Hold on to Sunshine

Hold on to Sunshine, Tree House Brewing Company, Charlton, MA
(Sweet Stout)

Dark mocha brown pour. Aroma of peanut, coffee, and dark chocolate. Taste of sweet chocolate, mild mocha espresso, and some caramel swirl. Peanut butter teases in the background throughout and comes out in the finish. Full bodied and velvety smooth. Definitely one of the better peanut butter stouts I've had! Delicious! 7.6% abv

Somewhere, Something Incredible is Waiting to be Known

Somewhere, Something Incredible is Waiting to be Known, Tree House Brewing Company, Charlton, MA
(Sweet Stout)

Pitch black pour with a thin mocha head. Strong aromas of melted milk chocolate, roasted coffee beans, espresso, and sweet vanilla. Flavor follows with sweet milk chocolate, vanilla cream, and smooth roasted coffee. Full bodied. Smooth, silky mouthfeel. Just a touch of a roasty finish. Excellent!! 7.9% abv

All That Is and All That Ever Will Be

All That Is and All That Ever Will Be, Tree House Brewing Company, Monson, MA
(Sweet Stout, Rated 98)

Pours dark black with a nice, mocha-colored head. Aromas of mocha, coffee, and sweet lactose. Taste follows the nose. Sweet, chocolaty, tootsie roll candies, rich roasted coffee, touch of vanilla, and sugar. Medium body with a super, creamy mouthfeel and a dry finish. Extremely well balanced. Awesome!

Single Shot w/Vanilla Bean

Single Shot w/Vanilla Bean, Tree House Brewing Company, Monson, MA
(Sweet Stout, Rated 96)

Chocolaty-brown pour with a mocha head. Aromas of roasted coffee beans, cocoa, vanilla, and chocolate. Tastes of milk chocolate sweetness, smooth black coffee, rich vanilla, and a touch of lactose. Bit of a smoky char. Medium bodied with a sweet, lingering, coffee finish. An easy-drinking 6.4% abv. Nothing short of delicious!

Single Shot

Single Shot, Tree House Brewing Company, Monson, MA
(Sweet Stout, Rated 99)

A coffee milk stout, Single Shot pours a deep, dark, brown with a nice, mocha-tan head. Aroma is full of rich coffee and milk, with roasted malts. Tastes accentuates the aroma with lots of cold-brewed coffee, milk, roasted malts, and sweet cocoa. Medium mouthfeel and creamy smooth with 6.4% abv. One of the finest milk stouts I've had! Super delicious!

That's What She Said

That's What She Said, Tree House Brewing Coming, Monson, MA
(Sweet Stout, Rated 98)

The beer that spawned a thousand jokes? Or was it a thousand jokes that spawned this beer? EIther way, this sweet stout is amazing! Pours deep, dark, brown with a nice, thick mocha head. Aroma is roasted coffee and chocolate sweetness. Jam packed full of rich flavors of dark chocolate, mocha coffee, and lactose sweetener. Rich creamy mouthfeel. Crushable at 5.6%.  When it comes to flavor, this is a big one.  "That's What She Said"

Milk & Cookies

Milk & Cookies, Ten Ninety Brewing Company, Zion, IL
(Sweet Stout)

Decided on this for dessert tonight. Dark, dark brown pour with a thick, mocha-colored head. Aroma is sweet chocolate, ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Taste is chocolate and ginger up front followed by gentle releases of other spices. Not overly spiced though. Smooth and creamy and rich. Finishes dry.

Vanilla Bean Buffalo Sweat

Vanilla Bean Buffalo Sweat, Tallgrass Brewing Company, Manhattan, KS 

I really like Tallgrass' Buffalo Sweat, so I was fairly certain I'd like this one. I was right. Pours a dark brown. Aroma of coffee, cocoa, and faint sweet vanilla. Taste is chocolaty with some roasted malts. The vanilla comes through in the finish. Very smooth and balanced. Good beer!

