Lift Bridge is a brewery brand new to me, and for good reason. From my most recent research they are only found in Minnesota and some parts of Wisconsin. Recently I received the Irish Coffee Stout in a Beer It Forward exchange on Beer Advocate from Dan – thanks! This 8% ABV is a blending of 65% milk stout, 35% barrel aged imperial and then infused with cold pressed coffee.

Poured from the 750 ml bottle into my Lift Bridge snifter, the Irish Coffee Stout looks just as you’d expect – dark brown on the pour, black in the glass topped with a thick and creamy brown head. The aromas open up big with the coffee being most evident up-front. Huge coffee beans notes are followed by cream, coffee liqueur, cocoa beans, dark chocolate and whiskey. There’s a nice barrel/wood element too that comes in towards the end. It’s extremely well round in the aroma and decadent at that.

The taste is essentially just like the nose with roasted whole coffee beans dominating again. A smooth cream flavor along with chocolate notes come in mid-palate. The back end is rounded out really nicely with whiskey notes and wood. This is one seriously delicious beer and quite unlike a majority of other barrel aged stouts. It’s wonderfully creamy, smooth and full-bodied. It wasn’t too sticky on the palate but had low enough carbonation (though enough overall) to give it a great feel.

I loved this beer, it was everything I want in an stout: coffee, chocolate, cream and whiskey. Really it took the classic Irish Coffee drink and turned it into its beer form. My first impression from Lift Bridge has been one to remember.

Rating

96
out of 100