Thursday, September 27, 2012

It's new to me - St. Arnold Winter Stout

Having lived in Lafayette for the past 8 years, you would have thought that I would have hit all the beer and wine stores in the area. However as a creature of habit, there was one that I had not visited until recently, Philippe's Wine Cellar. 

I am usually not too picky about wine, and can find lots of good ones in the $10/bottle price range at local supermarkets. Due to this, I rarely felt the need to visit a specialty wine store. Now that I am expanding my beer universe and exhausting what is on the shelves at the usual places, I figured it was about time to try a new place. Their beer selection was quite extensive and they even sell single beers. I have frequently had to purchase a six pack to try a new beer only to have 5 unwanted ones left.

I picked up the LA-31 Acadie single and a six pack of the St. Arnold Winter Stout.


Appearance: Beer poured a pitch black color with a thin khaki colored head, which dissipated quickly. It did leave a nice ring and some good lacing. The carbonation was minimal.

Smell: Lots of chocolate aromas with this beer. I also noted some roasted malt smells. Nice aromas for this stout.

Taste/Mouthfeel: As would be expected by the nose, chocolate and caramel flavors dominate. The mouthfeel was on the heavy side of medium, but not as heavy as a Guinness. The St. Arnold Stout was also less bitter than the typical stout.

Overall: I really liked this beer. For some Stout lovers, this one may be on the mild side, but it has a nice character and is very drinkable. Lots of chocolate flavor and no bitterness. This is a very good stout and worth trying. For more info on this beer, please see St. Arnold Winter Stout.

I am glad to see I have another option for harder to find beers locally. I will certainly be back. For more information on Philppe's, please see Philippe's.

Cheers!

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