The final review of the four beers from Penobscot Bay Brewery is the Half Moon Stout, a 5.5% ABV Stout in, what else, a 220z bottle. The brewery’s website says that the Half Moon Stout is based on an old Porter recipe described as brave, proud, or “stout.” The beer is named after the vessel that Henry Hudson was in when he entered the Penobscot Bay in 1609. Enough history, time for the beer.

The Half Moon pours a dark, rich brown, almost black, color with a good one and a half finger caramel colored head. The aroma is nice and “roasty” with plenty of malt and very mild coffee notes. There is no sense of alcohol, which is good, but there isn’t really anything on the nose besides the roasted malt. The brewery website says that the coffee aroma should be heavy, but really it’s a mild undertone.

The first flavor of the Half Moon that hits you is the roasted malt again, just as in the nose. There is a slight bitterness, with some hints of dark chocolate morsels. The beer is surprisingly refreshing and a bit thin, but I wouldn’t want it to be a big filling Stout with how large and pronounced the roasted flavors are.

As you can probably guess this is a beer for those who love roasted flavors, and nothing else. Sure, there are some other flavors in there floating around, but the roasted flavor of the Half Moon steals the show. Even with all of the roast it is still refreshing, and not dry or overly bitter. A good beer, although a little single-sided in the overall flavor profile.

Rating

67
out of 100