New Glarus Cherry Stout (2012)

New Glarus Brewing Company
New Glarus, Wisconsin

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3: Mahogany color. Tan, thin head that rings the glass nicely. Light for a stout.

AROMA: 3.25/4: Cherry nose, cherries and cream. No hop. Sugary, subtle chocolate.

TASTE: 7.75/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: Cherry dominant, some chocolate roast—chocolate-covered cherries!
Aftertaste: 2.25/3: Roasted bitterness. Sour, tart cherry up front, fades to chocolate at middle, fades to subtle roast bitter at close.
Mouth-Feel: 2.5/3: Mouth-puckering tart, fizzy and full, bounces on the tongue.

OVERALL: 2.75/3: A definite cherry beer, darker malts impart a nice roast flavor. Could use more roasted malt, coffee notes.

TOTAL: 16.25/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: Yet another great New Glarus fruit beer. More roast and it's perfect—nothing more to say.
Ben: Needs more roasted malt for stout character. Maybe add some lactose to this? Milk chocolate cherry stout? Call me, NG, this is a winner!

Boulevard Dry Stout

Boulevard Brewing Company
Kansas City, MO

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Black with a faint red tint. Espresso-colored head that fades but clings to the side of the glass. A nice-looking stout.

AROMA: 3/4
Strong roast aroma. Coffee, vanilla, faint caramel, subtle chocolate. No appreciable hop aroma.

TASTE: 7/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: Roasted malty flavors. Coffee. Sweet to start, then roasty bitterness takes over. No hop flavor to speak of.
Aftertaste: 2/3: Bitter is dominant. Subtle sweetness that fades quickly. Slightly astringent.
Mouth-Feel: 2/3: Dry, light-bodied–could be a bit chewier.

OVERALL: 2/3: Very bitter and roasty. It's a stout–there are better ones out there (but worse ones, too).

TOTAL: 14.5/20–I'll Try A Pint

NOTES:
Matt: Not bad, not fantastic. Does its job, rounds out the stable of Boulevard standards.
Ben: For a great stout, try Left Hand. This one's okay. A bit too bitter for my tastes, but better and more unique than some competitors.

Liquid Bread Oatmeal Stout

Gella's and Liquid Bread Brewing Company
Hays, Kansas

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Dark brown color. Not fully opaque and slight haze present. Beautiful thick creamy head that lasts.

AROMA: 2.75/4
Chocolate, roasted malt. No hop.

TASTE: 8/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: Very malty, minimally hoppy. Roasted malt dominant. Bitter hop finish.
Aftertaste: 2.5/3: Roasty, nutty. Subtle bitterness at the end.
Mouth-Feel: 2.75/3: Thick, very smooth. Full, silky feel. Light carbonation.

OVERALL: 2.5/3: Silky smooth nice roasted flavor. A little thick but a good finish. An award winning beer and it tastes like one.

TOTAL: 16/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: Tasty - a smooth, not too heavy stout. Very drinkable.
Ben: A thick beer, a little roasty, very silky smooth. Another good offering. Liquid Bread proves there is at least one good thing to come out of Hays.

Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout

Goose Island Beer Company
Chicago, Illinois

APPEARANCE: 2.75/3
Black. Espresso-colored head that rings the glass.

AROMA: 2.25/4
Strong bourbon aroma. Oaky. Prune aroma. Mocha notes.

TASTE: 3.5/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 1.5/4: Really bitter hop up front–or is that alcohol? Malty.
Aftertaste: 1/3: Bourbon! Warming bitter. Tongue is tingling. Sourness. Coffee, chocolate, vanilla.
Mouth-Feel: 1/3: Alcohol. Weird mouth-taste, like your mouth has been laminated. Way, way too boozy.

OVERALL: 1/3: If I want bourbon, I'll buy bourbon. This is like a shot of bourbon dumped into a pint of stout. Entirely lacking in subtlety.

TOTAL: 9.5/20–Anything Else On Tap?

