Serving Type: BottleABV: 7.5 percent
Appearance: It seems as if the stouts that put themselves ahead of others in the pack seem to be those that have a very dark, black color. Java Head Stout fits the bill in this department. The only presence of carbonation that's visible to the naked eye is what's in the foamy, tan head atop the brew. It's tan and is very reminiscent of what foams up when you pour a glass of cola. It was somewhat weak retention, but there was a nice thin layer of foam throughout the drink. I've seen confusion in reports of this being both a regular stout and an oatmeal stout. it is in fact an oatmeal if you check on the Troegs website. More evidence is in the beady lacing the tan head will leave inside your glass.
Smell: Overall, the theme of this beer is darkness. I caught a ton of dark and roasted coffee beans. Behind that was plenty of dark chocolate to counter the coffee's bitterness with something sweet. These two aromas are very powerful, but not overbearing to the point where it's unnecessary.
Taste: This beer kind of tasted like an intense mocha from an upscale coffee shop. The two dominant aspects of the beer's aroma were also the two dominant features in the taste. I'm a guy that doesn't like putting all kinds of junk in his coffee in the mornings. I like it black and the taste of this beer reminded me of that. The coffee was dark, roasty and robust. the sweetness of the chocolate complimented the bolder flavor very well. There was also a decent backbone of roasted malt on the front of the tongue. The flavors seem to mesh well as the beer warms, making it that much smoother despite the boldness.
Overall Rating:
This is an excellent beer. If I had to say it was missing anything it would be an obvious presence of oats since this is an oatmeal stout. The only thing that shows is the beady lacing as I mentioned, but I didn't pick up any in the aroma or the taste. That might be attributed to the dominance of the coffee and dark chocolate that's in this brew. Still, those two flavors make this an awesome drink. This could go with a nice breakfast in some cases!
