Pick 6: Stouts & Sours

A mixed pack containing a stark contrast of flavors.

That’s right. A mix your six pack of two beer styles that couldn’t be anymore different. On one end we have the dark, delicious flavors of roasted malts and on the other, the salty, fruity flavors of sour goses. Both delicious in their own ways. Here is what I thought of them and the drunken poetry inspired by their distinct flavors (primarily things about midnight black and beaches).

Toppling Goliath – Morning Latte – 8.0% – Imperial Stout

“Mornin’ Latte is an Imperial Coffee Milk Stout brewed with lactose and a careful blend of cacao nibs and aromatic coffee to emulate an iced mocha latte. This delicious beer asks you to slow down, pour a glass and enjoy the moment.”

Now this is a coffee worth waking up for.  The Morning Latte does an excellent job of mimicking an actual latte. It’s both rich in strong roasted coffee flavor and a smooth creaminess that ends in a subtlety chocolate sweetness to achieve a perfect harmonious balance. And at a strong 8.1%, it’s the best way to start a Sunday morning.

Brewing Projekt – Cowabunga – 4.75% – Gose

“Gose style ale with watermelon, pineapple, sea salt, and hibiscus.”

Incredibly smooth for a gose, with very little tartness and a whole lotta fruit flavor. There are notes of sweet, juicy pineapple, refreshing watermelon, and tart green apple, with a salty finish. In a way, I think why I love it so much is that it reminds me of one of my favorite goses, The Green Zebra, from Founders – another watermelon flavored gose. I think the main difference is the Cowabunga is a bit heavier with juicy fruit flavor than Green Zebra.

Saugatuck Brewery – Blueberry Maple Stout – 6.0%

“A rich, sweet stout with classic malt characteristics with a bold, unique twist. This beer tastes like you crammed a fat stack of blueberry pancakes into a pint glass and smothered it with maple syrup. Channel your inner lumberjack, because it’s in for a real treat.”

Another breakfast beer! Seriously, why stouts should be a breakfast standard. With the blueberry maple stout captures everything about breakfast. For a stout, it’s surprisingly light, and has notes of cereal and caramel malt, with that synthetic blueberry muffin sweetness. All that ends with a perfect pancakey maple sweetness. 10/10 I prefer to drink my pancakes from now on.

Eagle Park Brewing – Tropical Berliner Weisse – 4.0%

“Berliner Weisse with passionfruit, mango, and guava puree.”

Another subtle sour, where it’s more fruit and less bite. I suspect that’s the puree, which gives this a thick, almost slushie like mouthfeel. But man oh man is it refreshing alright. It’s a tropical fruit lover’s dream, with notes of mango, pineapple, and passion fruit. I wish I had a slushie machine that just served this straight up.

Founders Brewing – CBS – 11.3% – Imperial Stout

“CBS was born when we stumbled upon some bourbon barrels that had previously housed maple syrup. We opted to put the same base beer as KBS, an imperialized version of Breakfast Stout, in the maple barrels and, after one taste, we knew we had something special. Rich maple syrup, roasted coffee and velvety chocolate meld together in what can only be described as a transcendental drinking experience.”

Back to the dark roasts. And what a palette changing monster this baby is. It’s RICH. That’s how I would sum up CBS. Rich rich rich notes of dark decadent chocolate, maple, cherry, and coffee. It does have a hint of oakiness to it. But other than that, it’s like drinking the most luxurious chocolate cake.

Humble Forager – Coastal Sunshine Version 7 – 6.0% – Fruit Ale

“This variant of Coastal Sunshine explores a diverse array of tropical fruits. Featuring mouth-watering passion fruit, juicy pineapple, drippy mango, creamy pink guava and vibrant pink dragon fruit. These fruits will teleport your senses to chill coastal vibes.”

And we end on a sour note. A most mouthwatering experience at that. The Coastal Sunshine (what a lovely name) has a nice tanginess, and like the others, a lot of fruit flavor. It’s like a tropical pink lemonade. And I’d honestly have to say, at the top of my list for a desert island beer. It’s like drinking one of those really good beach sunsets. The ones with the sangria like colors. I think the CBS is getting to me.

Midnight’s Song

I dreamt a song, I wish I knew to sing
I longed for things, I never really knew

I yearned for things, I truly thought I knew
Like midnight’s cool embrace, her siren song

With midnight’s cool embrace, her deadly song
I stumbled along, so heavy headed

I stumbled along, so heavy hearted
My footprints washed away in the cold cold waves

My handprints haunt the cold cold window pains
I longed for something I never really knew

I longed for something I wished to be true
I sang a song, I wish I knew to sing. 

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