Williamsburg AleWerks Coffeehouse Stout

The Coffeehouse Stout is the first beer from Williamsburg AleWerks I’ve ever tried. It’s also the first craft beer from Virginia I’ve ever tried. I will be trying many, many more of both in the near future. If a brewery can make one beer this good, my money is on all of its beers being worthwhile. I’m kind of a snob when it comes to stouts, and the Coffeehouse Stout is way up there with the best I’ve ever had. A milk stout made with Guatemala Antigua coffee, it’s sweet and creamy without subduing those strong, rich coffee notes. Some coffee stouts come off like bad gas station iced mochas - that’s not the case here. This is a stout through and through, with a great roasty flavor and an underlying taste of chocolate for added complexity. The milk component does have a creamer-like effect on the coffee taste - but not in an overdone sort of way. Sometimes milk stouts are enjoyable because the sweetness obliterates the bitterness. But here the sweetness works in perfect unison with the bitterness, actually enhancing the strength of the coffee notes. The flavor truly approaches perfection. This is an insanely drinkable stout and one of the most delicious beers I’ve had in quite some time. Too bad it’s a seasonal and I won’t see it in stores again until late fall at the earliest. Come summer, when I’m drinking wheat beers and saisons every night, I’ll be jonesing hardcore for the Coffeehouse Stout!