Mad River Steelhead Extra Stout

Marvelous stout from California, this is exceptional and reminds me very much of the great Bell’s Kalamazoo Stout. It’s nice to be reminded that a well crafted stout doesn’t need to be of the Imperial variety. Opaque, dense brown/black color with a 3/4" thick dark tan head and a nice blanket of lacing around the glass. Aromas of sweet plums and fresh coffee along with roasted nuts and chocolate milk. Hearty body with an initial sweetness that soon turns to a smooth burnt bitterness. Velvety and rich, yet still drinkable. Lively on the palate, you aren’t burdened with too much heaviness. Toasted malts with some lightly burnt flavors really come through in the flavor. Coffee with milk and sugar seem to be stirred into this one. Hints of chocolate and dark fruits with roasted nuts and a sprinkling of fresh floral hops. A balanced stout that deserves to be in the upper echelon of it’s style, well done.

Pours with a large brown head and a dark brown body. Roasted maltand sweetness in the aroma. Taste has some noticable hops. A wee bit on the bitter side. Some coffee and some chocolate, but both these flavors are more subdued than they are in other stouts.

Bottle... Poured Black with a brown head. Aroma of coffee and pale malt. Great foamy palate with flavors of chocolate, roasted barley-malt, and coffee spices. Finished with maybe hazelnuts and a tad of hops in there too.

Poured a nice black hue with a nice brown head which sadly did not last very long. Aroma was very sweet with some coffee notes. Flavor was very sweet with chocolate notes, it was almost dessert like. A nice mild coffee note in the finish. A little light on the palate.

Pours a dark dark brown to black, with a decent enoug head fading quickly. The nose is sweet and roasty. Hershey’s chocolate syrup. Maybe some spicy depth to the roast, like coffee can have. A bit fizzier on the tongue than I’d expect, but not too bad, a bit of substance. The flavor is sweet! This reminds me quite a bit of Kalamazoo Stout. This would be a good clone. Creamy sweet. A bit more hershey’s chocolate syrup. A hard roast, giving way to anise. But... a bit of DMS lurks beneath this roast. A bit of a flaw, but it holds up in this beer with it’s full flavor profile. But still detracts.

Bottle courtesy of a birthday present; pours a dark blackish color with a small light brown head. Aroma was pretty good with chocolate, roasted malt, and caramel. Really drinkable. Flavor was a nice blend of coffee, roasted malt and chocolate. Hint of bitterness. Palate was a bit thin, but it was’t too detracting. Good for the style.

Black with a cocoa brown head. Aroma is pretty average, chocolate and raisins. Perhaps espresso. Very full, roasty flavor. Espresso, (a bit on the sour, burnt side) dried prunes, and bitter baking chocolate. Medium bodied, but silky smooth. Not bad at all.

Bottle from Total Wine in Roseville, CA. Pours a used motor oil black with small tan head that quicklly fades away. Smells and tastes of chocolate and coffee. Very slight bitter finish. A great beer that I will buy again.