The Substation Stout was brewed on September 14th with James and Sam and bottled on October 12th. It had a primary fermentation with two packs of US-05 and a secondary fermentation, pitched in the same vessel two weeks later, of White Labs 099 super high gravity ale yeast in order to bump the ABV up to 15%. There are a lot of differing opinions on how to use the 099 and many different results. However, this collaboration was nothing short of triumphant.
Appearance - I have been only serving one bottle at a time split between two brandy snifters, and 6oz has been just the right amount. The stout pours dark and thick and the "legs" run slowly down the side of the glass. We added priming sugar, but no carbonation has yet been produced.
Smell - The aroma is quite potent. Dark fruits of plum and raisin mellow of to hints of cocoa and coffee. It almost smells like port wine.
Taste - The first bottle I opened in early December had quite a bit of dark fruit taste and was not nearly as malty as I had anticipated. However, the subsequent bottles in late December has less fruit and more of the dark, roasted, coffee, and chocolate flavors that one desires in a stout.
Mouthfeel - This has a very thick, full-bodied mouthfeel. No carbonation yet. Not very creamy when compared to an oatmeal stout. Maybe oatmeal should be added if we brew this again next year?
Overall - Quite and amazing beer. It pairs exceptionally well with dessert, but it can stand alone as a single drink. I will definitely be letting a few of these age to see what they taste like next year at this time.
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