Beer Review: This is Nut the Fluff You’re Looking For (Fourscore Beer Co)

Its nice to take a break amidst everything going on to get take your mind off the world, off the news cycle, off of the coronavirus, COVID-19, and everything else thats just going on in this insane and crazy world. Being in quarantine and lockdown can be a bit like staring into the abyss, and as Nietzsche would say about that: “Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.” (Its not often you get to use a Frederich Nietzsche quote in a beer review, so when the opportunity presents itself, you just have to do it.)

This is certainly an interesting time we are finding ourselves in; as is often quoted and said (and the phrase I like to use) its an “unprecedented time”. Nobody knows what’s going on, theres uncertainty everywhere, but what I do know, is that craft breweries are still out there with amazing beers – and will either do delivery, to-go, or curbside pickup. From places like Fourscore Beer Co in Gettysburg, to Boneshire Brew Works in Rutherford / Harrisburg, to Troegs Brewing in Hershey, to Roundguys in Lansdale, Two Rivers Brewing in Extol, and so many more to even list. (I do have an article where I have some listed, and keep working on it when I have the time: Supporting Local Breweries and Businesses).

This isn’t exactly how I planned this beer review to start up, but I’ve kind of had it half-envisioned as I went to write it but the beginning is always in flux when I start these, and is usually dependent on what’s going on. I build up a mental outline (I don’t physically outline anything, even when working on my novel) and I just get into the flow and let it go (once again, same goes for the novel, let the characters dictate how everything flows and where the story takes it). So thats mostly how my beer reviews and blog posts go as well. General upbeats and thoughts and things I want to mention before getting to the actual beer review, where once I get to that, I break down the actual beer as per how the beer tasted. So you – as well as I – never know what I’m getting when I write these reviews. So there’s a look into the weird and crazy window into how I write these blog posts. (Sorry this whole paragraph was pretty skippable, but it does kind of lead to the beer…. I promise….). So before I go too far off the rails on how things are bleak right now due to coronavirus / COVID-19 or how I have a crazy writing style, let me get into what led to picking up this beer, and then eventually get into the actual beer review.

Firstly, let’s move back to Sunday (3.22.20). I had wanted to go to Gettysburg on Saturday (3.21.20) but time slipped by on the day to make it really feasible and ended up not making it. Two co-workers who I had been with just hours before the imposed quarantining (due to work at the casino) – Ming and Don – met with me for the trip to Gettysburg. Have no fears, we practiced safe measures – social distancing, scrubbing everything and anything we touched (or saw others touch), and used copious amounts of hand sanitizer; coughed into elbows, etc, etc, etc. So have no fear, there was no contamination or spreading because of our visit.

I had been really eager to check out Fourscore Beer Co since they opened. Last time I was in Gettysburg was last summer with my daughter, and I checked out the Battlefield Brew Works (first time visiting there). But, Fourscore Beer Co looked to be much better, as well as knowing Wade Leedy from the Central Whalerz group, and having talked to so many people from the group about the brewery, I was super psyched about getting to check the brewery out. Unfortunately, flash to the coronavirus, and my first visit is just getting to-go food and beer. But alas, we made the best of it, and promised to visit again, under better circumstances, and when we can fully check out the brewery (hopefully my usually yearly trip to Gettysburg come July / August).

So, Don, Ming, and I ordered as we were about twenty minutes out from the brewery. We were going to get the Eric Aumen Patty Melt, but unfortunately they ran through supplies the day before, but we all settled on the Fourscore Burger (they got coleslaw, I got fries), and all three of us agreed, it was absolutely phenomenal. Top ten burger in my experience with breweries. Just fantastic fries as well, so all around it was a great meal. Ordered the ‘This is Nut the Fluff You’re Looking For’ to drink later (as you’ll find out for the review here), and got a four pack of Timekeeper DIPA. (I might do a review for Timekeeper DIPA, as its a great 8.3% Double IPA of pure juicy goodness.)

We took our food and beverages (Don got the coffee brown ale; Ming doesn’t drink) and went and parked at the parking lot adjacent to the Gettysburg Cemetery. (Which is also only two or so blocks down from the brewery.)

After eating we then began walking towards the Pennsylvania Monument and checking out the monuments, signs, and what-not along the way. This was Ming’s first time visiting the battlefield, and Don’s since he was in elementary school. I try to go every year (with a few misses) at least once to walk the battlefields. Gettysburg is a beautiful area, a gorgeous town, and despite the tragic history and circumstances, a peaceful, quiet, meditative place.

Don’t worry, we practiced our social distancing, even in tough places, like the Pennsylvania (PA) Monument, where getting to the top, and getting to the bottom, required a bit of waiting since its basically a one-person stairway.

Ok, I’m sure you’re all sick of hearing about my escapades with Gettysburg, and just want to get right to the actual beer review; the sole purpose of this right? The reason you’re here, isn’t to hear about my trip to Gettysburg, or about how I write, or about the coronavirus or COVID-19. The reason you are here, is because you want to read about how amazing this beer is, am I right?! And don’t worry, it is one hell of a beer!

