It's Tricky


Brewery and Country of Origin: Lost Coast Brewery And Cafe of 617 4th Street, Eureka, California 95482, USA

Date Reviewed: 8-06-13

The term 8 Ball refers to either an American style of billiards (pool) game or the key black "8 ball". And though 8-ball is the world's second most popular cue sport, our personal favorite is artistic pool, known as Trick Shot. You've probably seen highlights of these on ESPN Top Ten, or on compilation videos on YouTube. The idea is that players set up the pool balls, extra cues, glasses, ball racks, bottles, $100 bills or other props and use a great deal of skill and precision to perform some seemingly impossible feat. The result is visually rewarding, as long as the trick is performed correctly. The competition is run in many formats, and the tricks are divided into eight defined "disciplines" including fancy tricks, prop tricks, and others regarding specific cueing techniques including bank shots and jump shots. Tournaments are widely broadcasted on sports TV channels in both American and British markets. Before a tournament starts, all participating players, whether on teams of two or as individuals have to submit the shots they plan on performing, so that the other players know what is being played and have adequate time to practice. During the competition, players are given two chances to successfully complete their shots. They receive one point for each successful attempt. Generally eight to ten shots are played for each match, with the winner obviously being the player or team with the higher number of points. There are also one on one tournaments with no pre-defined shots, making the challenge less predictable and perhaps more exciting. The sport began in the 1970s and became very popular among pool halls in Las Vegas, and is currently governed by the WPA Artistic Pool Division. Today, there are over 160 different recognized trick shots performed at competitions, which occur on both domestic and international arenas.
Date Sampled: 7-13-13 At: 7 Prescott Place Dining Room/Kitchen, Allston, Boston, MA 02134, USA
Beer Style: Oatmeal Stout
Alcohol by Volume: 6.30%
Serving Type: 12 oz Bottle, 16 oz Stange Glass
Rating: 3.62

Look

The 8 ball pours smoothly with a low amount of carbonation action, giving this beer a thin, one quarter inch tall foam head with a low retention rate, and a medium density. This beer has a mostly opaque appearance due to its very dark brown almost black color. In the light, this brew has a deep reddish brown rust color with a dull shine and no real glow. A fair amount of chunky sediment is contained at the bottom. This beer has a moderate amount of lacing.

Aroma

This beer has a malt dominated aroma with a somewhat biscuity and nutty character. The headline is a good amount of sweet roasted dark malt with some chocolate and coffee like notes typical of the style. This is balanced with a fair amount of dull hoppy bitterness. There is no alcohol trace in the aroma, and overall, this is a moderately low strength scent.

Feel

This stout is a medium full bodied brew with a fair amount of weight, a matching viscosity, and a below average amount of carbonation. This beer offers little in the way of refreshment or crispness, and overall, this is a sipping beer which probably goes better with colder weather than the record breaking July we've had so far this year. This beer has a dull and slightly dry finish with a small amount of warming alcohol bite. This is a smooth beer with no added texture from the sediment, as long as it remains settled at the bottom of the glass.

Taste

In general, this tastes like a dark, fairly heavy stout should. Full of dark semi sweet malty character composed of dark chocolate and coffee like flavors, as well as some sweet biscuit bread like notes and a small bit of nuttiness. This is slightly balanced with a trace amount of bittering hops detectable toward the end of this beer's flavor profile. This beer has a lingering malty aftertaste, and a miniscule, but detectable amount of alcohol flavor.

Our Take

Though the season and the forecast suggests we should all be drinking summer wheats or pale ales, that didn't take away from the fact that we're still big fans of rich malty stouts. Seasonals are definitely a good choice for those who like to stay with the tide, but occasionally, it's good to forget what people are telling you what to do, and go with what you already like, and that was the case here. The 8 Ball Stout is a genuine all around good beer for those who are interested in a fully fleged malty experience, with the substance and stature to match. On the face of it, this brew passed all of the typical stout tests, but a couple of qualities hurt its score. First, this beer's relatively average ABV of 6.30% was a bit too present where it shouldn't have been. Despite this beer being full of rich flavors and an aroma indicative of its taste, there were hints of alcohol in both senses. This beer was also dragged by a rather lackluster finish, offering little to sway drinkers into taking another sip immediately. This isn't a heavy imperial or a double, but it finishes like one. That said, this is still a viable option for those who are looking to try a new stout that will deliver an expectedly true and rich experience. Just make sure you're in an air conditioned room if its 103F outside.