Love Stout - Yards Brewing Co.

Ego

New Jersey

2.6/5  rDev -32.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 1 | overall: 2

eyes...
2 fingers of thick tan head, settles down nicely and is sticky as a movie theater floor, black and quite opaque like obsidian, your pretty standard looking stout.

nose...
smoky with a nice roast background, coffee with hints of chocolate, maybe not the most complex thing but it very nice.

taste etc...
way too light, this drinks like water, the roast flavor is there but is also thin. the body on this is awful, this is not much to write about, the flavor is not terrible but the mouthfeel is so distracting.

verdict?
no love for this one. I love this about as much as I love root canal.

Serving type: growler

01-07-2007 04:29:43 | More by Ego

NiceTaps

New Jersey

4.04/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

On tap in a nonic pint glass.

A- It looks like a Giunness Draught, Love Stout may be a bit darker. That's the end of the Guinness similarities.

S-Roasted barley, some chocolate and coffee.

T- Creamy malt, bittersweet chocolate and a hint of coffee.

M- Good creamy body, not much carbonation. The chocolate and the roasting give it some bite.

O- This beer is right on for the style, and the abv gives it enough body without compromising drinkability.

Serving type: on-tap

04-25-2013 00:09:41 | More by NiceTaps

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.85/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Served on tap in a 10 oz pint glass

Appearance – The brew is served a deep black color with a one finger tan colored head. The head fades rather fast to leave only moderate level of lacing.
Smell-The aroma is heaviest of chocolate and roasted malt mixed with notes of espresso and a small amount of sea smell.

Taste – The taste begins quite heavy of a roasted malt, some lighter flavors of coffee, and a sweetness of caramel. The coffee grows stronger as the taste advances with some notes of a chocolate sweetness also coming to the tongue. Some lighter earthy hop flavors come to the tongue more at the end of the taste along with a light touch of a mineral and salt sea like taste. With the increase in the chocolate flavors at the end of the taste a rather pleasant bitter sweet, roasted and dark flavor is left to linger on the tongue.

Mouthfeel- The body of the beer was on the creamier and thicker side, especially for a bee of only 5.5 % abv with a carbonation level that was rather average. Both were nice for the drinkability as well as the darker flavors of the brew and made for a nice feel overall.

Overall- A rather tasty, easy drinking, and fairly balanced stout. Well worth a try if you get the chance.

Serving type: on-tap

02-19-2013 01:07:17 | More by Darkmagus82

BeerCon5

Pennsylvania

3.35/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured a deep black color with a very nice, foamy tan head that remained throughout the beer.

The scent was of roasted chocolate malt.

The taste was of roasted malt, chocolate, and notes of burnt coffee.

Medium body, very creamy and smooth, low carbonation.

This was a decent beer, though I thought there could have been a bit more flavor.

Serving type: on-tap

01-02-2013 19:27:08 | More by BeerCon5

MichaelPhiladelphiaBeer

3.28/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A-Dark. Thick white head.

S - chocolates, saltwater?

T - chocolate bitters. Is my brain telling me I taste a slight undertone of oyster or ocean Ot have I been duped? Not sure. there is something unique and nice in the middle of the experience.

Mf - standard for a stout.

O - good. I think the oysters really do add something nice.

Serving type: on-tap

11-03-2012 21:09:24 | More by MichaelPhiladelphiaBeer

jmdrpi

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

served from the nitrogen tap in a standard "pint" glass.

appears an opaque black, with thick creamy off-white colored head. As with most nitro-pours, it retains the head all the way down the glass, leaving rings of lacing clung to the glass. Not much aroma, just a mild roast flavor. Taste is milk chocolately, slightly sweet, but certainly not cloying. Easy to drink. Medium body, creamy mouthfeel with the soft carbonation.

Overall - a nice beer that seems appropriate for serving on nitrogen.

Serving type: nitro-tap

09-25-2012 15:51:51 | More by jmdrpi

mdaschaf

Washington

3.8/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had on tap at Timothys. Review from notes.

A: Served in a...plastic cup. Awesome. Has that guinness look to it, very dark with really nice looking head on top with great retention and lacing.

S: Plenty of roasty malt with some chocolate.

