Stout - Pastry - The Beer Thrillers

Embracing the Dark Side: A Guide to Stout Season

B. Kline — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 11:22:51 +0000

Irish Car Bomb Stout on Nitro by Rotunda Brewing

Embracing the Dark Side: A Guide to Stout Season

As the leaves turn and the air chills, beer enthusiasts know it’s time to embrace the darker, richer, and more complex flavors of stout season. This beloved time of year is when breweries release their most anticipated stouts, ranging from the robust and creamy to the bold and barrel-aged. In this guide, we’ll explore the allure of stout season, highlight key styles to seek out, and share tips on how to get the most out of these darker brews. Whether you’re a stout aficionado or a curious newcomer, prepare to be enveloped by the warm embrace of stout season.

The Allure of Stout Season:

Treats of Strength by Icarus Brewing

Stout season unofficially begins in late fall and stretches through the winter months, offering a comforting counterpoint to the colder weather. This is when the depth and complexity of stouts truly shine, providing a sensory experience that is both warming and satisfying. Breweries often use this time to showcase their creativity, experimenting with aging processes, ingredients, and blending techniques to produce flavors that range from sweet and velvety to smoky and bitter.

Key Stout Styles to Explore:

Imperial Stout: Known for its high ABV and intense flavors, the imperial stout is a staple of stout season. Look for variants aged in bourbon, rum, or whiskey barrels for added complexity.
Oatmeal Stout: Creamier and smoother than other stouts, oatmeal stouts offer a gentle sweetness and a silky mouthfeel, making them incredibly approachable.
Milk Stout: Also known as sweet stouts, milk stouts are brewed with lactose sugar, which yeast cannot ferment, resulting in a sweeter, fuller-bodied beer.
Coffee Stout: Perfect for coffee lovers, these stouts incorporate coffee beans at various stages of the brewing process, offering a delightful marriage of coffee and malt flavors.
Pastry Stout: A newer trend, pastry stouts are inspired by desserts and often feature chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, and other confectionery flavors.

Tips for Enjoying Stout Season:

Pair Wisely: Stouts pair excellently with rich foods and desserts. Try them with chocolate cake, aged cheeses, or hearty stews to enhance the flavors.
Serve at the Right Temperature: Unlike lighter beers, stouts should be served at a slightly warmer temperature (around 50-55°F) to fully appreciate their depth and complexity.
Explore Local Breweries: Many craft breweries release limited-edition stouts during stout season. Visiting local breweries can provide a unique opportunity to sample exclusive offerings.
Host a Tasting Event: Gather friends and host a stout tasting event. It’s a fun way to explore different styles and share the experience with others.

Conclusion:

Santa’s Bake by YAH Brew

Stout season is a time to explore the rich and diverse world of dark beers, offering an opportunity to savor flavors that are as complex as they are comforting. By seeking out different styles, pairing them thoughtfully with food, and sharing the experience with friends, you can fully embrace the dark side of beer. So, as the nights grow longer and the temperatures drop, remember that it’s not just the cold that’s setting in—it’s stout season, and it’s time to celebrate the depth, warmth, and richness it brings to the craft beer community.

German Chocolate Cake by Wicked Weed Brewing

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Beer Review: German Chocolate Cake (Wicked Weed Brewing)

B. Kline — Thu, 16 Nov 2023 04:00:38 +0000

Wicked Weed’s German Chocolate Cake Stout

Wicked Weed Brewing’s German Chocolate Cake is an imperial stout that has garnered significant attention and acclaim. With a rich and indulgent flavor profile, this beer has captivated the palates of many enthusiasts.

Beer Review: German Chocolate Cake by Wicked Weed

German Chocolate Cake by Wicked Weed

Beer: German Chocolate Cake

Brewery: Wicked Weed Brewing

Style: Stout – Imperial / Double Pastry

ABV: 8.8%

IBU: N / A

Untappd Description: With velvety smoothness and enrapturing darkness, this stout surrounds you with the rich luxury of the Black Forest. Fresh coconut counters chocolate notes for a balanced indulgence.

Global Average Rating: 3.88 (as of 11.15.23)

Number of Ratings: 13,000+ (as of 11.15.23)

Appearance

German Chocolate Cake pours a deep, dark brown, almost black, with a luscious tan head that lingers, enticing you to take the first sip.

