Coffee Stout - New Glarus Brewing Company

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle from Reilly's in Madison, shared with Chris. Substantial coffee taste and aroma. Good think its very good coffee.Some cocoa to make it go down and impart sweetness. A bit light mouthfeel. Very lacey. Carbonation right there. Good drinkability. Good after dinner beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2011 13:15:59 | More by northyorksammy

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

4.05/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

"I put instant coffee in a microwave oven and almost went back in time."

--Stephen Wright


Opaque hazelnut with generous sepia highlights. The toast brown crown is three fingers in size after a gentle pour and looks good atop the beer. Thanks to thick sheets of BB-shot lace, the appearance score is an easy call.

The nose is a gloriously aromatic mixture of roasted malt and black coffee (and I'm not even a coffee drinker). Unlike some similar offerings, java doesn't dominate so completely as to make it seem as if one is smelling cold coffee rather than beer. I'm prepared to believe that Coffee Stout is 'hearty', as the label claims. Is it?

No, not really, but it isn't too shabby for a less than 6.0% American stout. I'm happy to report that the brewers have found that magical nexus where good stout and good coffee collide, the whole more delicious than the sum of its parts. I wouldn't have wanted any more or any less coffee to have been added. Java junkies might want more.

I like the gentle char brought out by the roasting of (presumably) chocolate and/or black malt. The beer has an appealing bitterness, partially due to hops I'm sure, and a sneaky sweetness that almost makes it taste like a milk stout. Black coffee with a generous splash of creamer seems about right, although I've never had a cup of coffee in my life.

The mouthfeel is the only slight chink in the armor. As noted above, it's probably acceptable for a relatively low ABV stout, but I would like to see at least the suggestion of chewiness. Keeping the beer on the taste buds for another second or two would allow one to appreciate the wonderful flavor to an even greater extent.

New Glarus Coffee Stout is yet another solid offering from one of Wisconsin's (and one of the Midwest's) best breweries. I probably wouldn't drink a lot of it, even if distribution ever reaches this state, but I sure enjoyed the hell out of this bottle.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2007 13:41:44 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Much thanks to the kind trader that provided this one to me as an extra recently. This is perhaps my favorite style of beer, so I was very excited to be able to get to try a new one in the style. Chilled down to cellar temperature and poured into a pint glass. This was consumed on 07/29/2008.

The pour was wonderful, thick, dark black with nearly no light at all shining through on this one. Rich tan colored head of about two inches quickly settled down to about a half inch of tan that thoroughly coated the inside of the glass. This was what the style is all about!

The aroma was just loaded down with coffee. Rich notes of mocha mixes in with a rich, and sweet coffee note. A tiny bit of bitterness and an earthy flare lying down underneath of it, but the majority of this one was hands down, rich brewed coffee. The flavor was more of the same. Rich notes just rolled over the tongue in waves and thoroughly coated the inside of the mouth. Sweet with touches of chocolate and vanilla to highlight the coffee notes, this was a very nicely done brew here. Rich and creamy feel with a decadence that you look for in this style. A smooth drinker that was effortless to put down.

Overall this was just what the doctor ordered, a smooth drinking, richly flavored coffee stout, just the way it should be. Nothing overblown, or overdone. Just simple, and straight up flavors that work very well. I really do love this style and this is a fine example of it.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2008 10:11:50 | More by mikesgroove

womencantsail

California

3.63/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle shared by Jer or Jacob (can't remember who) on 2/3/10.

A: The pour is a dark brown color with a rather thin tan colored head.

S: The nose offers up a decent stout aroma with notes of sweet caramel and roasted malts with a slight acidity. There is no coffee to speak of, however.

T: Like the nose before it, the coffee is non-existent in this beer. There's some nice roast and nutty qualities to the flavor with the same caramel sweetness.

M: The body is the usual medium (maybe a touch on the thin side) with a moderate level of carbonation.

