First sip is 50 shades of coffee grounds. Not being an expert at coffee, I don't know if it's good coffee, but I can guess that it is, based on the beer's origin city of Portland. It's a fairly bitter beer. The malt is not doing a whole lot to counter the coffee's bitterness. I had expected the usual stout milkiness to really kick in to make this more like an actual cup of coffee, but that doesn't happen in a sip. I'm going in for a proper draught.
Tip-in is light carbonation burn and the distinct sense of something like seltzer water. The flavor is right there - like a zest with nothing behind it. The middle comes with a lot more depth than I expected. I really thought this was going to be a mouthful of coffee, but the middle is beer. It has the characteristic light hops and smokey malt of a stout. I can even pick up oatmeal and barley in the wisps between swallows. All the while, the carbonation hits the top of the mouth with a tingle. Then the finish hits with a hard handful of coffee grounds. It's bitter, and it sits in the mouth long after the rest of the beer has said goodbye.
Bottom Line: I'm not a fan of coffee, but if I was this might be a go-to beer.
2.75/5