Coffee Stout

Coffee Stout, New Glarus Brewing Company, New Glarus, WI
(Sweet Stout, Rated 96)

Nice dark brown pour with a thick, foamy head. Sweet coffee aroma with roasted malts. Rich coffee taste with very subtle bitterness. Very well-balanced. Extremely smooth. Another amazing beer from an amazing brewery!  I wish my friends outside of Wisconsin could enjoy this brewery like I can.  I guess you'll have to come and visit.  Cheers!

Milk Stout Nitro

Milk Stout Nitro, Left Hand Brewing Company, Longmont, CO

(Sweet Stout, Rated 96)

Left Hand Brewing Company is the first U.S. craft brewery to bottle a nitro beer. Guinness was the first. To make this possible, Left Hand inserted a "widget" of some kind into the bottles that would add CO2 and nitrogen gases once the bottle was opened. The result is an extremely, creamy smooth sweet stout that flows like melted butter through your mouth, well maybe not as thick as butter. Nice smoky, coffee aroma. Taste is sweet, malty, with caramel and coffee. Not as sweet as some sweet stouts though. Very smooth and balanced.

Moloko Plus

Moloko Plus, Three Floyds Brewing Company, Munster, IN

(Sweet Stout, Rated 99)

Another fantastic beer from one of my favorite breweries! Three Floyds' Moloko Plus is an amazing sweet stout. Rich aroma of caramel, roasted malts, coffee, and chocolate. The taste begins with roasted coffee followed by chocolate and a bit of malty bitterness. So smooth and creamy. Where's the alcohol?  No clue this is 8% abv.  Amazing!

Moo Joos Oatmeal Milk Stout

Moo Joos Oatmeal Milk Stout, Brau Brothers Brewing Company, Lucan, MN

(Sweet Stout, Rated 95)

Sometimes its the subtle difference in beers that make them great. This one combines the fullness of a milk stout with the creamy, smoothness of an oatmeal stout. Coffee aroma. Milky and creamy with nice coffee and chocolate flavors. Very easy drinker. Great beer!

The Poet

The Poet, New Holland Brewing Company, Holland, MI

(Sweet Stout, Rated 94)

I can remember a time when I didn't care for stouts much, but that didn't stop me from trying them. Hell, I didn't like asparagus on the first go around either. But now I love me a good stout. These beers can be so rich and flavorful. The Poet is just that...rich, creamy, flavorful, oatmeal stout with hints of coffee and chocolate. Excellent beer!

Buffalo Sweat Stout

Buffalo Sweat Stout, Tallgrass Brewing Company, Manhattan, KS

Twelve Breakfast Beers

Last December (2011) I did my first themed beer list, 12 Beers of Christmas. Since then, I've been wanting to do another themed list and had come up with a couple ideas. Deciding on a themed list can be both fun and frustrating, especially if you are concentrating on limited release seasonals. I was fortunate to be able to pull together twelve Christmas beers. This time around, my theme is 'breakfast beers'. What's my criteria? The beer had to either have the word 'breakfast' or some variation of 'coffee' in the name and/or be brewed with coffee. I could have included oatmeal beers, but decided there were enough coffee beers out there that I could put together a good list. I love coffee and I love beer, so it works.  I also wanted to make sure I had twelve. For this 'breakfast beers' list, I had more than enough options. Before I introduce my '12 Breakfast Beers' (in random order), please let me state that I am not saying that these beers are intended to be consumed at breakfast nor do I condone drinking beer at breakfast time on workdays. Please drink responsibly.

The Twelve Breakfast Beers

Fuel Cafe

Fuel Cafe, Lakefront Brewery, Milwaukee, WI

A sweet stout that combines roasted malts and Milwaukee's reknown FUEL CAFE coffee. Strong coffee aroma and smooth, sweet taste.

Milk Stout

Milk Stout, Left Hand Brewing Company, Longmont, CO

(Sweet Stout, Rated 96)

A really great sweet stout. Notes of chocolate, coffee, and toasted malts. The milk sugar adds a well rounded sweetness.

