Lost Coast Brewery: [8 Ball] Stout

I don't know what took me so long to try this brew. Lost Coast has a stout with a giant 8 ball on the label. Right up my alley: I love sampling California brews, I savor stouts, pool is a great bar game, and '8' is my favorite number. Well, Lost Coast only sells this ale in 22oz bombers, so it can be difficult to locate. I found a store that sells 'em and it's time to give the brew a review.

Not surprisingly this stout pours with a pitch black color and is topped off by a decent sized head; evoking imagines of a liquid 8 ball. While the head is more a light tan than a true white, I still like the title. The beer is very carbonated and bubbles dance around on the tongue during the first sip. Flavors of dark chocolate initially emerge and are followed by bitter hops and coffee. A coffee bean after taste lingers in the mouth for a few seconds after each sip creating a very strong overall flavor. While the stout is initially too carbonated for my tastes if you let it sit for a while, the fizzyness dissipates and then the beer has a creamy body to compliment the powerful flavors.

With a title designed for my liking, after drinking the beer I was hoping to shout: "Eureka, I found it!" However, this Lost Cost offering is not the best stout I've ever sampled. But it's pretty good. Definitely worth a try. I definitely get behind the 8 ball again. Cheers.