Mad River Steelhead Extra Stout

12 oz. bottle- color of dark raost coffee , with a medium tan head - nose of bittersweet chocolate , sour red fruit , cocoa , and coffee – taste of coffee , burnt , bitter chocolate , vanilla , and milk chocolate - body is a medium smooth cream , dry , and with light carbonation – aftertaste of vanilla , coffee , chocolate , and lingering

the wife and I have conducted a blind taste test over the past year of every stout we could get our hands on and Steelhead has come out the victor... but only barely edging out Blackhawk and 8 Ball in the US stout championship

Short stubby 12 oz bottle. Beautiful black pour into my glass. It comes out really viscous. Thick and slow. Attractive brown beer aroma like those wax lips and luscious old campfire coals. I even smell some chocolate milk in there! Coats the inside of your mouth like used shovelhead oil. Carbonation is low medium but that does not curtail any creamy tingliness. The creamy carbonation is one of the better features. Taste impact is like a yeungling black and tan filtered thru old cooled campfire coals that have been put out with creek water. Bitterness on the back of the throat that reminds me of meat that has been charred heavily on the grill. This is quite impressive and offensive to an extent. Finish is annoying burned dark chocolate again like dark chocolate brownies that have been baked way too long on too high a temperature. Now, think about dipping those brownies in cold black coffee before you eat them. Comes on almost like an imp stout.

Bottle pours a deep viscous inky black with a very thick fluffy dark tan head. Still pretty cold but aroma of sweet dark roasted malts and grape sodapop. Flavor is mostly straight forward black and roasted malt. Not much of the coffe or chocolate notes that often accompany. A bit thin and oily palate and faintly carbonated. Late slightly sour bitternes that is earthen and leathery. Some soy and old rubber. Promising at first but falters.

7/12/2007: Steelhead Extra Stout is medium-bodied and smooth. is is black with a thin, frothy tan head. The aroma is roasted malt and chocolate and the flavor has coffee, chocolate, and roasted malt. the finish is dry and bitter. This beer is quite robust overall and pretty good. I bet this would be good with a brownie or poured on top of some vanilla ice cream! Wow, I didn’t even notice that the description said that! At any rate, Mad River makes some very nice beers for the price!

12 oz bottle shared by Rob. Thanks! Rating #192 for this beer...

Pours a pitch black with a medium light brown head. Sweet aroma of smooth creamy chocolate and mild roasted coffee beans. Taste is smooth and creamy chocolate malt with a hint of roasted coffee beans. Very good stout.

Pours out very black and ominous with a quickly dissipating dark head. Coffee, hops and a hint of sugar in the nose. Taste is very smooth coffee stout flavor with a little bit of hops. Very nice and another great offering from a great brewery.

This was a gift from a fellow at the "Tasting in the Woods" in Ridgeway, PA recently. very nice traditional extra stout, hops may be a bit on the mild side for the body but that is a matter of taste, nice fullness of body with a good clinging brown head, the taste is of roast malt & brown sugar, nicely conditioned as well, a real bargain at the posted price of $1.50 a bottle. Must buy some! P.S. Homebrewers, unfortunately this bottle has a twistoff cap. Bummer.