Road Slush Stout
A solid pour produces a three finger thick, lightly browned, fairly dense, tan colored head. The beer is a very dark brown, really almost black color that shows a brilliantly clear, rich ruby hue when held up to the light. The aroma smells up front of chocolated, but is quickly dominated by toasted grain notes, some burnt raisin aromas, burnt grain notes as well as notes of charred whole grain bread crust. This is nice and roast focused without being too harsh. Up front this has a lightness to it that quickly gets a touch viscous as the beer slides across the tongue; the light-medium body helps to balance the dominant roast character. This does finish with a big roast character that produces a dry, bitter finish that lingers on the palate. A touch of dark cocoa is noticeable up front just before the roast character fully kicks in. The beer is then dominated by blackly toasted bread / grain notes, lightly sharp black coffee flavors and a touch of burnt-induced acidity. A touch of malty sweetness becomes a bit more noticeable as the beer warms, but this still finishes quite dry. This is a nice example of a roast forward stout. I like that it remains balanced / in check and the roast character does not get overly astringent or acidic. I would be quite happy reaching for this when I wanted a session stout.