Beer Review: East End Blackstrap Stout

Serving Type: Draft/Growler

ABV: 6.2 percent

Appearance: This stout was a very shadowy black color. Almost the same shade of coffee grounds with some flashes of dark brown. It also boasted a dark beige head which foamed up to a height of approximately half of an inch. It had just a smidgeon of staying power. Once it did cave in, there was a brown wall of foamy head stuck to the inside rim of the glass.

Smell: I was able to pick up strong hints of both cocoa and molasses. The chocolate did seem to drown out the molasses a bit.

Taste: This was a very smooth beer. The cocoa was dominant once again, but the molasses did act as a supportive compliment. Also, there was plenty of roasted notes on the back before the finish. Some coffee grounds were a huge part of that roasted flavor before everything went down. Hop interference was minimal as it should be in heavy stouts.

Overall Rating: 

This is one of the better stouts you'll find brewed here in the Pittsburgh area. It's called Backstrap Stout after the molasses which holds the namesake used in the brewing process. It's for that reason that I found one single flaw in this. I wanted to notice a bit more molasses! Still a great beer. I'm just picky in some ways. If it's in the title, my mind starts to expect more of it than anything else. It was present, and I do love dark beers with molasses.

Getting Closer - I mentione some number of weeks ago that I intended on changing up how I depict and review brews that I've tried on this blog. I still had to use up the photographs and beers that I've already taken notes on. I'm getting closer to exhausting that backlog of beers. Within a few weeks I should start to roll them out on here. Expect some different angles for the pictures. Maybe even a classic song lyric or movie quote that goes with said brews.

Corn in My Beer

It took a few viewings for the new Esquire show Brew Dogs to grow on me. My guess was that it would be solely about hops and IPA's, but then again I'm a cynical old man in the body of a 25-year-old. The first episode confirmed my fears for the most part. It pitted both hosts (James Watt and Martin Dickie) in San Diego. On the west coast where the hop revolution in American craft beer , for the most part, was born.

Each episode has the main objective of the two hosts seeking out the best and most unique ingredients in the area they are visiting and brewing a beer that best represents said area. If you put two and two together, you can deduce that the IPA was the beer of choice. There are other aspects of the show that are educational in terms of beer. They meet with local chefs/restaurants to help make great beer pairings as well as ranking top brewpubs and breweries in each area.

I kept watching and was pleasantly surprised to see them actually explore different styles of beer as they traveled to each location. I especially enjoyed watching the episode in Seattle where they set out to make the world's most caffeinated brew in the form of an imperial stout. My favorite episode to date, by far, is the one in Eastern Pa. when they chose to brew the most "American Beer" ever. If I recall correctly, it was a pale ale which included the use of colonial ingredients such as corn and molasses. Two ingredients I enjoy seeing in modern brews albeit a rare occurrence.

Watt and Dickie milling corn on my television.

The two actually milled the corn they were to use in the beer. I've tasted the sweetness of corn in some beers, but I had no idea that it could provide a roasty profile to a beer once it has been milled. That's mind-blowing.

I've disagreed with the Brewers Association's stance that if you use adjuncts such as corn in your beer that you shouldn't be considered a craft brewer. If craft is supposed to be creative then how can that even make sense? I find it hilarious that Watt (who shared is own take on the craft beer argument a few weeks ago) and Dickie's beer might not even be considered craft by some of the craft upper echelon here in the states. That's what we call irony, folks.

With all of that said, I think I made the right decision to watch the show. I've learned quite a bit about some of the beer culture around the country.