Maine Coast Black Irish-Style Stout

Brewed by Maine Coast Brewing Company / Jack Russells Brewpub
Style: Dry Stout
Bar Harbor, Maine USA

Serve in English pint

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   add pic

tap at the brewpub - Pours dark brown with a lingering head. It smells of dark roast malt with coffee and has a similar flavor with some good bitterness. This brew is medium bodied and has a lingering, roast finish. It’s the best of the four when I visited the brewpub.

Draft at the brewery/restaurant. Finally! A decent beer in Bar Harbor. Poured like a champion Irish stout, although the bartender kept trying to knock down the awesome creamy head (ditz). There’s a nice roasty aroma, and the beer drinks with a well rounded malty aroma. Although just a bit chalky, the creamy character of the beer prevails, and this is ultimately a fun, drinkable Irish stout. (#4222, 8/21/2011)

On draft at the brewpub. Poured a dark black color, thin off-white to tan colored head, splotchy nice lacing all the way down. The aroma was chocolate, faint coffee, faint roast. The flavor followed, the body a bit grainy and silky, smooth. In want of more coffee flavors, something beyond the chocolate, but a good brew.

En fût. Verre de 12 oz dégusté chez Jack Russell’s Steakhouse & Brewery (Bar Harbor, ME). Arôme: Odeur de café. Apparence: La couleur est noire opaque. Présence d’un moyen col beige mousseux et d’une large dentelle sur le verre. Saveur: Goût de café avec une pointe chocolatée. Durée moyenne de l’arrière goût. Palette: Le corps est moyen avec une texture crémeuse. Faible effervescence en bouche. Légère présence de café en arrière goût. (Rating #2710)

Any first impressions?
-A humongous head lingers atop the dense blackness.
-The potentially tart fruitiness of citrus and white grapes blurs the rising roastiness.
-Astringency mars the dry roastiness.
-Unbridled effervescence expands on the mouthfeel.

What if you dig deeper?
-Herbal hop bitterness and roastiness battle the astringency and minerals in an awkward finale.
-The carbonation would fit a Saison perhaps, but not this stout.
-At this stage, this isn’t as problematic as other bottled beers I’ve had from them, but a few weeks and I think it would’ve developed some uvula-spinning iodine nastiness.
-This brewery reminds me more and more of La Barberie; mostly drinkable to good fresh on tap, but really worrying once bottled.

Bottle; no date.

Nice roasted grains, slightly alcoholic scent. Dark brown, almost black with a thick tan head. Way too carbonated, it made a mess just opening it. Carbonation makes it a little too acidic, but otherwise the flavor is nice, full of roasted grains and coffee. This would be a much better beer with less carbonation.

Pours a brown, five-finger+ head that goes slowly and leaves a chunks of lace. Black color. Explosive carbonation and light bodied. Roasted coffee nose. Starts and finishes dry (the only part that is "Irish style") almost watery but with a good roasted coffee flavor. $2.13 for a 12oz bottle from Bayside Liquors Bar Harbor, Me.

Black color with a brown hue and a thick foamy light brown head. Aroma and flavor of roasted malt with unpleasant sourness.

I’m thinking this brewer was looking to Guiness when brewing this one as it was almost a clone of Guiness.

Pours black with ruby highlights. Big tan creamy lacy head. Head dissipates but lace remains. Smells like a dry stout. Dry and smoky with hints of bitter dark malt. Tastes nutty and then bitter burnt malt. Coffee undertones. Very burnt malt. A nice bitter, dry finish. Well balanced and smooth. Very very good. Must get me some more before winter sets in.