S: Lots of roasted malt, some chocolate and a bit of cream which gives it a slightly sweet flavor. Very smooth.

M: Medium bodied, very smooth and creamy.

O: Another nice beer from Yards, not overly complex, but done well and easy drinking.

Serving type: on-tap

09-10-2012 02:56:36 | More by mdaschaf

Nay

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This stout has really evolved with yards. Tonight it's a great dry Irish stout with a bit more. Touch sour finish and fluffy dry like guiness. Lingering dark head great on nitro I bet. I just hat e how beer advocate makes y XML out the records to a minimum of 250 words sometimes I just don't hac e mush to say drinking and all shiiite man

Serving type: on-tap

06-15-2012 01:38:10 | More by Nay

tobelerone

New Jersey

3.58/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A rich black bodied beer with a small brown head that dissipates almost immediately; lacing is spotty. Aroma is fairly standard; roast, a little chocolate, plus a faint mineral note I’d attribute to the oyster/shell inclusion. Taste is the same; simple, straightforward, uncomplicated. Nice dark malt, gentle roast and bit of hoppy bitterness; bittersweet chocolate, again the mineral note. Smooth mouthfeel, medium-light body, moderately carbonated. One of the better tap offerings from Yards, in my opinion. Easy to drink and sessionable.

Serving type: on-tap

03-30-2012 21:27:01 | More by tobelerone

MONKandTUCK

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

A- Deep black, white top. More head-retention, please. ***Seriously craft beer bars gotta switch from tumblers to English pint glasses!

A - Cocoa, roast, malt.

T - really refined stout. Sweet, but not offensively so. The roasted notes, however, are too restrained for my liking. I'm assuming they used a lot of Pale Chocolate malt and carafa III to manage that color and flavor character. Inoffensive, but it'd be more memorable with some Roasted Barley.

M - So clutch. After drinking a few Hefeweizens and a Pils this beer topped off the night perfectly. What the flavors lacks is compensated for here.

O - As competition for Guinness and local breweries' renditions of that classic this beer does well to be smoother and stronger. However a little roast and maybe some Special B would really knock this beer up to a whole new level!

Serving type: nitro-tap

02-11-2012 20:58:18 | More by MONKandTUCK

akorsak

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Nitro at Pistolas.

A: The stout is thick and meaty, sitting very still in the glass as though the creamy nitro head had permanently, hermetically sealed it in. Lacing follows with that head.

S: The nose is dry and roasted, a little heavier on the chocolate than an Irish dry stout. Sweet in a semi-sweet kind of way.

T: Dry and roasted, darker without the normal strength. Chocolate is abundant, sweet amongst the rest of the roasted body. Creamy, a lactic feel aids with the chocolate and drives up the drinkability factor. A good beer to nurse through.

M: The creaminess, smooth, with the chocolate is a nice touch. Just solidly good.

Serving type: nitro-tap

12-17-2011 16:09:52 | More by akorsak

aorloski

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance - Pours a quintessential deep dark black with creamy fluffy mocha head. Nitro

Smell - Big roasted qualities, like a guinness but muuuch better. Bitter chocolate

Taste - So well balanced, smooth, creamy, chocolate, light roasted malts. Nothing over the top but an incredibly great middle of the line stout

Mouthfeel - Obviously creamy as all hell, nitro.

Overall - Went to a big concert and this was the best beer they had on tap, hence ordering. I was incredibly impressed.

Serving type: nitro-tap

12-04-2011 21:56:28 | More by aorloski

DIM

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

a: This had a black body and it was served to me with a firm, medium sized dark tan colored head.

s: Roasty crackers and dark chocolate.

t: Just an incredibly balanced small stout. Lightly sweet malts and biscuits with a long, roasty chocolate finish.

m: Very nice creamy nitro.

o: It had been years since I had one of these. A great stout overall, I look forward to more in the near future.

