Mad River Steelhead Extra Stout

Brewed by Mad River Brewery
Style: Stout
Blue Lake, California USA

Very dark pour with a one finger dark brown sugar head. Raisins, fig, oatmeal, coffee, and dark cherries. Flavor is chocolate, malt-o-meal, coffee and some roasted notes. Light-medium mouthfeel with decently drying finish. Somewhat creamy.

Black with a large brown head that slowly fades. Aroma of chocolate, cocoa, roasted malt, oatmeal and coffee. Taste of coffee, roasted malt, chocolate. Moderate acidic qualities and some light bitterness with some chocolate and coffee on the finish.

12 oz bottle purchased from Greenewood Spirit Shoppe in Bowling Green. Poured a pitch black color with a two finger brown head. The aroma was vanilla, milk, roasted malt and a bit of milk chocolate. The flavor contained roasted malt, coffee and some chocolate. The finish was creamy and smooth. This was a solid beer.

My Bottom Line:
This portly Stout sends cocoa powder and coffee beans on an impressive dextrinous wave, before roasted malts and even more cocoa delineate its smooth finish.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A slice of foam decorates the pitch blackness.
-The nose is comprised of vanilla fruitiness and sesame oil angles which are not really found in the flavor profile.
-The body on this one is bigger than some Imperial Stouts, which hinders drinkability. Although if one is looking for an Impy with less alcohol, this one might very well do the job.
-I admit I was thrown off by the size of this one at first, so I’ll have to revisit when I’m in the mood for a bigger brew.
-Hops are really not important here. Some piney varieties would have been nice though, especially in the linear finish.

Bottles.

Pours very dark brown with a brown muddy head. The aroma has roasted malt, lactic acid, green apples and bits of vanilla. Medium body that’s velvety with some crispness on the finish due to the mildly sharp carbonation. The flavor begins with creamy roasted malt, milk chocolate, fruity spritziness and licorice. The finish adds a bit of spice and roasty bitterness. Nice stout.

Inky opaque black with a creamy brown head. Aroma is sweet, but not especially malty with a minimum of roast. Taste is nicely roasty but not particulary aggressive in any way. Very moderate with a nice viscous mouthfeel. $2/12oz

Poured a dark mahogany color with a small, light tan head that left light lacing on the glass. Aroma of roasted malts, light cocoa, toffee, a bit of burnt toast, and some caramel. Taste of dry roast, some cocoa, smoked malts, woody hops, and a dry finish.

Deep black body with a big, brown head. Strong roasted malt backbone with light toffee hints, bitter burnt coffee bean and underlying bitter-sweet chocolate. Pervasive earthy character.