Aroma

The aroma is a decadent blend of roasted malts, dark chocolate, and a hint of coconut. The sweetness of the chocolate is balanced by the toasty notes, creating an inviting olfactory experience.

Taste

Upon the first sip, the beer delivers a symphony of flavors. Rich, velvety chocolate floods the palate, accompanied by the subtle sweetness of coconut. The roasted malts provide a robust backbone, imparting a satisfying depth to the brew. Despite its sweetness, the beer is well-balanced, with a touch of bitterness that lingers on the finish.

Mouthfeel

Full-bodied and luxurious, German Chocolate Cake coats the mouth with a creamy, smooth texture. The carbonation is gentle, allowing the flavors to unfold gradually.

Overall Impression

Wicked Weed Brewing’s German Chocolate Cake is a masterful creation that lives up to its name. It artfully captures the essence of its dessert namesake, offering a truly indulgent drinking experience. Whether enjoyed on its own or paired with a rich dessert, this beer is a treat for the senses.

Barrel – Aged Variation

For those seeking an even more elevated experience, Wicked Weed Brewing offers a barrel-aged version of German Chocolate Cake. This iteration boasts an intensified flavor profile, with the added complexity of oak and subtle notes of bourbon. The higher ABV of the barrel-aged variant contributes to a warming, lingering finish, making it a perfect choice for savoring on special occasions.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, Wicked Weed Brewing’s German Chocolate Cake is a standout example of the artistry and innovation present in the world of craft beer. Its ability to authentically capture the essence of a beloved dessert in liquid form is a testament to the skill of the brewers. Whether you’re a dedicated stout enthusiast or simply in search of a truly unique and memorable beer, German Chocolate Cake is not to be missed.

For More Information on Wicked Weed Brewing

The following information comes from Untappd. Wicked Weed Brewing Company is a Subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev, based out of Asheville, North Carolina – and thus making them a macro brewery. They have 799 unique beers and over 1.8 Million ratings, for a global average rating of 3.92 (as of 11.15.23). Their Untappd description reads: We are focused on drinkability and boundary pushing recipes tempered only by quality of craft. Wicked Weed Brewing will always evolve, always grow, and always aspire to be better.

You can find them at the following social media pages:

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If you like this article, please check out our other many articles, including news, beer reviews, travelogues, maps, and much much more. We greatly appreciate everyone visiting the site!

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Beer Reviews: French Toast Shire, Cinnamon Bun Shire, Hazelnut Shire, and Coconut Shire (Boneshire Brew Works)

BKline — Thu, 04 Nov 2021 21:20:17 +0000

Flight of Shire Stouts at Boneshire Brew Works

5th Anniversary Celebration

This past weekend marked the 5th Anniversary for Boneshire Brew Works. All weekend they had a big ‘bash’ of a celebration, from Friday – October 29th, through Sunday – October 31st. I got to stop out for a lunchtime visit on Sunday, and got to try out the brand new stout series – “Shire Stouts” by Alan (head brewer of Boneshire Brew Works). I also got to try the Caucus Race 10 and the Fall Hippo (shown above in my Mug Club 2021 Mug).

International Stout Day

Today is International Stout Day; so what better day to post my review of this delicious tasty flight of stouts? You can actually read about International Stout Day here – at StoutDay.com: International Stout Day. There’s a lot of information on the site, but here’s a quick blurb from the ‘About’ section:

Erin Peters – aka The Beer Goddess – is the founder of International Stout Day. The global holiday was created by the beer writer in Southern California in 2011. It soon became a worldwide celebration; online, in breweries and bars worldwide.
#StoutDay will be celebrated for the 10th year, on Thursday, November 4, 2021. Just like wine vineyards tell the story of the people, the weather, the land and its history, beer, too, tells a story of the land, of the people and the brewers. Having a day dedicated to a beer style really has just accelerated the excitement in the craft brew circles as more learn about the intrigue regarding its history and the variety that the craft beer industry has to offer.
Stoutday.com (About International Stout Day)

Also, if you check into any stouts today on Untappd, you’ll even receive a specialty badge for your troubles. (Woohoo…. do we have any badge collectors and hunters who visit the page? I guess they still exist, I dunno.)