Serving type: nitro-tap

12-02-2011 23:58:03 | More by DIM

mikesgroove

South Carolina

3.93/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

black, with a huge cream colored head, that took a long while to settle down. Lace made the glass opaque, this was definatly fresh! Smell was of rosted malts with a hint of coffee. The taste was great. Roasted coffee and malts, very nice, slight hop is the back, and the taste lingered, deep dark chocolate with, a bit of caramel, very nicely done. The mouthfeel was almost perfect for a stout. Thick, nicely carbonated, smooth delivery

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2011 23:40:35 | More by mikesgroove

ShanePB

Pennsylvania

3.28/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Served on nitro at Lucky Lab Tavern into a standard pint glass.

A: Deep black, completely opaque with some dark brown hues around the edges. A very creamy, milky and silky slightly off-white head sticks around for the entire drink. Sticky, thick patches of lace coat the glass all the way to the bottom. Nitro just absolutely kills in appearance, this thing is great looking.

S: Roasted malts, chocolate, caramel, salt, slight nuttiness and some toasted grains. It's not really impressive in it's smell but reading that oysters were added to the kettle, I think that's where this astringent saltiness is coming from. Odd, but not detracting though not really aromatic at all.

T: Faint roast from the malts and grains, touches of bitter dark chocolate, grounded coffee beans, salt and a touch of seaweed. The dark malt profile certainly does overtake the flavor profile (thank goodness) but there's still this very tangent flavor coming through. I don't know, it's good and drinkable but not something that's out of this world.

M: Creamy, silky and smooth, thank you nitro-tap. It does feel a bit watery for such a low (or no) carbonation level, dropping it a bit in my opinion.

This was okay, it wasn't anything special but went down extremely easy and I enjoyed it. I'm not too sure if it's anything I'd really ever order again though. Not bad, not great, pretty standard. Thanks for the pint, Yards.

Serving type: nitro-tap

10-19-2011 12:41:25 | More by ShanePB

9InchNails

New Jersey

3.58/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Nice creamy beige head with a pitch black head. No bubbles are evident. Some lacing sticks to the glass.

Mostly chocalate and caramel -- not much else.

Taste is roasted chocalate, caramel and dark fruits. Apparently, this is a oyster stout, which I had no idea. There was a taste that I couldn't decipher, maybe those were the oysters.

Medium body and very creamy. Doesn't leave the lips sticky at all. Feels good, I hope so since its on Nitro-tap -- taste seems to be muted when it's on nitro. Carbonation is barely noticeable.

It's an okay tasting stout -- reminds me of a better tasting Guinness. Highlight is the feel, that's about it, with the taste being okay. I have had oyster stouts before, this certainly didn't come off as one.

Serving type: nitro-tap

10-09-2011 07:13:55 | More by 9InchNails

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This poured out as a decent looking dark brownish black brew. Not very thick looking at all, kind of watery to say the least. The smell of the beer had some nice roasted and chocolaty aromas to it. The taste of the beer was a sweet, and a little bitter in the finish. The mouthfeel was mostly flat from the cask, a little watered down also. Overall I'd rather have this on regular draft or from a bottle I think.

Serving type: cask

10-03-2011 02:18:34 | More by Knapp85

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

First had: on tap at Yards Brewing Co., Philly, PA

There was no written indication that this was on nitro-tap, but judging by the appearance, I believe it was. Poured an opaque black, with the milkiest, creamiest head I've ever seen on a beer: foamy white with tan shadowing, and it retained to the last drop, and laced nicely. Nice roasty aroma, with notes of coffee. Roasted malts and coffee in the taste, milk chocolate, with light briny notes in the background, giving an interesting blend of flavors. Not too thick in the body, but still very creamy, which I attributed mostly to the ubiquitous head. Very nice, and very drinkable. This was my first oyster stout, and although I was a bit squeamish about the style at first, I know it won't be my last.

Serving type: nitro-tap

06-12-2011 20:58:19 | More by Rifugium

garuda

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - Black, with a thin tan head that recedes a little quick, but leaves good lacing.

The aroma's a little weak, but this stout has a nice roasted malt character that even has hints of chocolate, and some earthy hops in the finish. After reading the description of this beer, I was thinking it would be almost an "oyster bomb" of a beer, but I can only detect them slightly in the finish. Medium to full body, nice low carbonation level, velvety smooth across the palate, finishes dry. I'd get this again.

Serving type: on-tap

06-10-2011 12:34:48 | More by garuda

TheSupremeAJ

Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On nitro tap at East End Ale House in Harleysville, PA.

