Saint Arnold Winter Stout - Saint Arnold Brewing Company

TBoneJones

Texas

3.05/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 2.75

Dark brown pour (rusty red highlights), thinner-looking body, one-finger thick head.
Smells of cocoa and malts, but nothing too special of that sort.
Tastes like the smell but for me the malts and grains are at the forefront, and i do get a chalkiness. Somewhat bitter and cocoa-like, with a finish that is drying.
Pretty well carbonated, thin body. Normally ok but for a beer with this flavor profile I'd have thought it would be better less bubbly and thicker.
Overall this was lackluster for me. What roasted chocolate flavors that are present are quite muted. That chalky presence doesn't add wellness to this brew. I just didn't enjoy this one.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 00:55:16 | More by TBoneJones

Immortale25

Florida

3.61/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a snifter. Bottleneck says 120412. What's this? Twist-off cap? Strange.

A- Pours a mostly opaque black color with a 1/4 inch tan head that doesn't retain long at all before becoming a thin ring around the edge of the glass and light wisps of surface foam. Not-so-resilient lacing leaves a thin ring behind on the glass.

S- Milk chocolate in the nose and a tiny hint of licorice.

T- More chocolate in the flavor with minimal hop bitterness. Semi-sweet with barely any booze showing.

M- The body is not very viscous which leads leads to more of a porter feel. Moist with medium-low carbonation.

O- While it's quite lacking in the mouthfeel department, it's a halfway decent beer otherwise.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 00:37:21 | More by Immortale25

pgfault

Texas

3.8/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Above average stout, esp from cask. Served with about 1cm head. Heavy roasted aroma is very pleasant. Initial taste is softened by the cask, but still has plenty of flavor. Certainly less acidic. Finish is surprisingly strong, with a good deal of malt flavor remaining, along with the thickness of the stout. Considerable lacing down the glass. Sure, there are better stouts out there, but if you find this, especially from a cask, give it a try.

Serving type: cask

02-21-2013 00:42:31 | More by pgfault

acevenom

Louisiana

3.86/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured into a glass mug. Pours dark brown to black with a thick, light tan head. Some ruby light is visible along the bottom of the glass. There are aromas of dark roasted malts, chocolate, nuts, and toffee. The tasty follows the nose and the mouthfeel is creamy. The roastiness is pretty mild overall with some mild toffee sweetness. The chocolate and nut notes also play well with the rest of the flavors, producing a well-balanced brew. The carbonation is moderate and the body is full. This is an easy drinking stout. This is a very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2013 00:39:52 | More by acevenom

Goblinmunkey7

Massachusetts

2.78/5  rDev -23.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Appearance: Deep rich brown with ruby red highlights. Not a hint of black, just dark deep brown. Minimal head. Small, brownish-white collar. No lacing.

Smell: Roasted malts, tootsie roll sweetness, some darker cocoa notes running through the black. Some hints of citrus. Caramel malt sweetness. Some alcohol and dark fruit, mainly raisins and apple and plum. Gritty milk chocolate.

Taste: Roasted and seriously overcooked and caramelized malts. Breast with sweet chocolate notes. Tootsie roll sweetness coupled with milk chocolate and a touch of bitter cocoa. Some backing citrus. Deep fruity notes push ripe apple and plum. Oddly sweet. Some of the sweetness drips as the beer warms. Slight roasted element helps cut it. Chocolate notes are a bit weak overall.

Mouthfeel: Body runs a little thinner than medium. Smooth with a lightish carbonation. A touch of creaminess with a nice clean finish.

Overall: Stout? Rosary brown ale? Porter? A bit of it all.

This is an angsty teen of a beer. A lot of things going on that ultimately don't make a ton of sense. Not bad, but there are better takes on the style for at least the same price.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 20:22:42 | More by Goblinmunkey7

bmwats

Louisiana

3.73/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a standard pint.