Fast fact: Milk Stout is Left Hand Brewing Company's best selling beer. The fact that a stout is a brewery's best selling beer is quite impressive!

2X Stout

2X Stout, Southern Tier Brewing Company, Lakewood, NY

(Sweet Stout, Rated 95)

Sweet stouts are also called milk stouts or cream stouts because of the added lactose which adds sweetness and body to the beer. Not as much of the coffee aromas as in others. More like cold coffee with a bit of chocolate and cream. Very smooth drinker.

Polish Moon

Polish Moon, Milwaukee Brewing Company, Milwaukee, WI

Very dark sweet stout with roasted malts and coffee flavors.

Luna Coffee Stout

Luna Coffee Stout, Hinterland Brewery, Green Bay, WI

(Stout, Rated 93)

A stout as opposed to sweet stouts, this one lacks the added lactose. The nose detects dark coffee and malts. The taste is smooth with lots of coffee flavor. Ever have really strong black coffee? Take that and add malts and a bit of chocolate to it.

Oscura

Oscura, Furthermore Brewing, Black River Falls, WI

(American Dark Lager, Rated 93)

Seems most beers brewed with coffee are stouts, this one is an American Dark Lager. A pleasant surprise to find this one from Furthermore. The aroma is of freshly brewed coffee grounds that have cooled. Not as heavy on the palate as stouts can be. Light and airy with notes of toasted oats and sweet creamy coffee.

Perkulator Coffee Dopplebock

Perkulator Coffee Dopplebock, Dark Horse Brewing Company, Marshall, MI

(Doppelbock, Rated 91)

Caramel and coffee aromas waft the nose. A nice balance of hops and malts infused with coffee finish.

Java Stout

Java Stout, Bells Brewery, Kalamazoo, MI

(Stout, Rated 99)

Stout meets coffee. A very smooth stout with rich chocolate and roasted malt flavors. Nice coffee aroma. The chocolate adds a sweetness to the palate.

Breakfast Stout

Breakfast Stout, Founders Brewing Company, Grand Rapids, MI

(Imperial Stout, Rated 100)

Founders makes some amazing beer and this imperial stout is one of their best. This coming from a guy who took a while to get into stouts. Imperial stouts normally have more alcohol content than stouts or sweet stouts, but you really can't tell with this beer. An intense fresh coffee aroma. The taste is a blend of roasted bitterness and sweet chocolate that is silky smooth. A great breakfast beer!

Peruvian Morning Imperial Stout

Peruvian Morning Imperial Stout, Central Waters Brewing Company, Amherst, WI

(Imperial Stout, Rated 99)

Another amazing beer! This imperial stout is infused with Peruvian coffee and aged in bourbon barrels. Aroma is of coffee, chocolate, and bourbon. Coffee and toasted malts are apparent in the flavor and your throat is warmed by the bourbon.

Espresso Amber Ale

Espresso Amber Ale, Peak Organic Brewing Company, Portland, ME

(Amber Ale, Rated 92)

A robust amber ale brewed with fair trade espresso. Sweet caramel, coffee aroma matches well with the sweet malty flavors. Very balanced with mild carbonation.

Mokah

Mokah, Southern Tier Brewing Company, Lakewood, NY

(Imperial Stout, Rated 99)

I never expected each beer to be better than the last, but that's what it's turning out to be. Amazing imperial stout! Yeah, it's called Mokah and the theme is breakfast, but this incredibly smooth imperial stout is what the brewers got when they combined two of their signature Blackwater Series Imperial Stouts (Choklat and Jahva). Chocolate aroma is strong through the nose with hints of coffee. Flavor is amazing (I know I've said that a few times already) blend of creamy chocolate, malts, and roasted coffee. Reminds me of malted milk balls with an alcohol kicker (10.9% abv).



Well, that was twelve, but I said that there were plenty of options for this breakfast category. So here are four bonus beers...



