Has a bit of an acrid flavor quality that cuts through flavors like a knife. Most likely the coffee bitterness and the alcohol ethers working in conjunction. A bit distracting as it mutes everything else down a few pegs. On the plus side, it has cocoa and nutty undertones but conversely I would like some more of a creamy mouthfeel with more mocha quality but it just wasn’t there. Still nice but only 90 points from me.
This is the clear winner when comparing these two imperial porters. Much smoother with just enough vanilla to make it push it to decadent. Not sure why this one presents more creamy than the coffee version, but it does. Like its counterpart, some nutty and cocoa flavors. I’ll push Treehouse Abstraction Vanilla a couple ticks ahead of its coffee counterpart. 92 points.
Thanks Mark for picking these up…glad you made it.
There are just some breweries that do it right. The lines and the distance people travel are a testimony to the quality of their beer. Show me the brewery with a crowd that makes bad beer. By comparison, I have to shake my head at some of the newer breweries in New Jersey and wonder why we can’t have that here (Carton and Kane aside). I don’t know, maybe they aspire to be like Tree House brewing but certainly they haven’t hit the home run beer. If it were me – I’d hand them an IPA from Tree House or Trillium and say “make this” and you’ll be on the map and sell beer as quick as you can make it.
Anyway, my friend Mike made the Trillium and Tree House run in one day and after spending a few hours on line waiting, he returned with a bevy of goodies including a two liter growler of Double Shot Gracenote Kenya Irati. Tree House has done a number of variations on the base stout – Double Shot. This one has the addition of coffee.
Here are the notes from the brewery:
DOUBLE SHOT Gracenote Kenya Irati (American Stout – 7.6% ABV) – We are very excited to partner with our friends from Gracenote Coffee Roasters for this special rendition of Double Shot! The Kenya Irati beans were selected after an exhaustive cupping and blending session, resulting in a well integrated and bright rendition of our favorite coffee beer. We experience flavors and aromas of dark chocolate, chocolate covered espresso beans, a caramel / brown sugar note, and cardamom-like spice. The mouthfeel here is robust and syrupy, with soft velvety carbonation – a true standout on this batch! It is, in our opinion, the result of what is possible with the careful selection of ingredients and the spirit of true collaboration. We are so excited to share it with you!
I’ll say that this is complex with chalky dark baker’s chocolate and a real mellow coffee flavor. Not as syrupy as they portray but velvety enough to enhance the experience. Smooth with a roasted bitter finish. Really nice I’ll call Double Shot Gracenote Kenya by Tree House a solid 94 points.