D: This was a decent enough beer, but I was really expecting some coffee flavor and aroma to it. I can't really complain however, it was easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2010 20:11:09 | More by womencantsail

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Reviewed from notes. On tap at the brewery.

Pours black with a nice mocha head. The nose really brings forward a strong amount of coffee along with some slight roasted malt. The taste is coffee, roasted malt, hints of vanilla, and a bit of chocolate. Really great and smooth body. Drinks quite well overall and is one of the better coffee beers I've had in awhile.

Serving type: on-tap

10-29-2010 02:22:46 | More by Thorpe429

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle courtesy of Monger: Poured a clear black color stout with a nice big foamy brown color head with good retention and some good lacing. Aroma of dry coffee is dominating but not to the point of being gross. Body is a bit light with some great carbonation. Definitely not en extreme example of a coffee stout but a well balance example that I wouldn’t mind having access to on amore regular basis.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2007 18:37:48 | More by Phyl21ca

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A welcome coffee aroma greets you in the nose of New Glarus' Coffee Stout. Beyond that it's nutty, a touch chocolatey, and roasty with malt. It doesn't really carry over so well in the flavor though. The coffee is there, and it is nicely balanced with the rest of the stout so that it doesn't dominate, or worse, fade away after the first two sips, but it's not quite as rich as one might hope for, and there's a bit of dark malt acidity that can be a bit much at times. The nuttiness is lost, and there are no real noticeable caramel undertones; but some yeasty fruitiness slips in, and it reminds me of a good cup of African Tanzania with some notes of black currant and citrus. Some leafy and grassy hops are present in the background as well, which is appropriate, and the bitterness is right on track with a very firm, but not solid or brash attack as there's so much dark malt acidity and roastiness going on that it's not needed. It finishes really nicely though, and not really acidic or particularly bitter, with a note of sweet dark sugar at the front of the tongue, and a bit of toasted nutiness over soft spent coffee-grounds at the back. Enjoyable and drinkable!

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2007 15:46:15 | More by NeroFiddled

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.78/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served in a Half Acre shaker pint glass.

Thanks to VDubb86 for this bottle!

We dig in to the haul from our Woodman's run. This first offering pours a nearly opaque ruby-tinted black-brown topped by about a finger or so of ecru foam. The nose comprises soft coffee, roasted malts, and mild chocolate. The taste is mostly a showcase of roasted malts, but then an upsurge of light-ish coffee comes in, bringing with it a touch of vanilla. The finish, though, comes off as slightly stale-tasting. The body is a straight medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a somewhat dry finish. Overall, a nice coffee stout, nothing overtly special, but eminently drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2010 22:02:25 | More by TMoney2591

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

3.18/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The label recommends consumption at room temperature, which I have done, and I wonder if it suffered from that. Other things on this label are less than true, but we'll get to that later.
I like this brewery, I've liked the other beers I've had, but I also love stouts, and live for coffee stouts. I'm pretty demanding that way. It had better be coffee, or someone's gonna be sorry!(Probably me)
Color is a dark brown/black, with a big tan head atop that soon crumbles into nothingness. Nose: sweet,..and dry...and bitter. But nothing else. Coffee's there, a little, but none too pronounced. Mild, if any, hops, big, full malt, full body, but as for texture and taste, I'm left searching. It drinks down fine, it stands in nicely as a run-of-the-mill stout, but as a coffee stout, it's a rather weak example. A decent drink, but there is no "spectrum of extravagant flavor" as the label boasts, nor are there any really "deep coffee flavors." Sorry, New Glarus!
I'm having a Lakefront coffee stout next (thanks, jeffboo!) and if that fails, there's still my cache of Bell's Java Stout!