A- Beautiful on nitro with a great creamy head and cascades of cream. Leaves a solid lace all the way down!!!

S- Light, simple, roasty, and kind of fishy. I didn;t know the oysters would be so literal in the aroma.

T- Kind of acidic and briney... kind of reminds me of eating a v***. Light cholocate and roasty notes. Very unique and a little bit of an aphrodisiac in a weird kind of way.

M- On Nitro this is perfect. Could use a tad bit more body and feel.

D- The oysters get a tad bit overwhelming... however very palatable and would pair well with greasy apps. Sessionable ABV,

Serving type: nitro-tap

03-11-2011 05:06:14 | More by TheSupremeAJ

oglmcdgl

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A pint off the nitro line at memphis taproom.

A- great nitro cascade that gives two fingers of super creamy coffee and lots of cream colored head that holds for a bit then settles to leave a cm of dense cream on top. Black as night in color.

S- light nose that brings a bit of roast and dark bread.

T- dark roasted malts and a light milk chocolate sweetness. Its not a roast bomb by any means just well roasted. A bit of sharpness towards the finish with a mild tart briney hit.

M- on the lighter side of body with a super light nitro carb.

D- real easy going on this one. Nothing to write home about thou. A nice and simple stout. I will toss some oysters at it some time soon and see how it pairs.

Serving type: nitro-tap

01-23-2011 05:24:33 | More by oglmcdgl

Symptomu

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +17.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer is opaque. Waiting for the copious head to subside you are treated to malty chocolate aromas. At first taste is very clean and smooth like unsweetened whipped cream. A slight stouty bitterness devolopes as you get into it. Drinkability is excellent. An occaisional briny hint with good smooth mouthfeel and little astringency. Highly recommended.

Serving type: nitro-tap

01-07-2011 16:24:36 | More by Symptomu

deapokid

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

On-tap at Chris' Jazz Cafe.

Dense charcoal color with a finger of clean, milky head. Carbonation is lively, but hard to see through that impenetrable body.

Chocolately aroma, with some Dry Stout bitterness and an instant coffee roasted bite. A mild licorice lingers in the background.

Smooth and creamy liquid. Milk chocolate flavor mingles effortlessly with a certain bitterness provided by the roasted malts and a touch of coffee. Despite its ABV, there's a pleasant hint of booze on the back of the tongue, just to remind you that you're not having a milkshake.

The mouth is extraordinarily silky and I imagine that the oysters involved in the brewing process are responsible for this. A nice bite in the conclusion successfully varies the flavors (sweet to bitter), making for a unique and tasty stout.

The 2010-2011 edition of this Winter seasonal may be the best Yards has ever brewed and having it on nitro is a really nice cold weather treat.

Serving type: nitro-tap

01-03-2011 17:42:58 | More by deapokid

darthpeepee

Pennsylvania

4.75/5  rDev +24%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Tasted at Yards Brewery on 12/23/10.

A - Black body with a creamy tan head from the nitro-pour.

S - Smelled of roasted malts.

T - Delicious! The tastes of the chocolate, black, and roasted malts were present.

M - Light to Medium. Easy drinking stout.

D - One of the best stouts I have had in a while. The taste and flavors were comparable of a Guinness but this was much better. Hoping to buy some bottles of this one next time I am at Yards.

Serving type: nitro-tap

12-24-2010 18:19:16 | More by darthpeepee

acurtis

New Jersey

4.45/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Went to Yards to get my beloved Love Stout. When I arrived at the chalk broad I noticed Love Stout said "Not Available". Getting ready to leave I noticed that they had just tapped a Cask of Love Stout! My friend mentioned that I had wanted some and Kevin was so kind to pour my friends and I five free samples. Large samples at that. It was exceptionally fresh and smooth. Dark with small tan head. Aroma is chocolate and roasted malt. Sweet, Smooth and flavorful. The oysters really add a nice compliment to the roasted malt flavor. I came back the next day and had another pint, it was again exceptional but had lost just a touch of its freshness. Kevin again hooked each of us up with a pint for nothing. What a great guy and group of guys there at Yards.

Serving type: cask

12-01-2010 23:13:38 | More by acurtis