Fall Coffee Stout - Maine Beer Co Review
As a self-proclaimed tough guy and swiller of beers, I don’t often find myself seeking the fancier things in life. That is, until fall rolls around and all those special bottles of stouts start sliding onto shelves, tall and proud and announcing deeper flavors from specialized ingredients or interesting aging processes. Whether happy, sad, or red-cheeked from a day of hiking in the cold, it really is a great time of year to cuddle up with a specialty dark beer.
This brings us to our next treat from Maine Beer Company out of Freeport, Maine. They serve up all sorts of specialty beers and the perfect one for fall is named, well, Fall.
It is an annual release Coffee Stout coming in at a mild yet approachable 5.6% ABV. Maine Beer Company fills this tall treat with American 2-row, Blue-ox wheat, Pilsner, Munich 10L, Dark Chocolate, Blackprinz, Valley malt chocolate rye, and lactose, and they add a little hop dash with Lemondrop and HBC 472. All of that put together gives us a profile they describe as full of “Aromas of dark chocolate, coffee, and molasses. Notes of cedar and pine.”
It certainly sounds like a fall treat that will make Mr. Brew feel like a fancy man. So, let’s see how it measures up in our firsts.
First Impressions:
On the Eyes--Completely opaque with not even a speck of light shining through and topped with a tan-colored head.
On the Nose--Dark chocolate barges out first, followed by a sultry molasses aroma. It does have a hint of woody aromatic with just a touch of citrus, probably from the use of Lemondrop and HBC 472 hops. The Lemondrop hops add a nice citrus bite and the HBC 472 hops are known for adding cream caramel and some woody, oak-like flavors. So, the HBC 472 blends nicely with the malt character, and like a nice meal, the Lemondrop adds that necessary bit of acidity. Enough torture! Let’s try it.
On the Palate--The chocolate and dark malt flavor rush onto the palate first, and then I get the really great cold brew coffee which Maine Beer says is selected by Coffee by Design. The interesting thing (that Mrs. Brew was keen to notice) is that it actually tastes like cold brew coffee. The acidity feels lower (a trait of cold brew) and this adds to the overall smoothness of the beer, so good decision to use cold brew coffee on their part. And speaking of the smoothness, it is very smooth. I believe this is further enhanced by the addition of lactose, which is a sugar the yeast can’t break down. This also adds to the full-bodied flavor that finishes like a dry hot chocolate, and then you get just the right amount of subdued floral and citrus flavor from the hops, which keeps the mouth from numbing and prepares you for the next hit.
This is my first experience with Maine Beer Company and it has been a pleasant one. They have a number of beers floating around at any time, including some IPAs, pale ales, an amber ale, and a whole bunch of other occasional and seasonal releases. They are also a proud 1% For the Planet member, and it is apparent they desire to take care of the planet as much as they desire to make good beer. And if you find yourself in Freeport, Maine, take a break in their tasting room. I know we will if we find ourselves up that way.
Cheers!
Mr. Brew