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2003 21:01:31 | More by feloniousmonk

WesWes

New York

4.1/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The beer pours a deep, dark black color with a thick frothy tan head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is good. It has a mild coffee scent as well as a nice black and chocolate malt presence. It has a wonderful mixture of everything. The taste is good also. It's very tastey, not overdone. It has a nice chocolate malt taste with a smooth, dry earthy coffee finish. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a full bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a great coffee stout. It's full flavored and easy drinking. Some coffee stouts are bolder than others. This one is mild and delicious.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2007 13:50:13 | More by WesWes

drabmuh

Maryland

3.53/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle was an extra in a trade. Thanks, served in a glass of some sort.

Beer is dark brown almost black with a thin head of small bubbles, tan, no lacing, low retention low carbonation.

Aroma is sweet, mildly roasty, a mild coffee-ness to it, decent.

Beer is thin and light on the coffee, it is not very sweet, not very bitter, not very much of anything, this is a plain stout in my opinion. Nothing else. moving on.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2011 21:30:23 | More by drabmuh

MasterSki

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle purchased at Discount Liquor. Served in my Black Friday taster pint glass.

A - Pours with light tan foam that settles to a near-complete cap and thick collar. Body is near-black, and only reveals some brown coloration at the fringes. Spotty and minimal lacing.

S - Coffee, caramel and milk chocolate malts. Rather than having overwhelming coffee aroma, this is actually a stout with coffee merely being a contributing flavor. Some malted barley and dark fruit notes in there are well.

T - There's more dark chocolate and coffee featured in the flavor, although the bitterness seems to be mid-palate and doesn't linger. Definitely less sweet, but with some nutty notes in the finish. Aftertaste is surprisingly clean actually.

M - Carbonation is a bit to zesty for my liking, although if you let the beer warm to room temperature (as recommended on the label) it settles down significantly. Medium-light body, with some roasty dryness to the texture.

D - This is a coffee beer that is really easy to drink, thanks to the lack of harsh acidity or palate-raping bitterness. If you're looking for a lighter stout with some coffee kick to it, this is a fine choice. I'm told the coffee New Glarus uses varies, so I expect there's some variation from batch-to-batch. Still, another well-crafted brew from New Glarus.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2011 00:39:41 | More by MasterSki

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.93/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Acquired via trade from ughsmash so a big “Thank You” goes out to him. Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a deep dark brown color, with a short dense off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains lactose, coffee, roasted malts and a faint touch of hops.

T: The taste starts out sweet with creamy flavors of coffee and vanilla followed by a hearty malt character. The hops presence is mild but brings a good balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

O: Tasty, goes down very easily, not too filling, decent kick, good representation of style, not quite the best in the style but it’s a decent beer worth drinking for a while.

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2011 05:11:13 | More by TheManiacalOne

emerge077

Illinois

3.65/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This is the second batch that was recently released, the neck label has a white border instead of flat blue.

Supposedly there was a different type of coffee used for this batch also. On to the review...it was a transparent brown when poured, black in the glass. Sturdy two finger head that billowed above the rim and stood there saluting for a few minutes. Puffy and meringue like. Mellow coffee and a more pleasant nutty aroma than what I remember the first time around. Good flavor, mellow coffee again, nutty and nougaty. Fairly thin bodied, more like an English Stout. Nice lingering sweet pipe tobacco and caramel notes. Easy and approachable for a coffee infused beer. Very mellow and not acidic at all.

Original review 04-07-2007 - bottle

B / 3.6
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | drink: 4
rDev: -4.4%

Sampled at room temperature, half-past noon.

Billowing tan cumulo-nimbus head. Sticky lace, black body with mahogany edges. Foam recedes to a skim over time. Smells of mild roasted grain, slight metallic edge.

Taste is roasty, malty, mild chocolate, hint of sweetness. Coffee is muted, I was hoping at room temp it would come out more. There's an aromatic grainy malt present too, which overrides the coffee. This taste reminded me of the Copper Kettle Weiss.

