Beer #130 – May 12, 2010: Blue Fin Stout

Beer: Blue Fin Stout

Brewery: Shipyard Brewing Company, Portland, Maine

Style: Irish Dry Stout

Serving Type: 12 oz bottle

Price: $8.99 / six-pack

Availability: Year-round

Glassware: Glass Mug

Strength: 4.7% ABV (alcohol by volume)

Drinkability: Overall, a subtle and mild, but clean and crisp classic stout

Tasting Notes

Appearance: Deep walnut-black with a big, frothy, tan head

Aroma: Sweet roasted aroma with a hint of coffee beans

Mouthfeel: Medium body with light fizzy bubbles of carbonation

Taste: Starts with a brown sugar and touch of almost burnt caramel sweetness into a middle of roasted earthy coffee beans and bitter peanut skins.  The finish is drying, slightly bitter, with a hint of butterscotch.

Pairing: A real Maine Lobster roll in a New England style split-top bun, toasted, and served hot with a little drawn butter (no mayo!).  Dark beer and light seafood sounds like a strange pairing, but trust me, it works wonderfully!

Trivia: Maine is truly the lobster capital: with around 40 million pounds of lobster caught yearly, it supplies 90% of lobster sold in the U.S.