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For the preceding several weeks I ve found myself on a malt quest searching for that perfect pint of smell with tones of caramel and chocolate These beers are often deep golden brown or even stark black Last weekend in my hope to search the tastes of the season I ended up in Mount Horeb with a gloomy and rich sweet and silky stout in hand What is it Spetsnaz Stout from Grumpy Troll Restaurant and Brewery of Mount Horeb Style Spetsnaz is most intimately associated with a sweet or cream stout Expect a deep dark colour with tan to brown head The style offers body and mouth feel with a malty sweetness and hints of coffee an

caramel The malt flavor dominates but a hint of jaundice is welcome Hops contribute but they should not overwhelm the spirit or aroma The sweet stout finishes with 3 6 ABV and 15 25 IBUs International Bittering Units Background Spetsnaz is named after the condition for special forces in Russia because as brewer Mark Duchow describes it it s dark mysterious and special The beer made with roasted barley dark chocolate malt and black malt with Nobel hops Duchow attributes its smooth texture and sweet to the roasted barley and the chocolate malt This stout is a 12 year campaign by Duchow He says it s followed him through all the breweries he s worked in and during that time he s worked to amend its composition He explains that the recipe began more as a dry and bitter Irish Stout but has evolved to really showcase the malt Duchow also gives recognition to brewing advice he received from his friend Mark Knobel of Sand Creek Brewing in Black River Falls Spetsnaz Stout was granted a Silver ribbon in 2009 by the Beverage Testing Institute It has an alcohol content of 6 7 ABV and 50 IBUs and it sells for 4 pint 12 growler refill or 6 50 22 ounce bottle It s considered a standard always on tap beer at the Grumpy Troll If you wish this beer an imperial version that s fermented in oak barrels is expected over the winter on the taps of the Grumpy Troll Tasting notes Aroma Roasted chocolate malt Appearance Very dark deep bronze tints with a thick brown head Texture Full bodied with a deep and smooth mouth feel Taste Great roasted chocolate malt body with a smooth sweet malty background Finish Aftertaste There is some assertive coffee like roastedness in the last that lends a light dryness to the beer but overall this beer remains liquid and sweet Glassware The Grumpy Troll serves this in a common bar pint However a tulip pint like a Guinness glass would allow the nose to be focused and the deep black color and compact head to stand out and be showcased in a way this bold beer deserves Pairs well with Spetsnaz is a large beer for fall comfort food especially baked vegetables squash and pumpkin soups It also goes well with aged Swiss and Gouda cheeses Rating Four Bottle Openers out of four The Consensus A excellent at Beer Advocate and a 94 at RateBeer The Verdict Spetsnaz is as Duchow describes dark and special There s heaps of body deep rich colour and smooth sweetness that please the palate so often it can easily get a meal in itself I really enjoyed this beer with the Grumpy Troll s Gyro riffic pizza which features feta cheese and lamb So much so in fact that I picked up a 22 ounce bomber to sip as a nightcap at home This beer is still better when allowed to warm slightly which brings out the coffee and caramel tones of the malt while softening the texture even more More news just in from the Grump The American IPA called Ten Lords Leap n won Grumpy Troll s 2009 Brewer Challenge Duchow announced the victor on Friday October 30 based on its sales over the three other beers in the contest Last March four beers were selected in a homebrew competition and the winner got to brew with Duchow at the Grumpy Troll Ten Lords developed by locals Dave Romanin and Jeff Heller went on tap July 4 and its seven barrels sold out in just 28 days Its make is a character to the method of dry hopping where hops go straight into the fermenter and in the case of Ten Lords at an unusually high order of 10 additions over 10 days Duchow says the hoppy beer was so popular he hopes to bring it second in later winter or other spring

Tags: abv, alcohol content, barley, beverage testing institute, bitterness, breweries, caramel, chocolate malt, dark chocolate, friend mark, hops, malt flavor, malty sweetness, mark knobel, mount horeb, ounce bottle, pint, sand creek, silver medal, smooth texture, Uncategorized

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