On tap at The Oath, mildly wood-smoked dark chocolate bittering gains ample cocoa and coffee bean influence reinforced by charred nuttiness. Latent hazelnut-glazed mocha sweetness stays restrained.
RUSHING DUCK GIMME SAMOA THAT
On tap at Seven Lakes Station, busy brown ale may underutilize toasted coconut and cocoa adjuncts while not quite hitting upon advertised Samoa girl scout cookie likeness, but it’s creamy hazelnut chocolate sweetness and milk-sugared coffee notions completely make up for that. Beneath serenading cookie-doughed mocha malting lies delicate vanilla spicing as well as polite blackberry, blueberry and red grape tartness. Less filling than richer, creamier porters and stouts for dessert.
TRINITY CHOCOLATE RIVER
Concise milk chocolate-y Imperial Stout aged on cacao nibs and Madagascar vanilla beans quickly gains sweet bourbon licks. Bittersweet mocha-vanilla confluence soon picks up lightly viscous Blackstrap molasses astringency as well as unlikely sandalwood-oiled cedar char, tangy soy saucing and spicy cinnamon snip.
AVERY BOURBON COCONUT PORTER
On tap at Ambulance, ‘decadent’ bourbon-barreled porter loads milk chocolate fudging and bittersweet vanilla beaning atop toasted coconut sweetness. Spirited bourbon sugaring soaks into caramel-burnt Mounds Bar/ Almond Joy center as tertiary espresso, cappuccino and carob tones find space below bourbon chocolate-caked coconut insistence.
OTHER HALF / BUNKER MAPLE CREAMIES
On tap at Ambulance, velvety maple-creamed Imperial Stout (brewed in collaboration with Maine-bound Bunker Brewing) retains brown-sugared maple molasses sweetness, sugary vanilla-laced chocolate caking and rich cookie dough malting above dark-roast hop char as bitter burnt wood singe and mild alcohol burn creep forward. Tertiary cola nut, toasted marshmallow, cappuccino and cocoa tones deepen decadent dessert beer.
MODERN TIMES BLACK HOUSE STOUT
On tap at Ambulance, mildly creamed oatmeal stout retains bold dark-roast coffee tone saddled by nut-charred black chocolate malting. Not unlike a dryer “chocolate-covered espresso.”
(ALLTECH) KENTUCKY BOURBON BARREL STOUT
Just better-than-average bourbon barreled stout lets arid carbolic spritz downsize medium-roast Haitian coffee overtones, chintzy bourbon sweetness and evaporative milk chocolate creaming. Light oaken char embitters the backend while mild molasses sweetness affects tertiary blackberry and black cherry nuances and distant cola nuttiness.
INDUSTRIAL ARTS TAMPER COFFEE OATMEAL STOUT
On tap at Growler & Gill, splendid one-off 2017 collaboration with Three’s Brewing brings soft-toned caffeinated coffee theme to mild hop-charred nuttiness, picking up understated dark chocolate and cocoa nibs illusions. Easygoing java relief.
2ND ACT LIL CABIN COFFEE
On tap at Sogo, tranquil Sumatra coffee bean-induced blonde ale retains mild citric hop bittering and wispy oats-flaked pilsner malting. As moderated coffee roast and dark chocolate whim simmer down, lemony key lime pie and yellow grapefruit tartness seeps thru. Casual citric-spiced coffee tones dissipate a tad early.
OMMEGANG LOVELY DARK AND DEEP OATMEAL STOUT
Slightly curious winter ale hybrid brings dark-roasted chocolate nuttiness to spicy dried-fruited Belgian yeast and distant charcoal-scorched earthen hop char with winning results. Sinewy molasses-dipped mocha charm coalesces dark chocolate, coffee, cocoa and chicory tones as ancillary dark cherry, plum and fig snips contrast mossy latency.
(LOUGH GILL) REBEL STOUT SERIES: IMPERIAL OATMEAL COFFEE CREAM STOUT
On tap at Ambulance, dryer-than-sweet medium-full body shows off subtle complexities with fair accuracy. Casual chocolate vanilla-caked sweetness, mild molasses creaming and milk-sugared coffee tones anchored by dark-roast hop char. Desolate fig and raisin illusions enter the silken mix latently.
PIPEWORKS RASPBERRY TRUFFLE ABDUCTION IMPERIAL STOUT
On tap at Ambulance, velvety brown-hazed full body retains creamy raspberry fudge truffle theme over cookie dough-laden chocolate malts and drifting vanilla sweetness. Muscovado-sugared raspberry puree tartness deepened by syrupy dark chocolate thickness, bringing Mudcake, molasses cake, Black Forest cake and brownie richness to the surface. Subtle dried-fruited blackberry, black cherry, blueberry and huckleberry illusions resonate below hefty raspberry contingent of complex dessert treat.