Murphy's Irish Stout

 I am so happy my local liquor store carries Murphy’s Stout. The source of my joy stems from the fact that for the longest time, Guinness was the only authentically Irish stout you could find in Edmonton. As a budding beer geek, I’ve been curious to try some authentic Irish stouts that weren’t Guinness. I’ve been wanting to taste more of the “real” stuff so I have something authentic to compare against when trying north American interpretations of the style. 

As it turns out Heineken International is largely responsible for making Murphy’s available outside of Ireland. Previous to Heineken’s purchase in the 1980s, Murphy’s was pretty much local to the Irish market. Since Heineken’s purchase, Murphy’s Irish Stout has been made available in more countries around the world. And although Murphy’s hasn’t put a dent in Guinness’s market share yet, at least it’s available for people to try if they want to try an Irish stout that isn’t Guinness. Murphy’s Stout pours into my glass pitch black, supporting a packed, coffee and cream colored head. As I type this, that head is in no hurry to go anywhere.

Holding the glass up to my nose, I notice a combination of chocolate and a soft, mineral profile. Chocolate and mineral aromas lead into a center where I smell what I can only describe at first as being something grainy. It’s somewhere between bread and a more generic aroma of ripe grain. All of this moves quickly and easily into hints of roasted coffee in the finish.

Taking a sip, I’m confronted with a thick, luscious mouthfeel. The first flavor I notice is a gentle, mineral sort of flavor. It’s a mineral quality that somehow reminds me of the sea. This is followed by flavors of coffee and a supporting hint of chocolate. Just enough to slightly sweeten the overall flavor profile. All of these flavors combine nicely to lead into a finish that has flavors of roasted grains, reinforcing the preceding flavors of coffee.

I think Murphy’s Stout easily deserves an 8.25 out of 10. Murphy’s Stout is rich, smooth, and lush in its mouthfeel, which is something I look for especially in an Irish stout. The flavors are gentle, yet defined. The flavor profile has enough character to easily set it apart from lesser Irish stouts. Have this on a cold winter night, or with a plate of oysters on the half shell.

Black Bridge Milk Stout

Check out the website for Black Bridge Brewing and you’ll see an ominous, black and white picture of an old steel bridge spanning the river outside of Swift Current. This bridge is well known to locals and is the subject of many stories and legends ranging from hauntings to afternoons spent fishing. Inspired by the iconic status of this local landmark, the owners of Black Bridge Brewing have worked to make their brewery as much a household name as the bridge for which their brewery is named.

After spending a year putting together a business plan and acquiring finances, Clayton and Kari Stenson acquired the property they needed to open a brewery. With a 20HL brewhouse and six fermenters, Black Bridge Brewing is now in a position to produce a solid lineup of core beers as well as some seasonals and one-offs. And today, after taking time to build their brand, Black Bridge beers are finally available in Alberta, ready for me to review. Black Bridge Milk Stout fills my glass with a solid, inky blackness. Jet black beer supports a dense head the color of coffee and cream.

Taking a sniff, this milk stout has an up front sweetness. It’s a rich, smooth, lush sort of sweetness that reminds me of a milk chocolate bar. Milk sweetness is supported by a rich, deep maltiness. That rich malt character comes through as fresh baked rye bread, caramel, and maybe just a hint of what smells like anise. All of this leads into a finish where I can smell just a little bit of roasted grain. Not a lot, just enough to slightly contrast the otherwise sweet aromas.

On the tongue, Milk Stout is smooth and lush but the mouthfeel moves very quickly into a gentle, but pleasant dryness. The flavor seems at first to quickly bypass the lactose sweetness you might expect from a milk stout. That being said, there is some sweetness behind that initial turn into dryness, just not the huge presence I expected. Lactose sweetness leads into flavors of licorice before moving quickly into roasted grain dryness.

I’m giving Black Bridge Milk Stout 7.25 out of 10. It’s a decent enough milk stout. The aromas, flavors, and mouthfeel hit most of the notes you might want from this style of beer. My only real complaint is the mouthfeel is lush, but not quite as lush as it could be given, the style. Likewise, the flavor could stand a little more sweetness, given that it is supposed to be a milk stout. That being said, you may want to check this out and decide for yourself.

Echigo Stout

 

          As I ready this review for publication, I can’t decide if I’m going blind in my old age or if I just can’t navigate the information superhighway. Either way, it took me forever to find anything approaching a website for the company making the beer I’m reviewing today. After asking Google to translate the website for me, I found nothing helpful. Poor me, suffering the burdens of having to do research before posting a review. So, let’s tackle this from another angle: exactly what kind of stout is this?

As I refer to the BJCP style guidelines, I take a process of elimination approach to figuring out what kind of stout Echigo is offering me. At 7% abv, it’s too strong to be a traditional Irish stout, and not strong enough to be a Russian imperial stout. It lacks the complex, rich mouthfeel of an oatmeal stout but does have the sweetness of a milk stout. The alcohol content and hints of roasted grains make me think this might be a Japanese version of a foreign extra stout. Until I hear otherwise, that’s what I’m going with. Echigo Stout pours into my glass jet black with a dense, cream colored head.

          Taking a sniff, Echigo’s aroma is sweeter than I expected. Echigo’s aroma is also more subdued than I expected, given that it’s a stronger than average stout. It starts off with the sweetness I’ve seen in milk stouts. From there, I find hints of deep malt and the obligatory roasted grains. The aromas are very pleasant, just not as assertive as you would expect from a strong stout.

          Echigo Stout is full bodied, lush, and smooth. Malt flavors come forward in a way similar to dried fruits somewhere between raisins and dates. Up front smoothness gives a brief illusion of sweetness before moving into darker, maltier flavors. Towards the finish there’s a hint of roasted grains, giving a finish similar to what you’d find in a dark roast coffee. Roasted coffee moves into a brief, dry finish.

          I think Echigo stout deserves a 6.25 out of 10. It’s fine, but nothing in this stout really stands out in any way. The aroma isn’t as robust as I would expect in a stout, let alone a stout over 6% abv. The mouthfeel is smooth, the finish is roasted but there isn’t an overall balance to the beer’s flavor. Interesting example of the style, but there is some room for improvement in my opinion.