Thick Like Syrup, Tasty Like Beer

Let me start by saying that I DID follow through on making the next batch of beer ice cream. In fact, it is spinning around in the ice cream machine thingy. Instead of the Vanilla Cream Ale from Raccoon River Brewing I went with their Stonecutter Stout, a beer dedicated to the stone masons who built many of the historic buildings in Des Moines. The stout fit in MUCH better with the recipe I found. I’ll have more on that later on when I can actually try the ice cream.

Image Source

In lieu of the ice cream review and recipe tonight I’ll be talking about the Raccoon River Brewing Stonecutter Stout. The recipe I used only called for 2/3 of a cup of stout, but naturally I thought it was a better idea to get a 64 ounce growler so as to get a “better sample.”

Stonecutter is about as thick as maple syrup and is darker than the back of a cave. It has very little carbonation and almost no head. I know that many people don’t want any carbonation in their stouts, but I still like a little bit there. What head there was was a dark brown color and disappeared quickly. If it weren’t for the delicious coffee/chocolate flavor I might not have finished the growler. It’s amazing how sometimes a flavor can really rescue what I assume won’t be a great beer.

The end result is an easy-drinking, extremely thick brew. I think it would be a bit better with a nice hearty beef stew or a bowl of chili or something. I feel like it would be a better at some point midway through the winter while I’m watching a movie or reading a good book. That is generally true with porters, they belong in cold weather with a hearty meal.

I’ll let you know about how the ice cream with stonecutter stout turns out when I try it tomorrow.