Tripping over

It might be a holiday, but there are plenty or workers dedicated to our leisure and comfort still toiling away.  Beer slingers among them, and high on my list obviously.  I head down to one of my go-to’s, Taproom, with its many, many choices.  First I take what’s recommended to me by the manager (yay, people know what I like!), an American Stout from the English Duration Brewing.  I don’t know if Ebb & Flow means it’s going to surprise me in the middle and the end, but I also don’t think that has to be bad. 

It looks plenty stouty, as you would expect being from the cradle of stouts.  It’s not an exceptionally strong beer, only 6.5%, so I’m not expecting a punch in the jaw here, but you never know.  There’s only a faint tickle of slight fruitiness in the aroma, which is a little surprising.  It continues into the flavor too, feeling very light and delivering more fruit than smoke or earth, not a lot of citrus, just a tad.  It’s not nearly as heavy as some orange stouts, and in fact not like a good many of my preferred stouts at all.  It takes a while for a touch of woody smoke to come through, just a mild teasing flavor before the takes over again.  It’s one of those that many who hesitate to try a summer stout would appreciate.  I’m not saying I don’t appreciate it either, but I am looking forward to something heavier a little later on.

Later, there’s Seven Island Gimme Smores; no picture, because it actually looks very much the same, but the tasting experience is definitely something else.  There’s a tickle of sweetness in the aroma, but the flavor is so, so there in the summer camp evening.  It’s sweet for sure, with the blend of both chocolate and marshmallow sugar, but there’s a base of something more solid and more substantial that gives the beer a feeling of both fun and steadiness.  It’s not given as a pastry stout, but the level of sweet makes you think it might be in that category.  No smoke comes out of this one, but at some point a certain amount of earth seems to be detectable, giving the beer a balance and grounded feeling that makes you feel like it’s ready to support you in any circumstance.

The beers were flowing freely and the bar was full of calm but happy drinkers; what more do you want from a Labor Day?