Longtrail brewing out of Vermont is a brewery with forward thinking in mind. From their Eco initiatives, to using local ingredients, they are all about sustainability. The Coffee Stout is a release from their Brewmaster series. More and more breweries are starting to let their brewers get a little more creative and release these limited beers. If you get the chance to try some of these special releases you are generally in for a treat. Longtrail uses 100% certified fair trade, organic coffee from Vermont Coffee Company. The dark roast coffee they use is brewed exclusively for Longtrail. This beer is based on an award winning home brew recipe, by a member of their staff. Coffee Stouts seem to be popping up all over, so in order to stand out from the crowd, it has to be special. Does this one separate itself?
The glass filled with the midnight black of the stout and was capped off with an almost cappuccino like head in consistency, though the heads color was a deep tan. The aroma smells like you just walked into a local coffee shop, that happens to be next to a good brewery. Can you imagine that aroma all day? The beer has a real nice coffee flavor. It is rather intense, almost espresso-esque. There is a good bitter at the end that tastes just as much like coffee as it does of hops. Much like my favorite national coffee house drink, it had a slight mocha, caramel flavor halfway through the glass. It is not very thick for a stout, but it is not as light as a lager either. It has a good balance. Light and sweet drinkers be warned, this is a cup of black coffee in your beer, stirrers not required.
