Birdsong Brewing Company Morning Train Oatmeal Stout

Posted on by Evan

Dry January is over, and we are back to regular beer reviews. This beer is from Charlotte, North Carolina’s own Birdsong Brewing Company, and it is Morning Train Oatmeal Stout. This stout is 5% ABV and brewed with Mars Otter Malt, roasted barley, and oats. This oatmeal stout is a lower ABV scale than some oatmeal or regular stouts. That is a positive. This stout pours black, almost inky, with a two-finger steady beige head. The aroma is mildly sweet and dry with an oaty/roasted note. The flavor is again mildly sweet, dry, and has a roasted flavor. This beer had a medium body feel in the mouth. Then this stout has a dry, semi-sweet, and roasted finish. The aftertaste is a little less dry than the finish, with a mild roasted note. This oatmeal stout is good and leans more towards the lighter side with decent flavors that aren’t overpowering. This beer is a B. I would have this again, and the flavor isn’t just right for having two. So go and drink Birdsong Brewing Company’s Morning Train Oatmeal Stout. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Royal Bliss Brewing Co. X Down for Doughnuts Down for Doughnuts Pastry Stout

Posted on by Evan

Down for Doughnuts is a 7.1% ABV pastry stout from Royal Bliss Brewing in collaboration with local family-run Down for Doughnuts in Mooresville, North Carolina. According to Royal Bliss, this stout is everything you love about doughnuts without being overly heavy. This stout pours black with a one-finger, thick beige head. The aroma is roasted, nutty, rich, and sweet. The beer’s flavor is nutty, roasted, rich, and velvety sweet. This beer has a full-bodied mouthfeel. Then this stout finishes with a sweet and roasted flavor. This beer has a lingering sweet aftertaste. It is good and has the essence of a doughnut. Down for Doughnuts Pastry Stout is an A, and yes, you should try it. It is worth it. It is not heavy at all, and the flavor is not overpowering. It is just right and delicious. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Guinness Drought Stout

Posted on by Evan

I have been watching The House of Guinness on Netflix, which is a good show about the Guinness Brewery and the Guinness family in Ireland. So I decided to review Guinness Draught Stout. This beer is brewed at the St. James Gate brewery in Dublin, Ireland. This dark beer is 4.1% ABV, composed of water, malted barley, roasted barley, regular barley, hops (the type of which is not specified), nitrogen, and yeast. The nitrogen is in a widget inside the can, and that gives this Guinness a smooth texture. This beer pours what looks black at a glance, but when held to some light, it is dark ruby red. This beer has a generous three-finger creamy off-white head that is robust and leaves thick lacing behind. Pour this beer aggressively and watch it cascade like snow forming the grand head. The beer’s aroma hints of coffee and chocolate. The flavor is smooth and not really what you’d think it would be. This Guinness is smooth and bitter, balanced, and it has roasted notes. This beer is easy to drink. This has a light-bodied feel in the mouth. This beer comes to a smooth finish of light chocolate and some coffee. The aftertaste is slightly bitter and creamy, with light roasted coffee. This is not the world’s best stout. It is, however, a really easy-to-drink ”light” stout. I give this one a B-. The stout flavor is light overall, but they are good. I am sure if you follow my blog, then you’ve probably had a Guinness. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Left Hand Brewing Co. Coconut Milk Stout

Posted on by Evan

This review is a re-review of Left Hand Brewing Co. Coconut Milk Stout. I originally reviewed this back in February of this year. From time to time, I will re-review a beer. This is Coconut Milk Stout, a seasonal beer available during winter. This beer is 6% ABV. It is made with Rocky Mountain water, malted barley, lactose (milk sugars), flaked oats, toasted coconut, yeast, and natural flavors. I couldn’t find those natural flavors. This stout pours black with a two-finger beige head. The head is pretty robust. The aroma is sweet, with notes of coconuts, malts, and roasted flavors. The flavor is of toasted coconut and some chocolate. This has a full, creamy textured body. This beer has a sweet coconut finish and malt roast. The aftertaste is less coconut, but has a nice sweet malt/roast flavor. This beer is still as good as when I first reviewed it. I give Left Hand Brewing Co. Coconut Milk Stout an A. It’s not overly stout feeling. It is just right and one you should drink. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Satusuma Shuzo Satusuma Black

Posted on by Evan

I was on a guided tour through Kagoshima Japan and we went to a garden where silk was made, and in the gift shop among so many bottles of Sake I found Satusuma Black. This is a stout made from sweet potatoes and comes in at 4.5% ABV, which is low for a stout. This beer is produced by a local company that makes sake from sweet potatoes as well as two other low ABV sweet potato beer. This beer poured thin deep black with a one finger tan head. The aroma is sweet and light and somehow strong at the same time. The flavor is in the lighter side for a stout. It has a bit of sweetness intertwined with some bitterness. This stout has a medium feel in the mouth. The finish is semisweet with a little heat. Then is has an aftertaste of sweet potato for a second then fades into a bittersweet cocoa. This is more of an interesting beer than a good beer. I this Satusuma Black is a C. The fact that this beer is interesting helps but the flavor is average but I was able to finish this, because the flavor grew on me as I drank more. I don’t know if I could recommend this, not because it’s terrible, but because it might be real difficult to obtain. But if you do come across this Satusuma Black try it! Cheers!