NOTES:
Matt: HUGE booze flavor–a lot more bourbon than I expected. When they said it was aged in bourbon barrels, I didn't realize there was still bourbon in it.
Ben: It's like adding bourbon to a mocha. 13% alcohol, and you can taste it, from start to finish. I can still feel the warming to my toes. This isn't beer, it's a mixed drink.

New Glarus Road Slush Oatmeal Stout

New Glarus Brewing Company
New Glarus, Wisconsin

APPEARANCE: 1.5/3
Dark red, not black, not opaque. Big head, could last longer.

AROMA: 2.75/4
Faint chocolate/coffee nose, could be stronger. No hop aroma to speak of.

TASTE: 6.5/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 2.5/4: Could use more hop. All malt. Needs more body.
Aftertaste: 2/3: Some bitterness and weak roasted flavor.
Mouth-Feel: 2/3: Sharp, tangy. Needs more body.

OVERALL: 2.25/3: Not quite a stout. Weak, not roasty enough.

TOTAL: 13/20–I'll Try A Pint

NOTES:
Matt: I expect much more from an oatmeal stout. Unimpressive for a New Glarus product.
Ben: Needs to be darker, more roast, more chocolate flavor. Too light, not substantial enough to be a stout.

New Glarus Unplugged Series–Cherry Stout

New Glarus Brewing Company
New Glarus, Wisconsin

APPEARANCE: 2/3
Could be darker; not quite opaque. Reddish hue. But pretty.

AROMA: 3/4
Cherry nose, minimal hop. Yeah, cherry is overwhelming.

TASTE: 7.5/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 2.5/4: Appropriately malty, hop is almost negligible.
Aftertaste: 2.5/3: Very cherry, lots of sour/tart. Very little bitterness, no roastiness.
Mouth-Feel: 2.5/3: Nice tartness, very cherry.

OVERALL: 2/3: It's a fruit beer, not a stout.

TOTAL: 14.5/20–I'll Try A Pint

NOTES:
Matt: I like it–it's New Glarus!–but as a cherry beer. How is this a stout?
Ben: Not a stout–needs some chocolate/coffee notes to make it unbeatable. Scored as a fruit beer, it would do much better.

Horny Goat Stacked Milk Stout

Horny Goat Brewing Company
Stevens Point, Wisconsin

APPEARANCE: 1/3
Brown/copper color–decidedly NOT black.

AROMA: 1/4
No aroma, very little head.

TASTE: 3.5/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 1.5/4: Roasted flavor, malty with no hop. Weak, very little sweetness.
Aftertaste: 1/3: Corny aftertaste–lager yeast.
Mouth-Feel: 1/3: Thin, watery.

OVERALL: 1/3: Not good beer, and definitely not a stout (much less a MILK stout).

TOTAL: 6.5/20–Tab Me Out

NOTES:
Matt & Ben: Not remotely true to style–needs more roasted malt, more lactose. It's too light in color. It's watery. This beer purports to be a milk stout–it isn't! It's a fraud, one of the worst beers we've tried, and we advise against drinking it.

Boulevard Smokestack Series–Dark Truth Stout

Boulevard Brewing Company
Kansas City, Missouri

APPEARANCE: 3/3
Very apropos to style. Espresso-colored head; great head retention.

AROMA: 3.5/4
Coffee notes; slightly sweet caramel notes. No hop aroma.

TASTE: 7/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 2.5/4: Malty, minimal hop. Could use more hop.
Aftertaste: 2/3: Coffee, vanilla, caramel. Prune. Bitter finish, some astringence.
Mouth-Feel: 2.5/3: Starts fruity, ends bitter. NOT dry like a stout–really fruity.

OVERALL: 2.5/3: An interesting, different take on a stout. Not at all what we expected.

TOTAL: 16/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Ben: A very interesting beer. Complex; lots of competing flavors. Belgian yeast is overpowering. Roasted malt is second to the yeast; much more like a Belgian strong ale than a stout. As a dessert beer, pairs nicely with chocolate.