A: Dark brown. Medium carbonation. Pours about a half finger, bubbly brown-white head. Settles quickly. No real lacing.

S: Roasted espresso and almonds, and a little black licorice.

T: Nutty roasted dark coffee.

M: Lightly sweet in the front, lightly bitter in the finish. Full, heavy body.

D: Sip and enjoy.

Atmosphere is pretty good. Dark hue, maybe a little too much carbonation, not much of a head, and no real lacing. Nuts and coffee with black licorice in the nose. Full roasted nutty coffee malt body. Overall, this is a good quaff.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2013 04:00:25 | More by bmwats

BigBarley

Texas

4.38/5  rDev +20%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured into a goblet
A - Poured straight down and hard, came to about a fingers worth of tan head, sitting atop a deep black body that has a dark-brown/amber glow through the light. Head recedes quickly to a thin, foam ring.

S - Coffee up front with a sweet, chocolate character. Roasty notes all over, whipped cream, mild hazelnut notes and more coffee.

T - French coffee, cocoa hints, roasted malts, slight caramel. Very sweet, very flavorful. Saint Arnold beers tend to have a trademark flavor hiding beneath it all, and this stout is no exception. Tasty stuff, nothing that hasn't been featured in other stouts, but there is a lot of flavor in here without being overwhelming.

M - I've had Imperial Stouts that were thinner than this! Great mouthfeel, just thick enough to remind you that it's not a porter, still very drinkable. Carbonation retains pretty well even after a hard pour (I pretty much dumped it in the glass), but doesn't overwhelm the tongue. Not overly creamy, but definitely not thin. Great feel for a beer.

O - Saint Arnold makes some serious beers, in my opinion, and this is one of my favorites. It has all the classic stout characteristics and the perfect mouth feel. Puts a lot of other stouts to shame with it's perfection of a simple approach. I'd love to see the imperial version, but it'll probably be a while.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2012 15:21:59 | More by BigBarley

texasnomad

3.65/5  rDev 0%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

The beer poured a dark coffee brown out of the bottle and quickly quickly sprouted a two finger head with large bubble which eventually settled down and thinned out and became a bit more creamy. Nice lacing. Held up to the light the color opens up to a deep amber red.

When I popped the top I imediately stuck my nose in the bottle to catch a quick glimpse of hops that all but disappeared when I poured it in a glass. After the initial pour the bouquet settled it into a roasted nut maltiness.

My first couple of sips were of sweet caramel, but later developed into more chocoolate and malt.

The mouthfeel was a bit thin, but not nonexistent. In any case, the beer still managed a bit a of smooth creaminess.

Overall, I like this beer and though it is not iconic of a traditional stout for drinking in cold wet environs, it gets the job done here in Southeast Texas.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2012 02:38:58 | More by texasnomad

Labeorphile

Texas

3.55/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from bottle into pint glass.

Looks "weird", almost cola like. Dark with some amber when held up to light. Thin head with lots of rising bubbles for a stout. Little lacing that hangs around.

Very sweet aroma, little malt. A bit thin.

Initial flavor is not bad, but sweet taste quickly fades to nothing but an off aftertaste. Improves as it warms, but nothing remarkable.

Mouthfeel is wimpy. Overall an average beer. I expected much better from Saint Arnold's.

Update: Much better flavor and aroma when served at the proper temperature. I'm an idiot (or impatient). Numbers upgraded accordingly.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2012 03:41:59 | More by Labeorphile

BrewerB

California

3.58/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to miikezombie for this beer. Cheers, Glen!

Pours a dark reddish brown with a thick topping of light tan foam. Good retention and a nice lacing pattern aside the glass. Excellent clarity.

Initial aromas of creamy hot chocolate and sweetened iced coffee drinks. Slightly nutty.

