Schell's Stout

Hailing from New Ulm, Minn., August Schell Brewing produces a huge spectrum of beers under a number of labels. The eponymous August Schell brand showcases the brewery’s respectable talents, and includes Schell’s Stout, a creamy, sweet tipple. Evincing the sugary, cookie-like characteristic of sweet stouts, this brew tosses in handfuls of chocolate chip and Kraft caramel notes, yielding a deeply complex nose. Rick had high praise for the “Oreo Cookie” notes of creamy chocolate, punctuated by hints of café latte. Working through the dominating sweetness, he uncovered a slightly dusty cocoa powder note lending another yet another aromatic dimension. The faintly cloying lactose sweetness was a little high for Tim, but he felt the dark roast coffee and burnt toast malt notes keep things in balance. An opaque ebony brew, Schell’s Stout boasts the meringue-like beige head that epitomizes the style. Laden with sweet maltose, caramel, and turbinado sugar, the flavor also shows off hints of Arabic coffee beans and vanilla. Tom found the sweetness overpowering at first, but managed to get past the sugar to find semi-sweet chocolate and café au lait lurking in the depths. Pete liked the creamy caramel and toffee highlights and praised the pungent, roasted coffee baseline. More of a dessert or sipping beer than a brew to be quaffed by the pint, Schell’s Stout makes an excellent fireside nightcap.