Camden Ink Stout: 5.5 –The ink naming here is very apt. While this isn’t heavy or syrupy it does have a deeply roasted almost acrid flavor to it. However rather than leaving that in your mouth it ends cleanly like a passing squid.
Price Average: $6
Website: http://www.camdentownbrewery.com/
Stone Xocoveza: 3.5 – Oh god the amount of coffee and mocha there is obnoxious. A coffee flavored beverage can often be okay, but this bitter and dark-chocolate, and spiced monstrosity is for people who want to appear to drink beer. The problem being those people hate beer, and now we’re catering to them. The small number of points here is purely for a serious coffee lover would enjoy this enough to balance the score a little.
Price Average: Stone Xocoveza $16 for 6-pack
Website: http://www.stonebrewing.com/
Tom Swamp Road: 6.0 – That is exactly as light as you can get with a stout before people stop calling it a stout. What it lacks in depth, density, or complexity it makes up for in how easy it is to drink.
Price Average: Tom Swamp Road $8 draft
Website: http://www.honestweightbeer.com/
Cadillac Mountain Stout: 4.5 – This is an okay stout. It doesn’t do anything overly great or unique to standout. It also just slightly has an off aftertaste and in truth – not a big fan.
Price Average: Cadillac Mountain Stout $10 for mixed 6-pack
Website: http://www.atlanticbrewing.com/
Latte Stout: 4.0 – It’s a kinda tart coffee I don’t really like it and I think know it would only be good with like a raspberry dessert which would kill me (allergic). It’s certainly a distinctive beer, but I’m not sure where the latte comes in.
Price Average: Latte Stout $6 (Draft)
O’Hara’s Irish Stout: 6.5 – I’ve not had anything claiming to be a dry irish stout but to describe this imagine a Guinness that ends in a way that can only be described as clean. It makes it very easy to drink and throw back as you don’t get any weight to it after you put the glass back down.
Price Average: O’Hara’s Irish Stout $10 for a 4-pack
Website: http://www.carlowbrewing.com/
Guinness Foreign Extra Stout: 6.0 – It’s a little more dark and almost Porter like compared to the stout possibly imperial style. It is overall a more rich flavor, but I prefer the black Lager or original if I’m honest. (FYI: I’ve tried to determine to little success if this is exactly the same as the Special Export needed in our Beer Poster Challenge, if it is hit me up in the comments)
Price Average: Name $5
Website: https://www.guinness.com/
Alright campers, time to end our Summer Vacation beer specials with a trip to beer camp. In previous years Beer Camp was an interesting idea where a bunch of breweries collaborated to make a 12 pack of unique beers. This time the field has expanded to include 30+ breweries but for only 6 beers! A fact that may actually come back to haunt this sampler like the ghost stories of our youth.
Grainstore Rutland Beast: 6.5 – it has a sweet chocolate but more like truffle taste? I guess. That sweetness though almost takes the wind out of the beer sails power-wise which is what I wanted from the name/look of the beer. (Also fairly certain this is tap-only)
Price Average: Name $8
Website: http://www.grainstorebrewery.com/
Spencer Imperial Trappist Stout: 5.5 – It’s an okay imperial stout, and much like their ale it’s totally servicable. Certainly not worth the hype or price it carries though.
Price Average: Spencer Imperial Trappist Stout $12
Website: http://www.spencerbrewery.com/