Slightly sweetened brewed coffee along, milk chocolate. Sweet in the finish though not overly so. Brown sugar. '

Medium-full bodied with a moderate carbonation level.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2012 02:41:39 | More by BrewerB

match1112

Illinois

2.98/5  rDev -18.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

pours out lookin like a soda pop, dark brown body with ruby highlights. has the head of a soda also. quickly rises and quickly fizzes out to nothin. smell is pretty weak, some dark malt and milk chocolate. taste is meh. mouthfeel is thin and cola like. if i didnt pour this myself i would swear this is a glass of pepsi sittin here. pretty thin and weak overall in all categories.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2012 02:33:33 | More by match1112

facundoCNB

New Jersey

3.78/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

poured a deep brown with a nice amount of tan head (great lacing). smells of vanilla, coffee, cocoa, caramel. very sweet in taste.. basically tastes like cafe con leche.. with a few sugars. hints of toffee, subtleness of toasted grains.. a very nice light tasting, medium bodied stout with a creaminess to it that makes you thirstier and thirstier! overall, a really good light tasting stout - honestly perfect for the fall/winter months.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2012 23:28:20 | More by facundoCNB

beergoot

Colorado

3.68/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A rather weak looking stout. Color is primarily a dark mahogany; clear and not really opaque. The thin head disappeared quickly leaving only a small ring around the top of the glass.

The smell has promise. Dark, roasted malts with hints of chocolate, toffee, and some dark roast coffee hints. I didn't really pick up any noticeable hop notes.

The taste is there for a stout. Burnt toast and darkly roasted grain. A very pleasant bitterness - a bit subtle, yet reinforcing the and nicely complementing the grain characteristics. There is a nice overarching sweetness from beginning to end, adding a richness to the beer that isn't suggested by its rather anemic appearance.

The body is medium, smooth, and sweet.

Despite a rather weak appearance, this is a great tasting stout, delivering a robust, hardy taste profile. As a winter stout, the flavors are there. I didn't notice any aggressive alcohol notes or warmth, so the grain characteristics take center stage on this one. This one is worth a repeat visit...

thanks to tim in houston for the beer trade that brought me a six of this brew...

Serving type: bottle

02-29-2012 03:11:18 | More by beergoot

TheGordianKnot

Tennessee

3.25/5  rDev -11%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from 12oz bottle into pint glass...

A- Pours a light, clear-ish brown/black color with light brown edges. Has a finger of light tan head that settles fairly fast leaving nothing behind.

S- Has a smooth chocolate aroma with subtle roasted dark fruit coffee hints. Balanced and pleasing, but doesn't pop out like crazy.

T/M- Similar to aroma. A lot of milk chocolate and a subtle, non bitter roast and coffee flavor. Finish has some sweet esters and caramel. Fairly basic, palatable, enjoyable. Medium light body with moderately high carbonation.

O- Very easy drinking stout. Almost a hybrid between an irish stout and an american oatmeal stout IMO. I would drink again if it was around, but definitely wouldn't go out of my way to get. Good value, good product, just need a little more oomph in my craft beer quests...

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2012 19:36:48 | More by TheGordianKnot

2378GCGTG

Texas

3.05/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

12 oz poured into a pint glass
Appearance- Very dark brown, almost black with a 1 inch yellow-white head that lingers for a bit before fading, leaving some laces on the glass as it disappears.

Smell- Light malt, a bit of chocolate and coffee with a hint of some darker fruits

Taste- Choclate, prunes, coffee

Mouthfeel- Carbonated, bubbly on the tongue and a bit light on the body

Overall- A medium bodied stout, but a bit too much carbonation. This is a good beer to try, but its slightly 1 dimensional.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2012 14:03:01 | More by 2378GCGTG

obrike

Texas

3.7/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a dark very brown into my pint glass with about an inch of head that dissapates slowly. Some lacing but not much.

Liked the smell...roasted malts, some chocolate, roasted coffee, and fruit...maybe cherries?

