK.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2008 21:00:52 | More by SPLITGRIN

PeprSprYoFace

California

3.25/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A Bomber poured into a Pub Glass.

Pours a deep black and sort of thin looking. Small tan head that dissapated fast. No lacing.

Smells like a good stout. Nice and roasty and a slight malt smell.

Taste is not as good as the smell. It tastes kind of thin for a stout ant as if it's lacking crystal malt. It needs a little more sweet backbone and mouthfeel. The roastyness is very good at first but because of the lack of maltiness the roast gets old fast.

Mouthfeel is also too thin. Nice carb though.

Overall I probably won't try this again. Especially if there are other things to try or I know are better.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2010 06:35:33 | More by PeprSprYoFace

DavoleBomb

Ohio

3.25/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into a pint glass. Says 6% ABV on bottle and listing says 5.5%.

3.5 A: Black color. Nearly two fingers of pillowy light brown head with below average retention and just a touch of sparse lacing.

3.0 S: This has a nice roastiness to it with hints of coffee. However, there's also something strange about this. Smells a bit like "rancid caramel" if such a thing exists or some sort of corrosive industrial chemical. There's also a good deal of regular caramel. There's some underlying fruitiness as well. This is okay, but whatever off-flavor is in there is a bit off putting.

3.5 T: The taste is pretty good though and it doesn't have the weird rancid caramel taste in it. Roasted barley, caramel, and just hints of coffee, fruit, and chocolate. Not bad, but lacking in the strength column.

3.0 M: Lighter body. Moderate amounts of carbonation, but it is a "dead carbonation" leaving the beer lying lifeless on my tongue. Not very creamy and sure as hell not "velvety smooth" as advertised on the bottle.

3.0 D: Pretty mediocre across the board. Worth a try, but mainly to know that this shouldn't be sought after.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2011 01:10:06 | More by DavoleBomb

drummermattie02

Texas

3.25/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured into DFH snifter, extremely deep brown, light only comes through around the edges. Big white-tan head that fades to a covering that sticks around.

Smell is slightly sweet, roasty, not overly complex.

Taste is OK, a bit of bitterness from the dark malts, almost has a slightly sour finish. Thin feel, wish there was more here.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2011 01:33:47 | More by drummermattie02

biglite351

Pennsylvania

3.23/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - considerable orange around the edges. Tall tight light tan head.

S - heavy roasted malts, cocoa and a touch of coffee in the finish.

T - roasted malts, raisins, prune, mild cocoa and coffee.

M - thin with mild tingle on sides of tongue and throat.

O - easily drinkable but I would rather go for something with a bit more depth.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2011 20:57:49 | More by biglite351

Trilogy31

California

3.1/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours black and is cola brown at the edges under light. Two fingers of creamy light khaki colored head and leaves foamy sheeting on the glass. Nose is very sweet with brown sugar molasses, dehydrated tropical fruits (mango guava) and a faint whisper of roasted malts. Taste hits with roasted and almost charred malts and some coffee and again with a dark sugary sweetness and no fruit to speak of. Never really found any chocolate character in this beer. Drinkable and tasty albeit somewhat sweet and really had a hard time getting around it.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2011 08:26:39 | More by Trilogy31

kojevergas

California

3.08/5  rDev -17.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

22 fl oz brown glass bottle with standard pressure cap served into a Uinta brewing pilsner glass in me gaff in low altitude Los Feliz, California. Reviewed live. Expectations are high given the brewery; I've loved the Alpine beers I've had recently. 6.0%.

Served refrigerator cold and allowed to warm over the course of consumption. Poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Pours a fucking gorgeous rich tan colour head of fantastic cream, great retention, and incredible thickness. Smooth and rolling. Really, this head is just amazing. It's like a shiny golden-tan colour. I'm blown away. Mocha cream touch is impeccable. Wow. Body colour is a solid nontransparent opaque black. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. Practically perfect appearance. The only improvement would be a better body colour (jet black a la Speedway Stout) and a bubble show. Lacing is quite good.

Sm: Heavy cream and subdued almost nitrousy roasted barley, dark malts, chocolate malt, vanilla, and caramel. Smells more like a porter than a stout. Some light coffee. A moderate strength aroma. Reminds me vaguely of Guinness.

T: Dark malts, chocolate malt, and some subdued roasted barley character. I was really hoping for more roast. Caramel, light vanilla, very light mocha coffee, and a bit of chocolate. Quite simple for a stout. I expected more based on the appearance. Nicely balanced, but underwhelming. Lacks boldness or experimentation. Not horribly subtle. Really needs more complexity.

Mf: Smooth and wet - too much so for the style on both counts. Flat-out wrong. Needs to be far more dry and far more coarse. Slick like a porter. Did they use oats in this? Thickness is good. Good carbonation. Fairly light on the palate.

