Moat Square Tail Stout - Moat Mountain Smoke House & Brewing Co.

Truh

New Hampshire

4.1/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Couldn’t figure out a way to cross it with this one on 6/4/2005. 16-oz. shaker pour at the Blue Mermaid in Portsmouth, NH.

About an 1/8-inch of foam starts, but settles like America’s Greatest Hero when he was learning to fly. Pitch black hue, but I can go on further to describe it as somehow faking, in a way. Corpuscular oats and washed, acid roasted malt, with a touch of burnt caramel on the nose. Crank of notty frangal, shot of smoke, and a nice chocolate underflow play on the mouth.

I found this to be very smooth, though an attenuating smoke hits the roof of the mouth, and leaves a trace of chalky character lying around. On the whole though, it stand up well. I found this pour to be more subtle, in some ways, than the one I had previously.

Serving type: on-tap

06-28-2005 11:30:09 | More by Truh

sethmeister

New Hampshire

4.13/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Growler filled at Moat Mountain Brewery last night and poured this afternoon.

Fully opaque black with a full fluffy tan head and sticky, well retained lace.

Scent is roasty coffee and soft bittersweet chocolate. A hint of smoke perhaps.

Soft chocolate flavors, roasty notes, roasted coffee and a very subtle citrus hop note in the background. Not a particularly sweet stout, in fact there actually seems to be the tiniest hint of sourness when rolled to the sides of the tongue. The roasty qualities are perhaps a bit understated for an export stout, though they are certainly present. There's a nice bitterness that lingers on the tongue while you contemplate the next sip.

Oily and slick medium mouthfeel, little carbonation.

Very easy to drink. Each sip left me wanting another and when the pint emptied I refilled it immediately.

This is a delicious stout and I'd happily drink it again.

Serving type: growler

10-05-2008 18:42:29 | More by sethmeister

ggilman

Maine

4.13/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

20oz. pour on tap at the Smoke House.

Wish I remembered to bring my growler. I would've filled one up.

Deep dark chocolate color, with a small head. They pour these ice cold, and right to the top of the glass, which is hard to complain about, but I would have rather had it slightly warmer, and with a little more head. Very small tan head, not much lace. I tried to let this one warm up, but ultimately poured it down my gullet fast. Very smooth and creamy, ultimately drinkable. Chocolately and slightly bitter. Very dry, which I enjoy. If I wasn't on a N. Conway shopping excursion, I would've guzzled a couple more. Great stout, nothing over the top.

Serving type: on-tap

12-19-2011 19:59:16 | More by ggilman

FrankLloydMike

Massachusetts

4.15/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Had on-tap at the source, before getting a growler fill.

A: Arrives black as all get out, with a dark brown head that fades fairly quickly. Handsome enough, with no lacing, but not unusually beautiful.

S: Very roasty, with hints of coffee and dark chocolate. A real pleaser.

T: Taste follows nose, with the roastiness being prominent, followed by some coffee and chocolate notes, and a healthy balanced bitterness. There's a distant licorice note in there, but it's very faint. Overall, a really nice, roasty, well-balanced taste.

M: A bit creamy, very smooth, but definitely on the lighter end for a stout. Personally I don't mind the lightness, but also wouldn't mind a bit more body.

O: This is one of my favorite Moat beers, and a really nice stout. The roastiness was perfect after a hike, and I imagine even better in the dead of winter. They really nail an excellent balance of bitterness and roastiness for the style. Very drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

09-25-2012 16:05:49 | More by FrankLloydMike

rfgetz

Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours dark and near black with minimal head. Scent is a moderately strong mix of roasted grain mixed with dark chocolate milk and freshly ground espresso. Taste follows scent, solid roast, chocolate and coffee notes, lightly sweet with light notes of dark fruit thrown in. Fuller side of medium bodied smooth but with a bit of grainy and powdery heft. A good drinkable, full flavored stout in a time where many places strive for big.

Serving type: on-tap

10-09-2011 21:19:43 | More by rfgetz

bewareOFpenguin

Massachusetts

4.22/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Excellent stout. Dark, well roasted, carmel taste. Went down smooth with a pleasant bitter taste. I enjoyed this beer very much. Not over filling either, did not leave me with that sometimes "bloated" feeling as experienced with other stouts. A gem.

Serving type: on-tap

12-16-2002 10:11:22 | More by bewareOFpenguin

arizcards

Arizona

4.38/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had a pint at the Brewpub earlier today for $4.00.

Beer was served black as night with a nice brown head.

Nose was cocoa and coffee.

Taste was a nice blend of roasted malts that had notes of coffee and cocoa. There was a level of hopping that made this brew very well balanced and clean.

Mouthfeel was full viscosity and very smooth for a smaller stout.

Overall this is a very good version of an American Stout, lots of flavor and viscosity going on without a huge amount of alcohol. Definitely recommended to those who like this style.

Serving type: on-tap

06-22-2011 23:34:24 | More by arizcards

Gosox8787

New Hampshire

4.63/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had this on tap at the Blue Mermaid in Portsmouth, NH.

This was an extremely pleasant surprise. This beer had a nice nice dark appearance with a half inch head that was a light brown color. The smell hinted at some roasted malts and had a bit of coffee smell, which was welcome. The taste was great. This had the strong taste of the roasted malts blended perfectly with the slightly bitter undertone. Overall, one of the better tasting beers I have ever had in my life. The mouthfeel was perfect for the beer. There was not a lot of carbonation to take away from the creamy texture of the brew. Drinkability was also outstanding. Usually, I can only have a couple stouts before the flavor becomes too much. This was not the case with this beer as I didn't get sick of it at any point.

Overall, this is one of my favorites and something I would get at any bar if it were available.

Serving type: on-tap

01-26-2009 05:38:39 | More by Gosox8787