Feb 17, 2010

Buffalo Belgian Stout

My apologies to those of you that aren’t too keen on stouts, but I’ve got quite a few in line for upcoming reviews. I’ll try and break them up with some lighter fare, but be forewarned.

The first stout in the string is Buffalo Belgian Stout, from Brouwerij Van den Bossche, a brewery I’m not too familiar with. I couldn’t find too much on the company’s website as it’s written in Belgian and Google translate produced a trail of broken English that amounted to this being product brewed for a US importer (but I can’t be certain). At any rate, it’s a tasty brew and only makes me want to try and find the other products from the brewery.

Appearance

This Belgian stout pours a dark brown in color with a light tan head that faded slowly to a thin, patchy lacing.

Aroma

For a stout, I picked up a good deal of raisin within the cocoa and roasted coffee notes that make up the primary aroma. There’s also the telltale Belgian yeast in the mix as well as a slight hint of the 9% ABV.

Taste

Not bad. The roasted malt and coffee notes mix with a touch of anise and subtle cocoa that’s not nearly as prominent as it was in the nose. You can definitely tell this one has a Belgian touch to it. The mouthfeel is a little on the thin side for what I’m used to in a stout, but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of this one. The finish has a bitter coffee character that lingers along with the warming alcohol.

Overall

I’ve had a few Belgian stouts or Belgian inspired stouts in the past few months and this one is right in the mix. It’s not the best one I’ve had so far, but it’s well crafted and best enjoyed slowly. It’s thinner mouthfeel makes it quite drinkable, but it’s higher ABV keeps it more in the leisurely range of after-dinner brews.

Rating: 3.5/5

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