Dr: Best served cold. Something of a disappointment coming from Alpine, but only because I expected so much. I guess Alpine doesn't do darker styles as well as they do lighter ones. That said, it's a decent example of the style (except for the mouthfeel). Pretty drinkable, but I wouldn't get it again. Probably equally as good on tap or nitro. Hides its average ABV well, but that's not saying much. Stick to Alpine's IPAs and sour(s). Pass this one up.

C+

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2012 06:26:59 | More by kojevergas

JDV

Texas

3.05/5  rDev -18.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle courtesy of miketd
Pours black with a light tan head. Smell is milky, roasted malt and metal at first. Body is a bit too thin, but not too bad. Decent roasty flavor with a hint of chocolate. Watery finish, and I had a hard time deciding how much I liked this one. Didn't get the oatmeal creaminess as listed in the description. Decent, but very forgettable.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2008 18:58:13 | More by JDV

AleWatcher

Illinois

3.05/5  rDev -18.4%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

Bomber into founders snifter.

Some chocolate and even coffee over the roasty malts and touch of sweetness from some caramel malts.

Little thin in terms of the body, but it's not unpleasant at all, only feels watery for an oatmeal stout.

Dark body with a light sandy tan head of about a finger. Weak retention, weak lacing.

Overall-- Alpine is not known for their dark beers, and this beer is no reason for that change. It certainly isn't bad, but it is mediocre, which I suppose means it's pretty bad in terms of comparing...

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2012 03:45:03 | More by AleWatcher

Rizalini

Nevada

2.93/5  rDev -21.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A - Pours a very deep, dark brown color. When held up to the light, you can barely see thru it. Barely. Thin tan head that leaves no lacing.

S - I get roasty, caramel aromas. That's about it. Having a hard time getting anything more.

T - Slight coffee flavor in the front, but fails to finish. Ends dry, with a slight lingering taste. Definately not a "meal in a bottle" as advertised.

M - Not as heavy as I would prefer a stout to be. It's medium mouthfeel, not velvety at all, like the bottle says. A little too lite on the pallete for me.

D - It's an average stout at best. Personally, I wouldn't buy another bottle.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2011 07:16:40 | More by Rizalini

mindspin315

New Jersey

2.15/5  rDev -42.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Poured a small light brown head which dissipates pretty quick. Black body with faint brown around the edges of the glass. Swirling the beer reveals nice head retention and good amount of lacing.

Big roasted malts with a faint underlying of light smoke notes. Mild chocolate, used coffee grinds, and graininess at the back end. A bit of hops come through also. The back of the nose is a bit off putting.

The roasted malts really come through. A bit of an odd maltiness here. Very thin and watery. No flavors are really coming through that were present in the aroma. Disappointed in the taste and the mouth feel is not doing to much here either. Also a bit over carbonated.

I was really expecting a lot from this one. Considering that Alpine probably makes the best IPA's on the planet! I was assuming this one would be out of this world good or at least somewhere close to it. This one is in the Little League's compared to their World Series of IPA's. I even paired this beer with some delicious dark choc. with sea salt and peanuts. Expecting that the flavors/aromas would go well together. Thank God I did cause the only flavor I got was from the chocolate bar.

[63/100]

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2012 07:13:37 | More by mindspin315

seeswo

Ohio

2.1/5  rDev -43.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5

Pours very dark brown with a tan head. The nose is a bit roast and oddly cherry sweet. It's actually a bit of an uh-oh nose. That taste, ugh, the taste. A huge mess of sweet dark fruit, gross cherry sweetness, a some what dry finishing stout. The whole thing was a mess and possibly and infected mess. I don't toss that term around, but this was pretty awful in that cherry, beginning vinegar way that suggests such. Alpine makes some amazing beer and this, in the state it reached me in the bottle, is not in that stratosphere. Major let down. Mouthfeel was thin, starting to get a bit watery. Let's just say that everyone in the room drain poured after 0-1 sips. I gave it a few, but after that, it was down the drain.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2011 03:44:49 | More by seeswo

UCLABrewN84

California

1.3/5  rDev -65.2%
look: 3 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 3 | overall: 1

Pours an opaque dark brown with a tiny 1/2 inch beige head that fades to a film on the top of the beer. No lacing. Smells of slight chocolate and coffee but I think this one is infected. There is a musty gym socks smell. This would make the 2nd Alpine beer so far that has been infected. Taste is of funky chocolate/coffee that has been fermented in used gym socks. Horrible. Mouthfeel is surprisingly average. Overall, another loser of a beer from Alpine and I am disappointed once again.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2011 02:01:25 | More by UCLABrewN84