Burial Beer Co. Skillet Donut Stout

Posted on by Evan

Burial Beer Co., Skillet Donut Stout makes this beer in Asheville, North Carolina. This beer is 8% ABV. This is an oatmeal Stout with lactose, coffee, nine barley malts, a scoop of oats, molasses, and milk sugars. The coffee comes from Guatemala, Ethiopia, and Columbia. This stout pours a deep, black, thick, with a two-finger creamy beige head. The aroma is bittersweet, malty, roasted, and deep. The flavor is roasted coffee, and bittersweet malt, with a syrup flavor. There is a full feeling in the mouth. Then you get a bitterness with a rounded sweetness and coffee for a finish. The aftertaste is like coffee with cream that lingers just a little. This beer may sound like a big beer, but it drinks like it isn’t. This beer is good, I give this Skillet Donut Stout an A+. You should be drinking this beer. It would go well with a nice chocolate dessert, waffles, French toast, or pancakes. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Westbrook Brewing Co. Gates of S’mordor Stout

Posted on by Evan

This beer from Westbrook Brewing Co. is Gates of S’mordor Stout. This beer is 11% ABV from Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. This boozy stout has marshmallows, graham crackers, cocoa nibs, and cinnamon. Westbrook is going for s’mores with this stout. This beer pours a deep black color with two fingers’ brown head that fades steadily into a little island. The aroma is sweet, chocolate, marshmallow, and light cinnamon. The flavor is chocolate, marshmallow, graham cracker, and cinnamon. It does taste like a s’more. There is a light burnt cinnamon on the back of your tongue. The mouthfeel is full and rich. Then it comes to a chocolate-covered marshmallow finish and an aftertaste of sweet cocoa. This stout is delicious. I give Gates of S’mordor an A+. This stout does not feel like it’s 11% ABV, but feels lower than that. I highly recommend this one. So try it. If you love s’mores then this will hit the spot. Please stay safe, be kind to everyone, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers! 

High Branch Brewing Co. Imposter Golden Ale

Posted on by Evan

This beer Imposter Golden Stout is from Concord, North Carolina, slightly north of Charlotte. This golden stout has coffee and vanilla. This beer comes in at 5.7% ABV. I have not had any beer from High Branch, but I have seen them here and there. This style, golden stouts are not made or seen that much. I have only seen one other golden stout Wooden Robot Brewery’s Good Morning Vietnam. This golden stout pours a cream/cloudy yellow color with a three-finger rocky white head. The aroma is sweet with vanilla and some slight coffee. The flavor is vanilla, sweet, faint coffee in the middle of the mouth. There is a bitterness that is more like coffee bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium. Then this golden stout finish with a light Latte flavor. Then you get a bittersweet aftertaste that is slightly more sweet than bitter. Imposter Golden Stout is a C+. I found the bitterness to be a little off-putting. That bitterness does throw off the overall flavor. I don’t think this dethrones Wooden Robot Brewery’s Good Morning Vietnam is my favorite golden stout. Please stay safe, be kind to everyone, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Sycamore Brewing Caribbean Stout

Posted on by Evan

I am not a fan of Sycamore Brewing. I’ve had more than a few of their beers. I find them to be bland. But I think they have a great brewery space and beer garden. I’m trying Caribbean Stout because it looks interesting. So I guess I am giving Sycamore another try. This beer is brewed n Charlotte, North Carolina, and is 7% ABV. This stout pours a black color with a four-finger brown/beige head, which doesn’t move. The aroma is herbal, bitter, roasted, chocolate, and a bit of coffee. The taste is bitter-roasted coffee, malty, and chocolate. It has a smooth and creamy mouthfeel. Then it finishes with a bitter-roasted note. Then you get an aftertaste of nice bitter cocoa. This stout is not terrible. I’d say it’s a B-. It’s better at the first taste than the aftertaste. It has a little too much herbal bitterness of a stout, but I can taste what Sycamore is doing. If you like dark and slightly bitter beer, then you will like this. I wouldn’t rush for it. Please be kind, stay safe, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers! 

Birdsong Brewing Co. Mexicali Stout

Posted on by Evan

I have had this beer before. I just haven’t reviewed it. This beer, Birdsong Brewing Co. Mexicali Stout, 5.9% ABV from right here in Charlotte, North Carolina. It’s made with habaneros (small HOT orange peppers), cacao nibs, and local Central Coffee. I like a spicy coffee stout, so I think this could be good. This stout pours a rich black color with a two-and-a-half head of beige creamy that is very slow to fade into beautiful lacing. The aroma is of roasted coffee, sweetness, and some nice spiciness. The flavor is spicy at first, then comes the roasted coffee, and then there is some sweetness. The mouthfeel is full. This beer finish with a spicy coffee roast flavor. Then it has an aftertaste of the vegetal habanero and the spicy heat of said pepper. This stout is a great beer. The coffee flavor works well with the habanero spice. I give Birdsong Brewing Co. Mexicali Stout an A+. I a good beer from a good brewery. This stout is not a beer that when finishing a pint, you can’t go for another. I could have two pints, maybe two and a half. I highly recommended Birdsong Brewing Co. Mexicali Stout. Please be kind, stay safe, and enjoy responsibly! Cheers!