The Shire Flight

Ok, lets get into it, but first, a quick word about the flight. This is a new stout series at Boneshire Brew Works. Its not variants of LazaRIS which Alan has done in the past, this is a new stout with various variants of it to start off with. This flight consisted of French Toast, cinnamon bun, hazelnut, and coconut.

Ok, onto the reviews:

French Toast Shire

Beer: French Toast Shire
Brewery: Boneshire Brew Works
Style: Stout – Pastry
ABV: 7.8%
IBU: None
Untappd Description: (Blank)

Right off the bat, hit the ground running hard on this one. Huge maple aroma and french toast deliciousness from the first whiff. This smells like a snow day Tuesday morning with mom off work, and your school closed, and mom’s in the kitchen making breakfast.

Appearance is going to be pretty similar with all of the beers in this flight. The head / foam of each beer might look slightly different, but for the most part, each beer has the same appearance. (And given that each is a variant of the other, thats how it should be.) These are standard looking stouts; Razor Ramon hair black, like a black maw, something that Nietzsche would tell you to avoid looking at.

First sip is straight up tasteeeeeeeeeeeeeeey! Its like drinking liquid french toast. Very heavy maple flavors, subtle bread and sugar, lovely backburner of a stout behind it all. Full bodied, there’s a lot to love about this beer. Its a light but tasting heavy stout, nothing disadvantageous about that. Nothing cloying, nothing off flavored, nothing that sticks out as being unnatural or unwanted in the beer. You are getting all the flavors you should want, and all the flavors that are intended in a ‘french toast stout’. This is exactly as it should be. This might be my favorite of the flight (and I’m saying that post – having all of them; not just saying that right at the onset). I will definitely be needing to come back and give this a full mug try and get to really delve deep and enjoy this bad boy.

My Untappd Rating: ****.50
Global Untappd Rating: 4.12 (as of 11.4.21)

Cinnamon Bun Shire

Beer: Cinnamon Bun Shire
Brewery: Boneshire Brew Works
Style: Stout – Pastry
ABV: 7.8%
IBU: None
Untappd Description: (Blank)

Aroma for this bad boy is very heavy cinnamon. You can smell the cinnamon bun big time on this one. Right out the gate you get a nose of cinnamon followed by some bready and then the stout underlaying it all. This is certainly a very aromatic series of stouts – which they should be and is one of the great thing about stouts, aromatics work so well with them, and you get such a strong array of smells and aromas with them.

Just like the above stout, this looks like the abyss (didn’t Nietzsche warn us about them?), and it definitely stared back. This one had a bit more of a head to it than the French Toast one (a small slim foam crest to it). All in all it looks like a good healthy stout.

This one comes at you strong, fast, and heavy with the first sip. A blast of cinnamon right up front. A bit overpowering it, it wallops you right away. It doesn’t give as much of a bread or bready taste as I was looking for, or even a bit of a glaze / sugary taste that I expected (the bun and glazing of ‘said’ cinnamon bun). Still overall, its certainly a wonderful stout; just a bit overpowering on the cinnamon. So if you don’t mind cinnamon (or even better yet – if you really like cinnamon) then this is definitely up your alley. This isn’t really to take anything away from this stout, its definitely really good, just a bit strong on the cinnamon.

My Untappd Rating: ***.25
Global Untappd Rating: 3.93 (as of 11.4.21)

Hazelnut Shire

Beer: Hazelnut Shire
Brewery: Boneshire Brew Works
Style: Stout – Pastry
ABV: 7.8%
IBU: None
Untappd Description: (Blank)

Aroma for this smells like a typical stout, with a hazelnut added bonus. This might be the least aromatic of the four, but still very aromatic. That was the fun thing about this flight, you could put all four in front of someone blind, and let them take a whiff, and they could easily tell which was which.

This one looks a lot creamier (and oh yea, its definitely a lot creamier than the others). It has just a shinier, creamier look to the beer, almost as if it were a nitro. It also has a little brown ring of foam head (more tan than pure white) with small little bubbles. Still stout typical – Razor Ramon hair black.

