Off Color Coffee Dino S'mores

The Stats
Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 10.5%
Current Ratings...
- Untappd: 4.21/5
- Beer Advocate: 4.22/5
- RateBeer: 3.78/5

"Every year we team up with a different roaster to make new friends and see how different roasters and small businesses operate. We couldn't be more excited to be working with Passion House Coffee Roastersthis year. During cupping, we fell in love with two different coffees and how they both added something unique. So we blended them. The first bean, an heirloom varietal hailing from the Sidamo region in Ethiopia, provides floral notes and citrusy acidity.  The second bean, a mix of Bourbon and Catuai varietals from a microlot in the La Paz region of Honduras, gives a chocolatey sweetness and heavy body to the coffee....Then, we made an imperial stout with graham flour, marshmallow fluff, vanilla, and cocoa nibs with Amager and West Lakeview Liquors. "

Looks black in the glass, but it was the darkest shade of ruby red when I put a light behind it. I got less than a finger of light brown head.

Coffee on the aroma is not as big as I had anticipated as it yields a subtle, but deeply roasted character. The base beer is still here with dark chocolate syrup and vanilla. It smells like a Mallomar with trace amounts of coffee.

The taste produces a lot more coffee than the nose. It doesn't overpower the base beer and instead it adds a fresh roast taste with subtle pine and citrus. As for that base beer, more dark chocolate syrup is back from the taste and the vanilla, while present, is faded. Bitter coffee grounds and roasted malts emerge as this warms with dark fruits and maybe the smallest amount of marshmallow fluff. The big s'more flavors from the standard Dino S'mores are muted.

Mouthfeel is smooth with practically no carbonation. Bitterness sticks around after each sip, but the dessert flavors are surprisingly not cloying. Alcohol is nowhere to be found.

I was expecting for Dino S'mores plus coffee, but this was coffee plus Dino S'mores. Unfortunately the coffee itself isn't even that intense and the base beer seems to be missing in action. As a standard imperial stout it had black licorice and dark fruit notes, but as a big dessert and coffee beer it didn't come through all that well.

Rating
7.9/10

Off Color Dino S'mores

The Stats
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
ABV: 10.5%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.13/5
- Untappd: 4.07/5
- RateBeer: 3.81/5

"When we launched BorrachaBaker made us some s'mores shaped like dinosaurs for our launch event. Then, we made an imperial stout with graham flour, marshmallow fluff, vanilla, and cocoa nibs with Amager and West Lakeview Liquors. Then, we brought this beer to the Brewpub Shootout and paired the beer named after the food with a food the beer wasn't named after. People were confused and named it best beer (or was it food?) at the Shootout."

Pours out jet black, but I do get some ruby red hues when I hold it up to the light. It poured to about one finger of light brown head.

As promised, this has an uncanny amount of vanilla and marshmallow exploding out of the glass. Graham cracker crust and subdued chocolate add to the dessert sensation. A sticky, sweeter, vanilla extract and molasses are also noticeable as are some subtle dark fruits and cherries.

The taste produces an interesting allocation of flavors on my tongue. The outer edges of my tongue are coated in marshmallow fluff while the middle is filled up with dark chocolate, and roasted malts. As this warms up, the vanilla and marshmallow turn into the aforementioned vanilla extract taste which causes some momentary double takes. The transition produces almost a nutty or even peanut butter taste that I am really into and more of the cherries from the aroma make for a nice cordial when combined with that bitter dark chocolate.

Mouthfeel is fluffy, but as thick as it should be for such a robust RIS at 10.5% abv. There's not one shred of alcohol and the dessert-like nature of the beer makes it drinker friendly and dangerous.

Dino S'mores smelled like it was supposed to smell and tasted like it was supposed to taste. It promised a s'mores experience and by God that's what you get. Marshamllow and vanilla were the most noticeable, but the supporting cast of dark chocolate, and the base RIS contributed heavily to a great dessert beer.

Rating
8.8/10

Off Color Brewing Troublesome

The Stats
Style: Gose
ABV: 4.30%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 3.8/5
- RateBeer: 3.47/5

A combination of a wheat beer and a sour beer fermented solely with lactobacillus, Troublesome is Off Color Brewing's attempt at the Gose style which has seen a resurgence in recent years.

Pours a transparent straw yellow with little carbonation. There was maybe a quarter inch of fizzy white head that didn't stick around long.

Lots of salt and coriander on the aroma with a yeasty character and a touch of banana.

I think this owes more to its wheat beer foundation than its sour component.  A noticeable pale malt or pilsner malt is actually what strikes me as most prominent, but not far behind are some breadiness and lemon. It's not acidic, but definitely a lemon taste. Sourness is making itself know, but it's not doing so in a tart way, but closer to a beer that is starting to go bad. I'm not sure if the small amount of mouth-puckering is from the bacteria or the addition of salt. Either way, it's not pleasant. The finish and aftertaste retain the sourness, but it's mostly pilsner malt and it doesn't leave you wanting much more than your 12oz bottle.

Mouthfeel is light with noticeable tartness. It feels like a 4.30% beer and as far as a "session" beer it fits the bill, but the flavors don't truly make it that drinkable and it isn't crisp in any way.

Troublesome backed up its name with a subpar Gose. It's not refreshing, salty, and pleasantly tart, but rather bready, doughy, and sour in a bad way. I'm not repulsed (well, I'm getting there) by any means, but the Gose deserves better.

Rating
5.8/10