Alright, I couldn't pass this up. Sierra Nevada, a well known to-do craft brewery, and they have been around for 30 years. This is an accomplishment for any company, let alone one who represents less than 1% of the market share (Hypothesis). This is my 3rd beer, I went from a good hefe, to an IPA, and I wanted to finish strong with a stout. So not only does it peak my interest, but completes my beer path.
Taste/Pour/Smell - Nice and heavy, bubbles drop down, medium carbonation = an easy, slow style pour. Can't wait to smell it. Coffee first, chocolate maybe which I hope comes out in the taste. Coffee is definitely the #1 smell though.
Taste - For the record, the head lasted ~10 min, and I do write for my friends wine blog, and so I like the "resting" of the beer to allow it to have time to mingle with the air. Roasted is the first word comes to mind, really roasted but roasted well. The last after taste is chocolate which comes really late which is nice. It's a really deep taste. I feel sorry for the connoisseur who doesn't have the chance to partake.
Rating - 10
It was a quick decision to chose a 10. It's the leader in the stout category. It is the holy grail that all other stouts should try to achieve. This might be the first 10 I've given, but it's truly deserving.
This is what I needed to finish my weekend. After attending Oktoberfest I wanted something substantial.