As if with appearance, this is a very creamy beer. A nice smooth, creamy stout. This is one of the chief things about hazelnut in stouts (or hazelnut stouts, or however that should be phrased), it just gives the beer a kind of nice, creamy, near nitro like taste, appearance, and flavor to it. Hazelnut, Coconut (as we will see in the next beer), and chocolate tend to be very popular additions to stouts, and all three flavors tend to stick well with the body of the beer to create a lovely flavorful beer. This is certainly proof of that. This is a nice, tasty, delicious stout, that has the wonderful body feel and taste of a stout, with the nice creaminess of the hazelnut, and hazelnut flavors, and overall just a fantastic beer on par with the other two of this series.

My Untappd Rating: ****.25
Global Untappd Rating: 4.01 (as of 11.4.21)

Coconut Shire

Beer: Coconut Shire
Brewery: Boneshire Brew Works
Style: Stout – Pastry
ABV: 7.8%
IBU: None
Untappd Description: (Blank)

Another ‘nut’ stout…. except its not! Oh, coconut, you imposter, you fake out. Like the others, you get a lovely coconut smell right out of the gate on this aromatic stout. Coconut can be a wonderful smell and it always seems to work so well with stouts; I think the heavy body of the stout gives it a great body to add ontop of with the aroma and flavors of coconut. I’m typically not a fan of coconut outside of stout based beers (coconut candies, milk, etc, all taste horrible to me).

Appearance is just as we’ve been describing with the above beers – basically this entire flight. Razor Ramon hair black; the abyss that Nietzsche warned us black; stout black. Jet engine fuel black. Etc. etc. etc.

The last of the flight, and it doesn’t disappoint. (None of the flight did, not a single bad beer in the batch.) The coconut is a bit more subtle in flavor than it is in aroma on this. Out of all four of the flight, this one gives you the better true taste of the base stout underneath the variants. You still get the coconut in it; it’s just a bit more muted and subtle than the variants in the other stouts (especially the cinnamon in the cinnamon bun stout). I like that with this one, letting you get a good strong stout, with the coconut flavor, rather than a strong flavor with a pinch of stout. This all works into a really good stout. Just as with the others, there’s nothing cloying, nothing unnatural, no off flavors or anything bad with this. A wonderful mouth feel, a nice clean stout and coconut taste, and a good finish, no lingering taste or aftertaste, and nothing to detract from the beer itself.

My Untappd Rating: ****.25
Global Untappd Rating: 4.02 (as of 11.4.21)

Overall

Overall this was a downright delicious flight. (The Fall Hippo and Caucus Race 10 I had with them were also very good.) As of last checking Boneshire Brew Work’s (Derry Street location) menu list on Untappd, all of these beers are still on, so if you haven’t had them yet, you can still get in and check them out. (I last checked the menu list last night at around 10PM – 11.3.21 – so things might have changed since.)

I would highly recommend all four, either as a flight to try and taste them all out, or if there’s a particular flavor you really wanna try, grab a pint of it. This was a fun flight and added a great new list of beers for the 5th Anniversary Celebration. Hopefully we’ll see more of the ‘Shire’ Stout series in the future.

Thanks For Reading

As always everyone, thanks for reading. And day four of November is complete, and we are still at it with at least a blog / article post a day. Make sure to check in tomorrow to see what tomorrow brings! Get out there and enjoy your international stout day, grab a lovely stout, kick back, and relax. Cheers!

-B. Kline

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Stout - Pastry - The Beer Thrillers

Embracing the Dark Side: A Guide to Stout Season

Embracing the Dark Side: A Guide to Stout Season

The Allure of Stout Season:

Key Stout Styles to Explore:

Tips for Enjoying Stout Season:

Conclusion:

Thank You For Reading

Beer Review: German Chocolate Cake (Wicked Weed Brewing)

Wicked Weed’s German Chocolate Cake Stout

Beer Review: German Chocolate Cake by Wicked Weed

Appearance

Aroma

Taste

Mouthfeel

Overall Impression

Barrel – Aged Variation

Final Thoughts

More Wicked Weed Brewing Articles

For More Information on Wicked Weed Brewing

Thank You For Reading

Beer Reviews: French Toast Shire, Cinnamon Bun Shire, Hazelnut Shire, and Coconut Shire (Boneshire Brew Works)

5th Anniversary Celebration

International Stout Day

The Shire Flight

French Toast Shire

Cinnamon Bun Shire

Hazelnut Shire

Coconut Shire

Overall

Other Boneshire Brew Works Articles

Thanks For Reading