Packaged inside the traditional Sixpoint box and branded 16 oz can, I poured the Diesel into a snifter glass. Diesel pours with a nice deep dark brown, borderline black, colored body with a two finger creamy off-white head. The lacing and retention were pretty nice, all things considered. This one has a pretty interesting aroma to say the least – it’s full of roast, dark & caramel malts, and has a nice amount of bitter earthy hops coming through.

The taste is certainly not what I expected from an American Stout, though still very good. The flavors begin quite traditionally; more caramel & dark malts and coffee beans are up front, while the middle melds into a smooth sweetness. The hops show up in the back end of the palate blending themselves with a roasted malt backbone. Hints of chocolate and oak come and go throughout the entire time. It’s interesting, different and works very well for the style.

Diesel is a nice is a full-bodied, flavorful and very easy drinking American Stout. It’s beers like this that make the balance and blending of both hops and malt seem easy and approachable. Don’t pass up trying the newest addition to the Brooklyn canning line.

Rating

91
out of 100

I received this beer from Brian in California as part of a “Beer It Forward” beer trade titled “Hotter than Hot,” so this fits quite well with theme. The 22 ounce bottle poured into my snifter glass unveils an opaque dark brown body, bordering on a deep black with a small tan head. The retention was quite good, holding a nice ring throughout, but the lacing was almost non-existent. The visuals were pretty good but for stouts, I want them to be a bit thicker, darker and creamier – something this could easily improve upon.

The aromas present in the nose initially miss the description on the bottle – leaving out any coffee or chipotle peppers. Baker’s chocolate fills the air, followed by some black pepper flakes. After those flavors mellow, roasted breakfast blend coffee beans and a small note of roasted spice seem to come forward, hopefully from the chipotle peppers…it’s really too faint to tell.

As with the nose, flavors of chocolate cake start things off on the palate soon to be followed with black coffee. The finish is extremely reminiscent of the chipotle peppers, leaving a wonderful lingering spice. The peppers don’t impart, in my opinion, much if any flavor to the overall profile but it was an interesting sensation to have that burn in the back of your throat from the pepper oils. Strikingly diverse, the flavors all work very well together, better than most beers I’ve sampled made with peppers.

This beer seems a bit confused – Bootlegger’s claiming this to be a Stout on the bottle, yet it’s overly thin and a bit too carbonated. Other websites like Beer Advocate classify this as a Chile Beer, but the characteristics are certainly more akin to a Stout, so I’ll judge as that. The Black Phoenix is a perfect example of how to properly use chipotle, or any pepper, in a beer. The focus should not be the peppers, instead how well they balance and blend with other flavors – something Bootlegger’s has accomplished.

Rating

88
out of 100

Title photo from: Flickr

The Chocolate Stout pours with a small amount of head and heavy lacing. The body is as black as night and completely opaque. First scents of the aroma reveal a heavy malt profile with roasted coffee notes. The coffee is not overpowering by any means and is met with a dusting of cocoa powder and black pepper.

I felt the taste is really where the Chocolate Stout, as the brewer touts, started to come together. The roasted malt is the predominant base flavor as soon as it hits the palate. Heavy roasted dark chocolate nibs and vanilla come through mid-palate with some caramel notes to wrap everything up. Not too surprisingly, the hop profile is very minimal but still noticeable.

Fort Collins has a fairly easy drinking Chocolate Stout, although it was a bit more on the lighter side of a “stout.” I was hoping for a thicker, more chewy body and unfortunately because of this, it lost some points. I would definitely revisit this again, however, I would reach for a different brewery if I’m in the mood for a Chocolate Stout. Overall, a solid beer – just too thin for my liking.

Rating

84
out of 100

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

The Kalamazoo Stout pours a very dark brown, almost black in color and a tan, caramel colored one and a half finger head. The beer smells of roasted malts and ground coffee, nothing out of the ordinary there. There is also a pleasant sweetness in the aroma as well which comes thanks to some chocolate and that licorice that I mentioned earlier. The sweetness is a bit sticky, but not overly so as it blends nicely with the other aromas.

Bell’s has managed to present some deep roasted and burnt malt flavors in the Kalamazoo Stout without overdoing things. This balance lends itself to an almost crisp mouth feel with little alcohol burn. There are other flavors present such as coffee beans, but the licorice as a pleasant sweetness to everything, as well as combating the roasted and burnt flavors.

Bell’s has created a really nice easy to drink standard Stout. It doesn’t try to be outlandish or rock the boat (too much). The flavors and aromas work well and create one of the better Stouts that I have had.

Overall: 9/10