Bourbon Barrel Coffee Mint Stout - South Shore Brewery

cokes

Wisconsin

4.63/5  rDev +27.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Dark mahogany brown bodied with a mocha-tan head that fades quickly but laces well.
Fudgy, chocolate mint aroma backed with mild roast coffee. Vanilla creeps in as the primary barrelled note, but later (especially with warmth) charred oak and toasted coconut materialize.
The aroma hints that it brings loads of unbridled sweetness, and though sweet-leaning, that's not that case.
Powdered cocoa, light roast coffee beans, and macadamia nuts stroll through the mouth first. Mint seems to levitate above it all, adding fresh peppery notes from start to swallow. It's an assertive flavor, but it never gets obnoxious. It deepens and sweetens midway, as it congeals towards fudge and vanilla-mint ice cream. Some flashes of berries and dark fruit pass through. Bourbon barrel traits are on the low side, but better for it. Toasted coconut, vanilla, and oak. There's just enough woody, tannic dryness to balance.
It's not a monster stout, but it's sturdy enough. Glossy and sleek in feel, with a low, almost hard to detect level of CO2, but it's there when one pays attention. It's never sticky or cloying.
A sweetish, chocolatey stout base, perked up with coffee and mint, and given the Bourbon barrel treatment seems like an enticing recipe that has a likelihood for confusion and chaos. The fact that everything seems cohesive and sensible here is a compliment of the highest order.
This is an experiment that is greater than the sum of its parts...and there are a lot of parts here.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2011 07:50:41 | More by cokes

CWhite

Wisconsin

2/5  rDev -44.9%

06-05-2013 23:30:03 | More by CWhite

Gotti311

Wisconsin

2.75/5  rDev -24.2%

05-31-2013 13:04:16 | More by Gotti311

atone315

Wisconsin

4.25/5  rDev +17.1%

04-07-2013 13:43:21 | More by atone315

drummermattie02

Texas

2/5  rDev -44.9%

01-28-2013 18:28:00 | More by drummermattie02

will1256

Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev -3.6%

12-16-2012 03:30:44 | More by will1256

MSR129

Maine

5/5  rDev +37.7%

11-20-2012 03:08:38 | More by MSR129

BeerNutz324

Minnesota

2.28/5  rDev -37.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 1 | feel: 4 | overall: 2

Let me preface by saying I have been pleased with South Shore so far. Been on 2 brewery tours and all the beers I tasted were good if not great...now on to the review of this beer. Bought in Duluth in the bomber format.

Ap- Looks yummy. Typical stout, deep brown color with a nice tan head that lingers for awhile. I can't wait to taste this baby.

Ar- Peppermint, chocolate, dark fruit and a hint of bourbon...looking forward to tasting this one.

T- Whoa, something is up here? I have never had an infected beer but this tastes wrong. Pretty sure this is my first experience with an infected batch. REALLY sour up front and not in a good way. I have had sours before and this just doesn't taste right. Pretty sure this beer got infected and I can't believe how bad this tastes. My wife and I split a bomber and she took 1 sip and left the rest. Just a bad initial taste. The finish was good though with chocolate, dark fruit and some mint, but the overall taste is just bad.

M- medium to thick with good carbonation

O- something went wrong with this one. Looked great, smelled great but the taste was terrible. I am chalking this up to an infection. This won't keep me from getting other South Shore offerings but I am left wondering WTF???? I would honestly rather drink a Bud Light Chelada than this thing...

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2012 04:12:30 | More by BeerNutz324

3Hops

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +10.2%

08-02-2012 20:59:43 | More by 3Hops

Dreadnaught33

District of Columbia

3.58/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This is very unique, never had a mint infused stout...

The look is blackish with a bubbly tan head, ok lacing. The aroma is crazy,cut literally smells like a grasshopper pie or a candy cane covered in milk chocolate. Some very herbal notes in the nose as well.

The taste is sort of sour, what? An infection? Some more herbal mint with a little sweet too in the taste, bizarre. Tart candy cane, with a bit of mint m and m. Very strange. The feel is very weird for a stout, it's like a wild ale in the feel, not stout like in feel.