Cappuccino Stout

Cappuccino Stout, Lagunitas Brewing Company, Petaluma, CA

(Stout, Rated 96)

I love this brewery and everything they produce! No surprise that I'd love their stout too. Nice coffee and caramel malt aroma. Lots of coffee flavor in this one. Strong coffee malts and hints of chocolate. The coffee flavor lasts.

Mikkeller Koppi Tomahawk x Guji Natural Coffee IPA

Mikkeller Koppi Tomahawk x Guji Natural Coffee IPA, Mikkeller De Proef Brouwerij,
Lochtisti-Hijfte, Belgium

(IPA, Rated 96)

For breakfast beers so far, there have been amber ale, American dark lager, doppelbock, imperial stouts, stouts, and sweet stouts...why not an IPA?  As one who really enjoys a good hoppy IPA, the name alone gave this breakfast beer promise in this themed series. Alas I was disappointed. The hops were the best part of this beer. The aroma was all hops. The taste was of hops and more hops. Where's the coffee?! This is one very good IPA however.

Beer Geek Breakfast

Beer Geek Breakfast, Mikkeller De Proef Brouwerij, Lochtisti-Hijfte, Belgium

(Stout, Rated 100)

This amazing stout is more oatmeal with a touch of coffee. Light coffee and malts on the nose. A definite smoky roasted malt flavor with notes of oatmeal, chocolate, and coffee. The smokiness almost makes me think I taste a little bacon...but maybe I'm just wishing it really was breakfast time. 

Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout

Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout, Kiuchi Brewery, Ibaraki, Japan

(Stout, Rated 99)

I was quite surprised by this stout from Japan. Slightly bitter chocolate aroma. Caramel, chocolate, roasted malts and a pretty intense coffee flavor. Kampai!


Even before I decided to do this themed beer list, it had taken me a little while to really get into stouts and really enjoy them. All it really took was for me to have one of the finer, higher quality, stouts to get me going. (I kind of feel like Guinness is a poor man's stout) I did find the other coffee flavored styles to be very interesting though. If I was forced to pick a favorite from this list, I believe I'd have to go with Southern Tier's Mokah. This was fun. Now on to my next themed list. Considering it's nearly Summer out, perhaps a themed list around Summertime or fruit beer.  Stay tuned...

"Irish Coffee" Firkin, Tallgrass Brewing Co., Manhattan, KS

 

These are pics from St. Patrick's Day at Stubby's Pub and Grill, Milwaukee, WI. Tallgrass Brewing Company made 4 very special Firkins to commemorate the holiday and one of them came to Wisconsin.  This Firkin is their take on Irish Coffee. Let me tell you it was nothing short of fantastic!! The head brewer used their Buffalo Sweat Stout as the base, then added lactose sugar, oak cubes that have been soaked in Jameson Whiskey, and coffee to enhance the coffee notes. The coffee aroma was quite apparent. Had the glass not been cold, I would have thought it was a hot cup of coffee. The taste was amazingly smooth and the very last taste that came across my palate was the sugar. I sat right next to the Firkin for a few hours.

Buffalo Sweat Stout

Buffalo Sweat Stout, Tallgrass Brewing Co., Manhattan, KS

I really like this sweet stout. Fantastic coffee aroma and very smooth!

Road Slush Stout

Road Slush Stout, New Glarus Brewing Co., New Glarus, WI 

(Sweet Stout, Rated 96)

This aptly named sweet oatmeal stout from another great Wisconsin brewery is smooth and tasty.

Down 'N' Dirty Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

Down 'N Dirty Chocolate Oatmeal Stout, Tyranena Brewing Co., Lake Mills, WI 

(Sweet Stout, Rated 97)

Well look what we have here, another great beer from another great Wisconsin craft brewery. Unlike an imperial stout, this sweet stout has a smoother, sweeter taste with hints of chocolate and malts. It has an nice aroma of dark chocolate and coffee. If you are a fan of stouts, this is a must try.