Agreeable mouthfeel & drinkability, it's a little thin for a stout though.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2009 03:40:18 | More by emerge077

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.48/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

It smells great, but the flavor just can't back it up. There's a rich smell of dark roasted grains mixed with coffee and dark, bitter chocolate. The flavor lacked on the coffee and reminded me of a watered down Kalamazoo Stout. There's a tinge of bitterness, but fairly balanced and somewhat smooth.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2007 02:04:46 | More by tempest

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A 12 oz bottle from a trade with CH3CH2OH.

A: The stout opens with a great deal of carbonation, slowly bubbling out of the bottle at a very slow, but steady, rate. That carbonation creates a 3 finger head on pour and necessitates several breaks until the glass is full and the bottle is empty. The stout lives up to its name, with a black coffee color.

S: The nose is coffee grounds, a cold toddy softened up with some roasted malts that have a note of lactic sweetness, as if some milk or oatmeal stout qualities are present.

T: The front of the sip is a nice coffee stout, slightly roasted malts paired with a robust, slightly bitter, ground coffee flavor. The middle of the sip seems to slip a bit, opting for a watered down flavor instead of continuing to build up the coffee body. Luckily, the end of the sip brings back the coffee flavor as well as a slightly sour lactic milk flavor.

M: The coffee is a nice addition, really shining at two separate points of the beer. That middle could use a boost though.

D: The flavor is solid and the coffee element is really nice. This is a sippin' stout that I could enjoy in an early morning tailgate or as a mid-afternoon pick-me-up.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2007 20:14:13 | More by akorsak

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

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

Pours dark brown but you can still see through it. Thick coffee flavors are vibrant and in your face, but not so much a stout it seems. More porter-esqe. Regardless, there is a good flavor delivery and it's pleasant to drink. A good coffee "stout".

Serving type: on-tap

08-10-2009 21:54:18 | More by RblWthACoz

Wasatch

Utah

3.9/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks goes to Faro for this brew.

Pours a nice clean/clear dark brown color, nice carbonation, nice little creamy tannish head, some sticky lacing afterwards. The nose is roasted malts, coffee, and caramel. The taste is of nice slightly sweet roasted malts, and mostly coffee, with some caramel. Medium body. Very drinkable, this is a tasty Coffee Stout.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2007 21:35:17 | More by Wasatch

rhoadsrage

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

(served in a nonic)

A- This beer pours a jet black body with a thick light tan head that turns slightly rocky but last and last. There is no sign of carbonation in that dense body.

S- This beer has a smooth soft rich coffee roasted malt note with a hint of cream in the background.

T- This beer has a smooth roasted black malt and coffee roasted malt flavor with a slight tart note to it. The finish is not bitter from hops nor roasted malt but there is a chocolate malt flavor that hangs on after the finish. There is a light raisin note that comes through when it warms and a light vinous note in the finish when drank at room temp (as the bottle instructs).

M- This beer has a medium-light mouthfeel

D- This beer has a good malt flavor with note of coffee but not the over-the-top coffee flavor. Smooth and drinkable but not a lot of dark roasted grain notes that really make a stout different than a porter.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2007 19:38:15 | More by rhoadsrage

Jason

Massachusetts

4.38/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12oz brown bottle with a bottle code that I can't decipher. No freshness date.

Thin layer of tan head holds its own and leaves some lacing on the glass. Opaque brown with amber hues when brought up to the light. Beautiful aroma of fresh brewed ice coffee with a bit of maltiness around the roasted edges. Big smoothness surrounds the medium body. Coffee flavors comes in slow but becomes a dominant flavor middle to end. I swear this is just a glass of really good carbonated ice coffee with a bit of maltose for sweetener. ;-) Modested hopping. The malt sweetness is pushed back down by the roasted grain and coffee flavors. Finishes semi-sweet with a mildly bitter coffee bean flavor.