Overall this is quite unique, interesting.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2012 23:57:49 | More by Dreadnaught33

stxSS07

Illinois

1.5/5  rDev -58.7%

07-12-2012 03:54:58 | More by stxSS07

SaxmanRick

Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev -3.6%

07-08-2012 23:02:27 | More by SaxmanRick

jera1350

Minnesota

3.55/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Grabbed this in Duluth as it was a mere $5 for a bomber. Sure sounded good.

Pours a thinner black body with a huge over-carbonated cap of cocoa colored foam. Leaves gobs of lace clinging to the glass though.

Mint and chocolate dominate the nose. Like an Andes mint or the brownies made with a layer of green mint in them.

Greeted by a slight sour taste up front. Slight infection maybe? Chocolate, coffee and huge mint extract flavor. Not all that sweet and no signs of bourbon anywhere. Warm mint lingers into the aftertaste. Really different and I can't decide if it's good or bad. Maybe somewhere in between.

Very thin and watery mouthfeel. This would benefit from a rich thick body so much.

An interesting beer for sure, but I can't decide if I really like it. Tantalizing mint, but the rest is not up to standard. If it had more sweetness and body with less mint, I think it could be a really strong beer. As it sits, it's definitely worth trying, but don't get hopes up too high.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2012 02:52:58 | More by jera1350

Exiled

Texas

3.75/5  rDev +3.3%

06-02-2012 00:18:10 | More by Exiled

dirtylou

Washington

3.85/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22oz bomber - maybe a year or so old

appearance:served in an unbranded chalice... nice looking brew, rich dark chocolatey body, sticky mocha lace

smell: mint chocolate, dry roast, cocoa powder

taste: an old festival favorite...the bottled version is unfortunately overcarbonated which kind of fouls up the flavor profile...dry, mint-chocolate notes permeate throughout, the bourbon barrel notes are quite minimal, cocoa and dry espresso roast are abundant. I happen to think the mint is pretty brilliant, but this is obviously pretty rough around the edges

mouthfeel: dry, light bitterness, roasty

overall: obviously interesting, and worth a go

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2012 00:29:58 | More by dirtylou

aliving1

Minnesota

3.25/5  rDev -10.5%

05-20-2012 19:12:49 | More by aliving1

Hopstout

Minnesota

3.25/5  rDev -10.5%

04-22-2012 15:55:53 | More by Hopstout

Teenav

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +24%

04-09-2012 23:47:47 | More by Teenav

mdaschaf

Washington

3.8/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Review from notes. Thanks for sharing Jay, never heard of it before, but definitely intrigued.

A: Pours a deep black color with a small mocha colored head on top, decent retention and lacing.

S: Lots of mint right away. Underneath the mint there is a little bit of chocolate and to a much lesser extent some coffee. It smells just like an Andes Mint, and I like it.

T: I was hoping for a copy of the aroma in flavor profile, but it was a bit muddled. I think there was a little too much going on in this beer between the mint, coffee, and bourbon. There is mint and chocolate, and then some dark fruit and a bit of oak and vanilla.

M: Thin to medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Pretty smooth with a slightly dry finish.

O: The best part about this beer was the aroma with a slight let down when I tasted it. Its a pretty interesting beer though that I am glad to have tried out.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2012 22:20:26 | More by mdaschaf

Chaz

Minnesota

3.6/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear (brilliant?) brown/black ("Burnt Sienna" for you Crayola fans) in color and topped with a medium-tan head. Head drops fairly quickly and there's minimal lacing throughout.

Edit: Due to the "unique" combination of distinct flavors, this one is a little difficult to pin on a scale of Poor to Excellent as far as the nose is concerned, so I'll pencil it in as "Average".

There's definitely mint on the nose (mint and bourbon to be more exact), but this is no Cool Colt! There's also a light note of espresso here, but it blends-in so well with the base, malty aspect of this stout that I almost can't notice it, especially with the other aromas going all over the place. Worth noting here is the fact that mint isn't something I actually -like- in beer, so I'm not expecting too much from this one...

