It's not a common notion that a coffee stout could or should be deliberately hoppy (hoppy, not bitter; there's a different). But this seems to be the idea behind Troeg's Java Head, a coffee stout with a prominent hop character. It has an opaque black to dark-brown body and forms a dark tan frothy head that laces and retains very well. There is a prominent stout atoms of roasted barley and subtle chocolate and coffee notes but also a surprising hop presence of citrus and pine. 

Strong citrusy bitterness is the first thing to hit the plate, making this brew very reminiscent of a classic American IPA. Through the middle there is a smooth, silky, slightly sweet stout taste of roasted barley and a quick kick of coffee flavor. As it finishes, there's a dank resiny character that brings the palate back full circle to the original hoppy character, but this time it's piney instead of citrusy. The aftertaste is surprisingly clean even though this beer has both big-time hops (60 IBU) and coffee in it. 

What was most surprising was that it had been bottled nine months earlier yet the hops had not faded at all. In fact, the coffee and stronger stout qualities may have succumbed a bit to age. There was a layer of goo at the bottom of the bottle, so perhaps this beer is bottle-conditioned; this could partially explain why it kept so well for so long. 

This brew has pretty much the perfect amount of mouthfeel and drinking experience for a beer of this nature. Not thick and viscous and far from water, Troegs Java Head has a medium body and a perfect carbonation level. It's not quite velvety but closer to silky, and it goes down extremely smooth. At 7.5% ABV it's not nearly as heavy as that number would indicate. Most drinkers could put away two 12-ounce bottles or a single 22-ounce bomber by themselves without any trouble. 

Review originally printed in the Handbook of Porters and Stouts

Compared with the British isles and the Baltic states, there's little history of Belgian takes on stouts and porters. Rather than a peerless take on the style, Belgian-style stouts usually combine the roasted dark chocolate flavors of an English or American stouts with the spicy notes of a Belgian yeast and the sweetness of candi sugar. It's a style that's a great example of how Old World and New World brewing can combine to create something new and exciting. 

It's little surprise that one of the best examples of this hybrid style comes from Portland's Allagash Brewing. The Maine-based brewery helped popularize Belgian-style beers in the United States, and over the last few decades it has steadily expanded its catalog to include more and more styles. Its take on a Belgian-style stout, brewed with barley, wheat, roasted and chocolate malt, and caramelized candi sugar, debuted in 2007. 

The opaque brew's intercontinental aspects play off one another perfectly at 7.5% ABV. Roast malt and caramel combine pleasantly on the nose, backed by subtle spice. The flavor is a complex trip, starting with coffee up front before coming around to a mocha finish. The oats used in the recipe provide a silky smoothness not unlike an oatmeal stout. Allagash occasionally puts out a bourbon barrel-aged version of Black, which adds wonderful oak and vanilla (not to mention whiskey) flavors to an already pleasant  package. 


Review originally printed in The Handbook of Porters and Stouts