Tasting Notes: Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout

Appearance: Pours a thick, dark brown, almost black, and almost entirely opaque.  Has a nice, frothy caramel colored head to it, which has a good hold and some pretty nice lacing after it settles.  When poured, the head develops almost as if the beer were on nitro (will have to look into this actually), kind of cascading up the beer to the top of the glass.

Aroma:  Strong coffee with a hint of chocolate as well.  The aroma is more like coffee beans than already-brewed coffee.

Mouthfeel:  Flows pretty freely over the palate for coming in at over 9% ABV, although it does coat the tongue toward the finish, and the astringency dries the palate for the finish as well.

Flavors:  Initial flavors are strong on coffee, like a fresh brewed, black coffee.  Very strong coffee flavor, and none of the chocolate I picked up in the nose.  As the beer rests, the bitterness changes from a coffee bitterness to a hoppy astringency.  Finishes with just a touch of heat from the relatively high ABV, and a dry, astringent pucker from the hops.

Overall:  Not an easy-drinking stout for sure.  At almost 10% ABV, and with a healthy dose of both coffee and hop bitterness, this one is probably better served in a snifter than a pint glass, but hey, I'm at home and not driving anywhere, right?  Definitely not a smooth transition from someone whose only exposure to stouts is Guinness or something similar.  A serious beer with a lot of complementary flavors.  The bitterness is prominent, but not overpowering, and the interplay between the hops, the dark malt, and the coffee is fun.  The bitterness never goes away, but it does morph as the beer sits on your palate, which makes it a little intriguing and more interesting than some other stouts, or some other "bitter" beers.  Probably not an everyday choice for me, but definitely a great beer for a fall night.