On Draft


Brewery and Country of Origin: Fort Collins Brewery of 1020 East Lincoln Avenue, Fort Collins, CO, 80524, USA

Date Reviewed: 5-09-14

Last night was the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft, an annual event full of its usual array of surprises, disappointments, and expected happenings. One of the biggest stories of the night was the Buffalo Bills' decision to trade up five slots (with a first round pick in 2015) for the number 4th spot overall, claiming Clemson junior Wide Receiver Sammy Watkins, who was regarded as the best offensive pick in the draft this year. But the draft has another six rounds to go, happening tonight and tomorrow, and many more skilled players will go undrafted before they begin their NFL debuts. These players come from all over the country, including Fort Collins, Colorado, where this beer, brewed by the Fort Collins Brewery is obviously based. Fort Collins has a fairly rich football history. Many professional football players have come from Fort Collins, Colorado, including defensive back Jeff Donaldson, center Jon Cooper, linebacker Pete Monty, and Korey Jones, who plays in the CFL. And Sonny Lubick, former head coach of the CSU football team and 1994 Sports Illustrated national coach of the year, is perhaps Fort Collins most widely recognizable public figure. After Hughes Stadium, the home field of the CSU Rams, was renovated in 2005, it was decided that it would be named Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium in honor of the colleges' most successful coach. The College, the flagship university of the Colorado State University system, is located in Fort Collins and is the alma mater of former Denver Broncos linebacker Rick Dennison. Dennison made three Super Bowl appearances in the 1980s and 90s, unfortunately losing all three. Since he retired after his team's third superbowl loss in four years, he has amassed a list of coaching accolades, most recently capturing the quarterbacks coach position for the Baltimore Ravens, perhaps bringing some much needed hope to Joe Flacco. Dennison went undrafted in 1982, but later signed to the Broncos, where he would spend the entirety of his NFL career. There has been an NFL draft every year since 1936, well before the league became what it is today, and every year, it marks a major event during the offseason. A time when, even though the next regular season game isn't for many many months, you can still enjoy a beer and talk about football the pub.
Date Sampled: 3-17-14 At: 7 Prescott Place, Allston, Boston, MA 02134, USA
Beer Style: American Stout
Alcohol by Volume: 5.30%
Serving Type: 12 oz Bottle, 16 oz Tumbler Glass
Rating: 2.98

Look

Fort Collins' Chocolate Stout pours smoothly with a very low amount of carbonation action, producing a thin, eighth inch tall foam head with a low renetion level, a medium low density, and a tan color. This beer has a very dark brown, opaque appearance with no visible sediment and no real effervescent effect. This beer also a very dull glow in bright light, and no shine. There is no settling at the bottom, and there is a small amount of lacing that shows up on the glass.

Aroma

A deep roasted coffee and espresso aroma is immediately present, along with a slightly bitter balancing act. This is a bold, malty aromatic experience which is accompanied by a good amount of earthy and nutty tones. Strong dark chocolate and sweet creamy notes are expected, and a biscuity undertone augments. There is only a small, but present and noticeable amount of slightly citrusy hops. The aroma contains no alcohol or metallic tinge and overall, is of average strength.

Feel

This is a medium full bodied brew with a very smooth, almost creamy texture. This beer has an above average weight, a medium high viscosity, and a lower than average amount of carbonation, making this beer somewhat dull feeling, and heavy overall. This is more of a sipping, colder weather beer. Fort Collins' stout offers little in the way of any refreshing qualities, but there is a small amount of dryness with a somewhat crisp and clean finish with no alcohol warming.

Taste

As implied by the name, style, and aroma, this beer has a strong semi sweet dark chocolate flavor full of rich roasted malt. There are strong esspresso and nutty secondary notes as well. All of this is balanced somewhat by a soapy and piney hoppy end experience which brings about a bitter, lingering aftertaste after a dry finish. The coffee notes are also fairly bitter, almost burnt tasting. There was a subtle, yet definitely noticeable alcohol induced tinge toward the end of this beer's flavor profile.

Our Take

This beer is expectedly malty, ticking all of the right boxes when it comes to a beer labeled "Chocolate Stout". Anyone looking for a sweet, bold, and rich roasted beer with a mostly heavy presence should give this Colorado product a try. Fort Collins' Chocolate Stout delivers a full, strong flavor profile despite a fairly restrained aroma which does little to enhance the flavor. This beer is also a colder weather, sipper which paired well with the Portuguese chorizo that we had with it. In general, this beer should do well with any meats, especially beef or pork, or any sweet desserts afterward. This beer does nto offer much in terms of a hoppy experience, nor does it excite in terms of bringing about a genuinely unique or groundbreaking experience. This is actually a fairly standard brew for the style, which is why you shouldn't be disappointed.