Reviewing the Road Slush Stout from New Glarus Brewing Company.Score: 91
Bottled on 12/06/11 (bottled day is "340"), served in a snifter glass, and enjoyed 01/11/12. This one is thus a touch over a month old.
Appearance: Pours a deep, dark brown -- almost black -- color with one finger of creamy mocha colored head that settles into a thin later. Mostly opaque with dark caramel colored highlights at the top of the glass. Served a bit on the cold side, but there is a noticeable effervescence. Excellent lacing. 4.5/5
Smell: First impression is lots of creamy oatmeal and roasted coffee. Some toasted grains. Further whiffs reveal light chocolate/cocoa and caramel too. There is a distinctly familiar chocolate candy aroma here, and I think it's a Tootsie Roll. 4/5
Taste: There are a lot of roasted malt flavors present in this beer. I can detect roasted coffee, toasted oats, and roasted chocolate, with a little smokiness too. There is a little caramel malt and some light citrus on the mid-palate and towards the finish. Lingering finish is bitter with more of the roasted malt flavors. Detecting a lot more oats/oatmeal flavors in this one than I have in recent oatmeal stouts. Yum. 4/5
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with light-medium carbonation. Getting a lot less carbonation than was expected from the appearance, but maybe that was just "excess" air trapped in the glass from the pour. I was expecting the body to be a little thin for some reason or another, but found it perfect. Finishes bitter, but not dry. 4/5
Overall: It took me a handful of misses, but I finally found a beer from New Glarus that comes in a six pack that I enjoy. Before this, I had only enjoyed a few of the beers in the Unplugged and Thumbprint series, but this beer is really, really tasty. I would certainly buy this one again.
Recommendation: A really, flavorful starter stout for casual beer drinkers. Beer geeks should seek this one out too.
Pairings: A smoked dark meat dish.
Cost: $2 for a single bottle or $9.99 for a six pack.
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