Hands down this is the most drinkable coffee beer I have had to date. Not as dark as I expected but packed with a pleasant coffee tone throughout that plays well with the beer. We have a great beer here people.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2009 02:46:52 | More by Jason

mdfb79

New York

3.71/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

From 01/26/13 notes. Big thanks to lansman for sending this to me as an extra. 12 oz. bottle poured into a New Belgium globe.

a - Pours a dark mahogany brown color with one inch of off white head and moderate carbonation evident.

s - Smells of roasted malts, biter chocolate, vanilla, coffee, some sweet chocolate, and some bready malts. Nice...not a ton of coffee, but overall some nice flavors.

t - Taste follows the nose quite closely. Lots of roasted malts, sweet and bitter chocolate, and light coffee. Nice, but not a ton going on and a little bit lacking in the coffee department.

m - Light, thin body and moderate carbonation. A little watery body and too thin for a stout. East to drink.

o - Overall a solid American stout; some nice chocolate and roasted malts, though it is light on the coffee. The mouthfeel is a bit too thin for a stout, but worth trying. Would have it again.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 17:48:31 | More by mdfb79

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 oz into a pint glass. Big ups to joe1510 for yet another one of these great New Glarus brews.

Pours a deep murky brown, with at least 3 fingers of foamy mocha tan head. Retains into a soft and creamy layer, that stays rich and frothy, leaving a massive cascade of lacing back, which hangs in jagged rings down the sides of the glass. The aroma is quite lively up front with roasted coffee character, but man, there is a lot of sweetness in here as well. Plenty of chewy smelling notes of chocolate and molasses, with a touch of floral hops thrown in the back for good measure.

The taste is a smooth and a mostly even mix of roasty mocha and stickily hefty notes of chocolate and toffee. A firm bitterness also punctuates the profile. Finishes with residual sweetness and a dry lingering (and a bit acrid) bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, with a smooth and bubbly carbonation, that then give in to a much thicker feel underneath. Overall, this just drinks like a champ though. This is yet another New Glarus brew that I wish that I had 2 of to review, it's going down so quickly.

Very nice coffee beer here. There was no lack of coffee and roast, but the sweeter malts came off maybe a bit too strong. A nice easy feel and great drinkbility really kept this strong though. Thanks again Joe!

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2009 17:13:03 | More by Kegatron

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Big thanks to JeffKrenner for sending me this for BC2!

Pours an opaque brown, some red edges, huge thick tan head forms, slowly settles leaving lots of sticky lace, good retention. Smell is nice and stouty, roast, chocolate, nice hit of coffee, caramel and dark fruits, very nice roast though. Taste is sweet and malty, caramel, chocolate, light roast, cherries, bit of dry coffee grinds in the finish but not really coffeeish. Mouthfeel is light bodied with low carbonation, very easy to drink. More like a dry stout than American stout, but pretty tasty. Thanks Jeff!

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2007 23:11:14 | More by Viggo

Bighuge

Minnesota

3.85/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours jet black with a nice creamy brown head. Slight java on the nose as well roast tones. There is something that doesn't smell right though. An off aroma. Can't nail it down though. The off flavor is not present on the tongue. Very creamy and velvet-like mouthfeel. Taste is good. Coffee is ever so slight. Get more of roasty bitterness. Good coffee stout, but not great.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2002 15:00:03 | More by Bighuge

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.86/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Acquired via Tumpster trade. Another dark brown beer, ruby hued edge to it, tan head, not much lace sticks around. Smell is shockingly, coffee.

Taste again, coffee, a little milder and smooth to it. Doesn't have to be the biggest, boldest coffee flavor to be good, this one is right down the middle. Viscosity wasn't as thick as I expected, but this is more of a sessionable coffee stout rather than a massive alcohol bomb to it. Slight chocolate malt flavor peaks out downbottle in the mouthfeel.

Wheras New Glarus makes some beers that it is the world leader in (cherry, raspberry) here, the coffee stout is merely a very good example of the style. Great morning beer.

Taste, coffee not as pronounced

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2011 16:57:28 | More by Beerandraiderfan