Ellis Island XXX Stout

Brewed by Ellis Island Casino & Brewery
Style: Stout
Las Vegas, Nevada USA

Serve in English pint

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Yikes! What can I say? Usually a stout is a pretty fail-safe endeavour for any brewer. Not so, apparently. This suffers from the same problem I found in all the Ellis Island brews-- too sweet and sticky, very unbalanced. I suppose it could be classified as a sweet stout, but even then it fails to impress. Almost no aroma (or maybe it’s the smokey casino killing whatever aroma there may be), roasted and chocolate malt are lost in the unbalanced sweetness. I left 3/4 of the pint sitting on the bar (and that’s saying something!).

This was the worst I had at Ellis Island. Do you enjoy thin stouts with watered down flavor? You may enjoy this then. If you have ever had a stout in your life... it was better.

Date: December 02, 2010
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewpub
Appearance: clear dark brown, fine beige head
Aroma: sweet chocolate aroma, just a hint of roasted malt, caramel sweetness
Flavor: sweet chocolate flavor, caramel sweetness (butterscotch?), light nutty character, just a touch of roasted malt
Overall: more of a light chocolate porter or nut brown than a stout
Aroma: 5/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 5/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 10/20
Rating: 2.6/5.0
Drinkability: 6/10
Score: ** /4

Would expect a bit more in the aroma. A brownish color. Hmm, first sip is a bit sour. Has some roastiness in the body, but still isn’t heavy. The flavor, however, is sweet and sour. Strange and wrong.

House beer at casino. Good bargain for $1.75 served in a tall glass about 20 oz. It has a little hop taste to it with some mild notes. Maybe some chocolate or toffee. Easy drinking smooth taste.

Tap at casino. Poured into a weisse glass (?!). Fairly translucent deep amber appearance. Nutty brown amber malty nose. Thin body, a little skunky and a roasted nutty brown flavor. More of a brown than a stout. Just plain horrible.

Draught at the brewpub. Very dark brown, small head. Toasty, bready coffee aroma. Dry with clean mouthfeel and light body. Burnt witha touch of butter. Salty finish.

One of a battery of large samplers of beers on tap at the time of my visit, and generously offered to me by the brewer, Joe. The color was dark brown with clarity, and almost looked like a light Porter or Brown Ale. The head was a modest amount of light tan foam, followed by some thick ribbons and spots of lacing. The aroma was roasty malt and coffee notes. Ditto on the flavor with light carbonation in a sessionably light body, as all of the Ellis beers that I tried.

On tap at brewery. Pours a dark amber with a small frothy tan head leaving sticky lacing along the glass. The aroma is a sweet malt with light roast and raisin. Thin mouthfeel with light roast, a bit too watery for a stout. Easy to drink and hides the alcohol well. Cant beat 22 oz for 1.50 in Vegas.

Aroma has notes of cola, caramel, and a touch of roast. Pours cola brown with a Þhin beige head. Caramel and roast with a cola sweetness. Some late roast. Very thin bordering on watery.

Nitro tap at the brewpub. Pours a clear cola brown to black with a medium light beige bordering on tan head. Caramel, roast, touch of chlorine almost. Thin, big off flavors, something slightly sour and a touch rancid. Finishes a little bitter with some roast notes.