Steelhead Extra Stout

Steelhead Extra Stout

Mad River Brewing Co., Blue Lake CA

Steelhead_Stout_25

Info: (From the Site)A black opaque ale with rich creamy roasted malt character and a very mild hop complement. Take a sip and you’ll see why this Extra Stout can convert even light beer drinkers to Stout lovers. A unique flavor profile that starts with a slight coffee flavor and finishes with a hint of roasty chocolate. Try a pint with a scoop of French Vanilla ice cream. This beer is a favorite as a compliment to any dessert or as a hearty breakfast drink.

The quest for the finest in Dark Beers (stouts, porters, and Dark ales and lagers) continues unabated. While at one of my favorite local stores today, I stumbled on a rack of newly displayed beers and two instantly caught my attention: one a porter and one a stout. Well, I figured since the last one I did was a porter, the stout was coming home with me.

Such an appealing, deep, heavy brown pour with a black, opalescent gloss. The scents emanating from this beer are incredible: deep roasted, rich chocolate, and a medley of mocha/hoppy/sweetness that is absolutely flooring in its immediate complexity. This is an unabashed attempt to make a statement: a stout that smells like a stout should.

The flavor is a menagerie of subtle and powerful flavors alike. Up front is the strong chord of malts meets chocolates. Just behind, accompanying with a delicious rhythm is a duo of vanillas and slightly bitter hops. And finally, the thumping bass line is brought to you by a nice spiciness that defies definition, but it does have an accompanying beat of something similar to coriander. It is an assailing barrage of flavors with so many different interweaving notes and tastes that it absolutely stand out as one of the better and finer crafted stouts I have personally ever had. It is, for lack of a better term, a robust and expertly performed concert the likes of which can only be compared to a brewed version of Led Zeppelin. Beautiful. If ever other stout tasted like this perfectly balanced and lovingly created stout, I would be a happy reviewer. But, alas, I know this isn’t to be, but at least I know this one will always be on the shelves. Congrats, Mad River. I would tell you which foods to match this with, but I fully agree with the site’s assessment as stated in the Info. So good.

Rating: * * * * *
A unique and all together special stout that stands high as one of the finest stouts fans will ever taste.