On first sip it's lightly-sweet, with a rather gentle underlying bitterness, just to the point where I want to call it 'bittersweet' overall. The bourbon/barrel aspect kicks in mid-palate and holds on a bit, but mint is what carries through to the finish. Lighter bodied (medium body, but for a stout it seems thin) and really covers the palate in a sweetish, bitterish base stout profile -- or perhaps more of a brown ale? Come to think of it, I do get a little of the same basic malt profile that I do from South Shore's Nut Brown, but there's more booze-y heat here as well as good amount of bitterness, and some roast. Worth noting that there's a roasted malt aspect that's distinct from the lighter, coffee (espresso) character lingering just in the background, which disappoints me a little (as I love coffee).

More than anything I'm enjoying the effect of the bourbon barrel treatment here, and the subtle alcoholic kick with which it imbues this beer. It's both potent and present enough that the mint really doesn't bother me in the slightest. Still, I can see how this attempt at merging some very distinct flavors simply won't work for everyone.

While drinking (and particularly as it warms) I got to thinking of an "Andy's" or perhaps a "York's Peppermint Patty", and how they might pair with a stronger American stout. Mint and chocolate work together, and while there's hardly any chocolate notes in this beer, in this case the beer "works". The contribution of coffee is minimal at best, so I hope nobody goes to recommend it to friends who enjoy 'Coffee Stout' as a variation on the style.

Overall, there's an excellent balance of the individual flavors, and the bourbon is what ends up going the extra mile (for me) and brings this brand into the realm of repeat purchase.

[Edit: reviewed from notes -- sampled June, 2011]

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2011 17:06:18 | More by Chaz

coreyfmcdonald

Georgia

4.25/5  rDev +17.1%

12-06-2011 22:58:17 | More by coreyfmcdonald

doucmehu

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev +10.2%

12-01-2011 04:32:31 | More by doucmehu

maximum12

Minnesota

3/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Picked up a bomber across the river in Wisconsin because, well, it said barrel on the label. And it sounds ginormously weird. Who could resist? Not I. Split with my wifey.

Pour is dark brown I suppose, there is light shining through, barely. Smell is certainly minty fresh, with a healthy shot of coffee. No hint of barrel or malts. Or beer.

South Shore's Bourbon Barrel Coffee Mint Stout, tired just from typing that out. Thousands of mint leaves crushed up & slipped into an indistinct base beer. Cheap coffee that leads into sharp bitterness. Bitterness & mint stick around like the drunk on the bar stool next to you. Barrel? None in evidence. Really limited in the drinkability category, not sure I'm willing to even finish half the bomber.

Points for originality, but the execution just isn't there. Subtlety & the presence of the barrel might have gone a long way to making this a winner. It certainly took the long way around to being mediocre, though.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2011 04:41:47 | More by maximum12

kbutler1

Minnesota

3.48/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Bottle. Been sitting on this one for a while and finally cracked. Pours a dark brown color with a light tan head. The mint is very noticeable as soon as I poured the beer. Dark roast, chocolate, and mint all in the nose. Slight minty start that stays the whole time. Light chocolate and roast notes. Easy drinking and somewhat refreshing. The only let down is that the bourbon notes are pretty minimal. Medium bodied. Ever so slight lace. Overall, decent.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2011 01:05:10 | More by kbutler1

Ungertaker

Minnesota

4.28/5  rDev +17.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a New Belgium globe.

A- jet black with a one and one-half finger tan head that dissipates to 1/16" and leaves very little lacing in its path.

S- just like an Andes mint with a hint of coffee and bourbon

T- just like the name of the beer!

M- a little thinner than expected, but good carbonation level. It did thicken as it warmed.

O- For the price ($5 or so), I don't think a better bbs is out there. Granted, the drinker has to like mint. This is the first beer I have had that actually contained mint and I really liked it. I hope there is more of this around the next time I make it to Wisconsin.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2011 03:04:10 | More by Ungertaker