Taste follows the nose, but a bite muted. Roasted malts, cocoa and coffee, some bitterness on the backend. This one's a bit too thin with too much carbonation for the style though.

Still, quite drinkable...a good session or introductory stout. I'm always glad to have a decent go-to Texas beer at my disposal.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2012 23:18:48 | More by obrike

BeardedRiker

Texas

3.73/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Well, I missed out on the Pumpkinator but at least I can still have another good beer from Saint Arnold. You can never have too many stouts during the winter season and anytime I can get a good stout from a Texas brewery I'm all for it.

This is an easy stout to pour. Maybe that's because it's the last bottle I've poured from the six pack and I know exactly how to pour it. The head is foamy, tan-colored, and grows to about two fingers in height. Some remains on top throughout drinking and it looks sort of like cream swirls in coffee. There's just a tiny bit of lacing too. You can see through the beer that's the darkest of brown in color, but up to light it's a lighter reddish brown, though you can just barely see through.

I have a bit of a cold so my sense of smell will be hindered. I get mostly dark fruits and roastiness as well as sugary sweetness. Hops add a bit of tingly spiciness.

This is mostly a sweet and chocolate roasty stout. The roastiness lingers well after drinking which is a characteristic I always like in a stout. The sweetness is very much like candy (toffee?). The usual plum, fig, raisin trio of dark fruits add a bit of fruitiness. I'd say it's a little bitter as well but nothing too noticeable.

The mouthfeel is a bit too light for me as far as what I prefer with stouts, however, it is one of the most drinkable stouts I've had that isn't watery in feel. Carbonation is medium. It's pretty smooth overall and slightly sticky at the end from the sweetness.

The flavors are all there, though not too complex, it's not heavy enough for me, but it's very drinkable. So, if you want a good and drinkable stout then this is a good choice.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2012 04:16:38 | More by BeardedRiker

burnerfinger

Texas

3.88/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

poured from the 12 oz bottle into my new belgium goblet:

A - really nice thick and rich pour - understated caramel coloured head of only 1 finger and truly ZERO lacing - brew is dark as cola with red tinges when held to a light

S: not too nice on the nose. just a bit metallic.

T: love the taste, hints of choco - coffee but just enough of a hint to pull itself up for a second draw

M: thick , lucious body that I'm lovin

D: very very drinkalbe. enjoy!

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2012 02:27:26 | More by burnerfinger

gtermi

Texas

3.68/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: This beer pours a very dark brown with a thick, 3 finger, white head. Over time the head fades to almost nothing, but leaves a nice amount of lace on the glass. If you hold it to the light it is dark red.

S: The beer scent is decent, but nothing to go crazy about. There is a bit of roasted malt and really not much else.

T: The taste has a strong amount of roasted malt, which is very nice. Later you get a faint coffee taste, but mostly roasted malt.

M: The beer is very smooth and enjoyable to drink. It is super smooth and just goes down with ease.

O: This is a pretty decent beer. It's hard to go back to normal stouts after drinking RIS for months, but this one is very good.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2011 06:22:18 | More by gtermi

kkipple

South Carolina

3.7/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A. Deep brown, with red highlights and a light tan head that immediately runs to the edges of my goblet. Tiny bits of lace linger. Still.

S. Deep, sweet roasted malts, possibly lactose? Sweet and smooth, in any case, cocoa and a hint of red wine. Treacle and singed sugars. Some spice, but vague. It's a good nose, expressive and with lots of malt depth. Sweetens up as it warms - usually a smell this bold and malt foward would be found in a higher ABV beer, but I'm not complaining.

T. A little lighter than expected, given the nose. Sweet, cool and thin, with an emphasis on malt sugars and rich roast. Chocolate and a very small coffee tidbit remain in the finish. Really not bad, but nothing super special, either. A sweeter American stout, barely bitter, with enough malt presence to be interesting, but there are better out there.

