North By Northwest Irish Stout

Brewed by North By Northwest Restaurant and Brewery
Style: Dry Stout
Austin, Texas USA

Black in color with a medium beige head. Aroma is of corn, cocoa, and light notes of roasted malts. Taste is of vinegar, a little roastiness. Taste is a little off.

Tap. Opaque black, very strong roasted coffee throughout. It’s hard to believe that I could drink beers like this all day but actual coffee is repulsive to me. Little bit of chocolate in it as well, this is clearly the best NxNW beer I’ve had. Thick mouthfeel, best beer in the house.

Bottle shared by a generous soul at the BSP. This thing just exploded out of the bottle with foam flowing out the top. Pours dark brown with a bubbly off-white head that recedes to a swirl and leaves only a little lacing. The aroma is dominated by roasted coffee and dark chocolate malts. There is a slight underlying sweetness from the malts but the roasted character is overpowering. The taste is all about dark roasted malts and lightly roasted coffee with a dark chocolate sweetness that fades into a dry finish. The mouthfeel is dry but silky smooth with tons of carbonation, probably a little ton carbonated honestly. This was a really good Irish stout and I was pleasantly surprised by this one.

Bottle from the brewpub. Gusher. Black pour with a foamy beige head. Aroma is smoky, ash and nicotine. Flavor is smoky, ash, BBQ, plastic, sour, earth and dirt.

Dark brown almost black with a plum tint. Light syrupy appearance. Weak lacing. Aroma is like bitter sweet malt and bacon. Tastes like darker roasted malts with lighter malt mixed in, and wooden overtones. Fizzy mouth and runny texture.

3-7-08 tap
Appearance is very nice - balck with almost white long lasting head and beautiful perfect sticky lacing. Smell is malty roasted nuts slightly - but overall is fairly weak. Mouthfeel is not good - thin and watery and ruins the nice flavor.

Bottle. Nose is roasty and acidic. Pours black with a big, slowly dissipating creme colored head. Very thin without much flavor. A touch of roasted malt character and nuttiness in the finish. A very boring and thin beer, even for the style.

Pint glass at the brewery- served pitch black, low carbonation, wafer thin off brown head that laced to a degree. Aroma of light caramel, heartily roasted malt, and a slight note of earth. Hits the mouth with a low-medium body, malt was blackened nicely but has a much smaller feel and weight from what it could be, middle has a slight trail off from the start, finish is slightly acidic. Ok brew, but could be more fuller and heavier, and better.