Tallgrass Brewing - Buffalo Sweat Stout

Tonight I'm going to drink this tall can of Buffalo Sweat stout from Tallgrass Brewing.  A couple months ago, I tried their IPA and it was decent, nothing special.  Steve's brother Kenny mentioned at that point that the Buffalo Sweat was a good one to try, so I'm pumped to finally taste it.  The beer is brewed with cream sugar, which according to Tallgrass, helps balance out the mega-super-copious amount of roasted barley used in the brewing process.  This just happens to be the brewers' favorite choice at Tallgrass.  It registers a mild 5%ABV and 20 IBUs.

This comes in a tall pint can with a huffing buffalo on the front.  The can states "Dangerously Dark.  Authentically Awesome.  Pour a Pint..."  The beer is a pitch-dark red brown with a strong inch+ of creamy tan head.  The aroma is unique - sweet roast sprinkled with brown sugar and strong notes of creamed coffee.  The flavor is also unique for the style.  It starts off with chocolate roasted grains, sweet and creamy at first.  Then comes a wave, Tsunami, of coffee.  So much coffee.  With that comes a mild bitterness that carries through to the finish.  The mouthfeel is disappointingly thin, and the carbonation is high.

Overall Rating:  This is a simple, straight-forward cream stout.  It accentuates a creamed coffee flavor that is unique, considering coffee wasn't a key ingredient in the brew.  Unfortunately it was a bit too thin, not enough backbone to carry this one home.  Regardless, an inexpensive session brew worth trying.  B-

Brau Brothers - Cream Stout

Today's beer is brewed by Brau Brothers Brewing in the small town of Lucan, MN (population 220).  The Cream Stout is one of Brau's most popular year-round brews, with an english influence to the recipe and brewing style.  It comes in at a mild 4.5%ABV and 21 IBUs, brewed with English Ale yeast and Goldings/Fuggles hops. 

The label design is classic Brau Brothers - Boring.  It includes a short description of the beer on the side, which is pictured below.  F for creativity!  The label says this beer is right at home in a pint glass, so that's where it's going.  The color is an ink-black with a half-inch tan head.  The aroma is a combination of roasty chocolate malts and dark roast coffee...a firm, husky smell that isn't overwhelming but fairly one-sided.  The taste is the aroma incarnate - roasted, burnt malts with some expresso concentrate.  Then there is a short, fleeting burst of bitterness, and then everything washes away almost instantly, leaving just a hint of that roasted expresso flavor in the background.  Mouthfeel is a bit thin, along with the carbonation.

Overall Rating:  (3.0 out of 6.0)  This was a fairly straight-forward, simple stout.  The body was a bit too thin.....not a bad beer, but don't go out of your way for it.