Appearance (20%) – Espresso colored body with a medium tan head. The head is fairly tight and hints that it may leave some lace behind, though only leaves small gatherings of froth. Carbonation cannot be detected behind the dark body.

Smell (20%) – Pine spirited hops on the first drift, though frothed milk and some light coffee can be detected when it warms.

Taste (40%) – A smooth coffee and cocoa flavor at the start leads to a piney hops finish. Very impressive.

Mouthfeel (10%) – The hops stays behind on the tongue but it’s not a sticky hops presence like in other beers. Coffee and cocoa bitterness is discovered on ructus (when I burp).

Drinkability (10%) – The first presentation of a Stubborn Man beer left some to be desired, this was by far a much better presentation. With some tuning and a bit of experimentation this could be a favorite of mine, definitely a great start. I’m looking forward to more of his dark bodied ales.

The Marks
A – 3.5
S – 3
T – 4.5
M – 4.0
D – 4.0
TOTAL – 3.9 B+

So there you have it, a solid B+. Looking back at all the beers I’ve reviewed, anything I’ve given a ‘B’ or above is well worth another visit. So visit his blog, send him a tweet, or otherwise let him know you’re interested in having one of his stouts.