M / O. Thinner mouthfeel and medium-low carbonation to this one. Pretty sure this was last year's vintage, so I would go easy on it. Winter Stout is not bad at all, but I would very much like to try this fresher...

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2011 07:06:08 | More by kkipple

Scotchboy

Idaho

3.68/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle, extra from BeerHunter76, thank you sir! Poured into a Grand Teton pint glass.

A: Pours light black, actually a very thin brown with lots of shades of amber. Tons of carbonation and a khaki colored head with tiny bubbles and decent lace.

S: Sweet roasted malts, caramel, tootsie rolls, root beer, and hints of spices.

T: Sweet, with moderate caramel and chocolate notes & underlying flavors of brown sugar, with only a small roasted character and very little bitterness. Light spices as well, possibly from some hops?

MF: Light to light/medium body, with thin creamy sweetness and a bit of chalky dryness on the finish...higher, prickly carbonation levels.

O: I'd call this a 'Porter' but everything else agrees with me. Nice sweetness, but reserved enough to remain approachable and quaffable.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2011 17:08:32 | More by Scotchboy

Absumaster

Netherlands

3.6/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A dark brown beer with a quick settling head.

The smell is full of chocolate like a milkchocolate bar. A creamy chocolaty smell with a malty somewhat husky smell, which also has some bready and a dark crust impression.Yet the beer smells not overly roasted.

The taste is mildly roasted. It has some creamy and milk chocolaty notes. The beer has a light maltiness which gives a bready impression. The bitterness is low for a stout. The hops make me think of US hops. Mouthfeel is medium.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2011 19:52:21 | More by Absumaster

CharlieMurphy

New York

2.83/5  rDev -22.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

From duff247 in my first trade.

A: Light for a stout but it has an allure to it. Crimson brown in color, basically no head just some stagnant cobb-webbing.

S: Caramel, figs, plums, dates. Holiday fruit and candy.

T: Very sweet almost like candy to start. My first sip of a drop off the bottle after the pour almost made me think this was going to be infected. Thin mild dark fruit feel in the middle. Mild roastiness of some sort to finish - almost like burnt popcorn but not as intense. This drinks like a porter or a smoked pale ale.

M: Thin. Otherwise even. This is from last winter so it's probably best to drink this fresh.

O: Interesting but not really much of a stout.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2011 23:48:30 | More by CharlieMurphy

LadyOfMuchBeer

Texas

3.88/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to DnQ in Houston for putting these out, I hadn't had any of this yet.

12 oz. bottle poured into a pint. Just about zero head, it's been sitting almost a year and lost what little carbonation it probably had. Single layer of lace around the rim. Flat as a stout coming out of cask.

Appearance is near-black, looking through at light is deep red and clear.

Smells delicious, malty, tobacco, wooden muskiness. Deep smell almost pulls apple juice so I am thinking there may be some fruit in there underneath....maybe.

Tastes Very malty stoutness, light bitter, spice and wood. Flavors are light, not sure if time hasn't mellowed this a tad.

Feels- Medium body, smooth, little sticky on the tongue. Flat.

Overall pleasing flavors, mild and easy, but has good malt and spice to it. Very flat, even for a stout. Would be good for an intro into the stout world.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2011 01:50:17 | More by LadyOfMuchBeer

russwbeck

Virginia

3.18/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

A: Pours a light brown with about a finger of light brown head. Not a lot of retention or lacing, but it looks like a decent amount of bubbles are racing to the top of the beer.

S: The smell is really sweet. Deep molasses, some roasted malts, and chocolate.

T: Seems to be bit of a one trick poney. Molasses and chocolate. Deep and rich. Very sweet. Not a lot to balance it out.

MF: Thick and heavy. Much more so than I thought it would be. Carbonation seems a bit low.

O: It's a bit sweet and not balanced enough to really enjoy many of. Didn't particularly enjoy this one. Hard to finish the bottle.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2011 07:52:34 | More by russwbeck