Brouwerij Frontaal Compass Series - North 2020

Compass Series - North 2020

 

Brouwerij Frontaal in Breda, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands 🇳🇱

Stout - Imperial Series
Score
7.41
ABV: 11.0% IBU: 38 Ticks: 9
Affogato Coffee Stout
 

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7.5
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

Coffee stout variant by this familiar craft brewer in Breda, a typical postmodern flavoured stout referring to affogato, the Italian practice of ‘drowning’ a scoop of vanilla ice cream in hot espresso. Can shared with Isabel. Open, greyish off-white, thin but more or less retaining ring of foam on a black beer with mahogany glow. Aroma of bourbon, chocolate sauce, indeed coffee (espresso) but hardly any vanilla if any, ground hazelnuts, cinnamon, nougat, varnish, shoe polish, bayleaf, caramel liqueur, almond, salmiak. Sweet onset (raisins) with a dash of porcini-like umami, even a vague ‘drop’-like salty hint, softly carbonated, with rounded, oily, caramelly and chocolatey core with nutty edges, a bit thinned by alcohol (or even already by age?), carrying spicy cinnamon-, bayleaf- and black pepper-like accents with no vanilla in sight. Hot, bourbon-like, peppery alcohol, roasty espresso-like bitterness, spicy hops and some mild solventy effects fill the finish, with the roasty bitterness and the booze reinforcing and lengthening each other. Bit too alcoholic perhaps, but otherwise an oldskool ‘impy’, no pastry fantasies here, even if I did miss a touch of vanilla. Was probably more aromatic when it was still young – flavoured stouts are, after all, often not intended for three years of ageing. Still enjoyable enough, though.

Tried on 21 Jun 2023 at 15:04


8
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Can. Black, dark brown golden head. Herbal leafy, roast, coffee. Medium full chewy very creamy mouthfeel, cocoa, praline, a hint booze, coffee retronasal. Quite intense but very drinkable.

Tried from Can on 09 Nov 2021 at 18:13


7.6
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

Can at Valhalla, huge thanks Hrabren for sharing with Iznogud, Prof. Bekić and me. Extremely dark brown, brownish tiny head. Soft, sweetish, chocolate, tobacco, light carob, light roastiness. Sweetish chocolate, dry taste, light roast, vague carob, bit nutty, quite creamy, light alcohol. Quite good, but didn't thrill me.

Tried from Can on 10 Sep 2021 at 12:42


8
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

0.33 l can shared with prof. Bekić, Iznogud and Marko at Valhalla Craft Beer Bar, Zagreb. Oily dark brown to black, small beige head. Roasty, smoky phenols, some plastic, prunes, licorice. Chocolate, smoke, very smooth and soft, roasty. Soft, good balance, dry finish, some alcohol.

Tried from Can on 09 Sep 2021 at 22:24


6

Alks sõidab üle ja veits räpane, nagu oleks belgia pärmiga (mitte edukalt)tehtud. Muidu magus, karamell, röst, kohv jms. OK, see belgia pärmi laadne räpasus häirib.

Tried on 01 Jun 2021 at 23:52


8.8
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 9 | Overall - 8.5

Can at home. Basically what Bullit said: kinda straightforward RIS, but I want to reward it with a good rating because it is exactly what I need: a good RIS, big enough to bear the heavy coffee and still remain balanced. I like this one. Lovely.

Tried on 12 May 2021 at 06:48


7.9
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Can at Home

Pitch black. Straightforward but decent IS, without a lot of bells and whistles.

Purchased at Mitra Westermarkt Tilburg, Berrie Peek

Tried from Can on 30 Apr 2021 at 22:57


8

Tried from Can on 28 Feb 2021 at 17:55


7.1
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5

Very dark brown with thin head. Aroma and flavour have roasted dark malts and hints of sweetened coffee. Slightly too sweet.

Tried on 29 Jan 2021 at 23:16