Beer: This is Nut the Fluff You’re Looking For
Brewery: Fourscore Beer Co.
Style: Stout – Imperial / Double
ABV: 15%
IBU: None
Untappd Description: Brewed with a British Maris Otter base, loads of malted oats and a variety of roasted and crystal malts with a touch of lactose. Heaps of peanut flour were used in the whirlpool and the wort was racked onto a ton of marshmallow fluff prior to fermentation. More marshmallow is added at the end of fermentation along with peanut butter powder. Huge aromas and flavors of fresh peanut butter and marshmallows straight from the bag. A rich malty base of caramel and chocolate tones carry the flavors to the finish. Brewed with Founders Club member Eric Aumen. (The patty melt was also named after Eric Aumen as well.)

Firstly; let me just say this is an amazing beer. This was only my second beer from Fourscore (my first being the Timekeeper DIPA mentioned earlier), but this absolutely blew me away. Its 13$ per bottle, and they have quite a bit left at their brewery (so if you’re in the area, make sure to stop by and grab one, you won’t regret it!)

Appearance is just how you want your stout, dark, tall, and handsome.I think thats how it goes right? As soon as you open the cap and crack her open, you see the release that shows the great carbonation for this beautiful brew. It pours dark and heavy, thick, and gives off a delicious looking brown creamy foamy head. Interspersed bubbles, varying sizes. The beer itself is a Razor Ramon jet-black hair dark, and the head is a rich creamy brown. As you drink, it leaves a pretty lacing down the glass.

Aroma is just mouth-watering. Its hard to even want to take the time to smell this because you just want to get to drinking it. Heavy peanut, light marshmellow, heavy malt – mostly caramel and roast malts, just gives this a genuine, delicious, heavenly smell. You get a slight chocolate smell but its subdued behind the powerful peanut butter. There is also a light vanilla smell that could be the lactose in combination with the marshmellow or could just be the marshmellow itself, hard to fully distinguish. There is definitely a lot here with the aroma between the peanut butter, the marshmellow, and all of the various malts and oats of caramel, chocolate, roasted, and crystal.

Finally… getting to take a sip of this gorgeous beer…. and …. holy… wow…. just explosive flavor right out of the gate. Like a rambunctious puppy as soon as you get home from a long day of work (or after unlocking it out of the bedroom while you were in the other room trying to work from home due to quarantine), this explodes right out of the gate with mucho mucho mucho flavor. Firstly, let me straight up tell you, you are not going to be tasting the 15%; the high ABV on this is so well hidden, you can finish that entire bottle without realizing it at all. Its super smooth, but with a very heavy thick mouthfeel, but its so drinkable, so tasty, and so well rounded, that the high ABV never even becomes a factor or noticeable. Describing taste for this is simple – while its not something I enjoy as food; as a beer this totally worked – if you’ve ever had a fluffernutter sandwhich. Thats what this is. (With a lot more going on though.) The peanutbutter is definitely the most overwhelming flavor – and I’m a huge sucker for peanutbutter beers too (Molly Pitcher’s is one of my absolute all time favorites, and back at the Kegs and Eggs on the 14th, the Robin Hood Banana and Peanutbutter beer was amazing as well), but regardless of it being one of my favorite ingredients, this beer would still be a home run (or better yet, a grand slam). The marshmellow and lactose lend it a creamy and smooth texture and taste and really helps hide the 15% ABV. The various malts and oats has a very delicious backbone to this beer, and provides a wonderful secondary layer of flavors to this. This has the perfect balance of a thick, smooth, textured, rich, full bodied, aromatic, delicious beer. It has pretty much everything you want in a beer, in spades. This has been one of the most well-rounded stouts I’ve had in a long time. I cannot recommend again if you are in the Gettysburg area, stopping in at Fourscore and picking this up.

My Untappd Rating: ****.50
Global Untappd Rating: 4.58 (as of 3.24.20)

I want to say congratulations to Wade Leedy and Eric Aumen on a wonderful and fantastic beer. I also want to say here, I am a total sucker for the name and label for this beer as well. Great Star Wars reference, and awesome Star Wars beer label. This will be one of the bottles I keep for the wall, just based on label alone.

Make sure you support your local breweries everyone, like Fourscore Beer Co, many breweries are doing curbside, to-go, and delivery. Also, help out with Tattered Flag and donate (check the article) so they can keep making hand sanitizer that helps everyone. You can see the following articles for ways on how you can help your local craft breweries:

* Support Local Breweries and Businesses
* Tattered Flag Uses Distillery to Make Hand Sanitizer
* A Message from Brooks Hemauer of Hemauer Brewing Co
* A Word from Brad Moyer of Liquid Noise Brewing
* An Update on Rubber Soul Brewing in Hummelstown (and the original article: A Sneak Peak at the New Rubber Soul Brewery)

Cheers everyone, and please keep supporting small busniesses, especially in these dark, uncertain times. If we don’t support them now, they won’t be there for us when we need them. We’re all a community, so help out where you can. Stay strong, stay healthy, and enjoy good beer at home!

Cheers!

-B. Kline