The Defender American Stout
Haymarket Pub & Brewery in Chicago, Illinois, United States 🇺🇸
Stout Regular|
Score
7.07
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Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 5
On tap at Haymarket, pours black with a small tan head. Aroma brings out harsh roasted malt, with ample hops, and some wood. Flavour is very aggressive, borderline abrasive, with lots of woody roast, lots of hops, and some perfume. This seems rather chaotic and lacking cohesion. Tough one to drink.
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
12 ounce can into tulip glass, canned on 2/12/2019. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 2 finger dense and rocky tan head with amazing retention, that reduces to a large cap that lasts. Thick foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Amazing appearance. Aromas of big dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark bread/crust; with lighter notes of red grapefruit, orange, lemon, peach, pineapple, citrus peel/rind, peppercorn, pine, smoke, charcoal, wood, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast/roast//toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/black/roast/bready malts and moderate citrus/earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste of big dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark bread/crust; with lighter notes of red grapefruit, orange, lemon, peach, pineapple, citrus peel/rind, peppercorn, pine, smoke, charcoal, wood, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast/roast//toasted earthiness. Light-moderate pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, floral, grassy, peppery hops; and roast/charcoal bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, dark bread/crust, red grapefruit, orange, lemon, peach, pineapple, citrus peel/rind, peppercorn, pine, smoke, charcoal, wood, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast/roast//toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts and moderate citrus/earthy hop flavors; with a great roast/hop bitter/sweet balance; and no acrid/astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering hop/char bitterness. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/bready, and fairly sticky/chalky mouthfeel that is great. Light lingering resins/rinds through the glass. Minimal warming alcohol for 7%. Overall this is an outstanding American stout. All around awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts and moderate citrus/earthy hop flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the modestly bitter/drying finish; not overly bitter/charred. Perfectly balanced between clean/rich malt complexity and citrus/earthy American hops. Mild residual sweetness with lingering resin dryness. A highly enjoyable offering, and outstanding spot on style example.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9
From tap at the brewpub. Black color with brown head. Roasted malty aroma, chocolate, cocoa, coffee, licorice. Sweet and bitter taste like aroma. Medium oily to creamy body with soft carbonation.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
On tap at Haymarket Chicago. Black beer lasting tan head. Roasty aroma and flavour. Some tar some dark chocolate. But harsh on the finish roast. OK.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
(Tap) clear, bright, very dark brown colour with a small brown head; aroma of jam, dried fruit; thick palate; balanced flavour with a long, light bitter finish, reminds me of a light barley wine
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8
Draft at the brewpub. Pours black-brown with a creamy, tan head. Moderate ashy roast in the nose, ample burnt pine. Medium sweet flavour with butter ash, baking cocoa, some fired berries, earth. Medium to full bodied, lightly chewy, with fine carboantion. Ashy and lightly resinous to finish, with more bittersweet baking cocoa, scorched earth, burnt molasses. Good one.