Stone Brewing 'Americano Stout' Imperial Stout. 8.7% abv. 65 IBU. Black in color. Finger of small- bead bubbly tan head. Excellent retention with thick ribbons of lace. Nose of bright freshly ground coffee, vanilla, cocoa powder. As the temp rises, aromas of bright herb and fruity coffee beans emerge.
Front taste of bittersweet dark chocolate, strong black coffee, earthy spice notes, bitter herb on the back end. Aftertaste of bitter herbal hops, sweet black coffee, dark fruit notes, resin sustain. Medium body. Mouthfeel is warm, creamy, foamy, slightly astringent on the exit.
This is an outstanding beer, and a sterling example of its category. This is what a coffee stout should be. The coffee flavor is tall, bright, and fresh, as if the beans were roasted and ground mere moments before being added to an already excellent imperial stout. The aroma is luxuriously coffee, evolving as the temp rises, becoming pungent fruity whole coffee beans.
This beer immediately brought to mind the first time I had Tioga-Sequoia 'Rush Hour' on tap, a local beer that incorporated fresh roasted coffee within 20 minutes. "The coffee was still warm from the roast when they added it to the beer," I was told. And man, did it taste like it. It took me by surprise and blew my mind. Stone says they achieve the same fresh bright notes by letting their blend of hops "invigorate" the coffee. The approach works. This beer grabbed my attention and made me think "Whoa, this is good." I love it when a beer does that. Strongly recommended.
From the brewery:
"A decidedly American imperial stout with espresso. The coffee notes in Stone Americano Stout are bold, rich and full of American swagger. For each 120-barrel batch, we incorporated over 250 lbs. of artisanal espresso-roast beans into the mash and added in Columbus, Chinook, Amarillo and Cascade hops to invigorate the coffee taste with a slight citrus and resin hop presence. When it came time to selecting our coffee, we chose the same local roasters who contributed to our sought-after 2013 Stone ESPRESSO Imperial Russian Stout. Their fantastic beans helped us achieve this dark, hoppy and wonderfully aromatic espresso stout.
[source: stonebrewing.com]
"Brewed with some serious beans. The coffee notes in Stone Americano Stout are bold, rich, and full of American swagger. We incorporated a mother lode of artisanal espresso beans into the mash and added in Columbus, Chinook, Amarillo and Cascade hops to invigorate the coffee taste with a slight citrus and resin hop presence. Coffee roasting, like artisanal brewing, has risen to be a true art form in recent decades. Techniques that blend art, science and ingenuity have allowed roasters to create coffees that offer incredible depth, complexity and nuance. When it came time to selecting our coffee,we chose San Diego roasters Ryan Bros. Coffee. These are the same guys who contributed their art to our sought-after 2013 Stone Espresso Imperial Russian Stout. Their fantastic espresso helped us achieve the perfect match to our beer, one that's certain to satisfy your coffee fixation. Rest assured... not a single decaf bean was used in the process."
[source: bottle]
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