This is another Montana made beer, made with 100% organic ingredients, most from the area of the brewery. A relatively small brewery but they are located near Missoula, Montana but have a limited distribution. I heard from one of the beer buyers at a Missoula grocery store that the owner makes great beer but is hard to deal with on a personal level, which hurts his product in the long run. All that back story aside, here is my review.
Wildwood Brewery - Mystical Stout
Stats
- Brewer: Wildwood Brewing, Stevensville, Montana
- Alcohol Content: 5.4% by volume
- IBUs: Not listed, but I would estimate in the mid-range, 40's.
- Company Description: Mystical stout is an Irish style dry stout similar to that brewed by a renown brewery in County Cork, Ireland. Organic two row barley and black roasted malts give this beer a flavor and aroma reminiscent of coffee. This beer is easy drinking and user friendly.
13.2° Plato original gravity, approximately 5.4% alc./vol.
Presentation
Mystic Stout comes in a 16 oz can with old time Americana artwork on the front. This is consistent with the other beers from Wildwood, the art work varies but is not really directly tied to the beer name. The side of the can includes a little description of the brewery and how it was started with local grow ingredients. The beers are sold in 4 packs and are relatively easy to recognize due to the consistent use of art on the cans. They are really trying to present a "home grown organic" feel for their beers.
The Beer
- Appearance: The beer pours out a nice dark brown, nearly black color with a modest khaki foam head. Hints of rudy color can be seen when held up to the light.
- Aroma: The strongest aroma is of coffee.
- Taste: This beer tastes good, a stronger dark coffee taste with hints of toffee, pretty mild though and smooth.
- Mouthfeel: As with most beers there is the carbonation in the mouth but it also has a nice coffee finish and indication if is dry.
- Drinkability: A very drinkable stout, not overly bitter. and a modest abv of just over 5% aids in the drinkability. A classic Irish stout is what is claims to be and that is not far off the mark if at all.
Rating and Final Thoughts
I gave this stout a high rating of 4.25 on Untappd, which is in the middle of most of my stout ratings. My friends on Untappd that have tried it (2) were on the same page with a 4.25 while overall it has a 3.54 from the other 364 souls who have tried it. I liked the organic nature of the ingredients, making you feel like you are getting a true "local" beer with some ingredients actually grown on the brewery grounds. Plus it is a small old style brewery in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana. This would seem to be a beer most readers on here will never see but if you get a chance and like stouts or even darker beers, give this on a try.
4.25/5
This post will make it to #BeerSaturday so if you do enjoy my review, go check the Week 37 contest out and give it a vote over there also. Please feel free to comment and give me a follow. I will be adding a lot more beer reviews in the future. Thanks and Cheers!
that can looks soo sexy ... and it reads like it is an awesome beer. sometimes i wish i could drink 10 beer everyday to clear my backlog and try them all :D
Ha ha I hear you, I feel the same way!
Another reason to visit Montana. You certainly make it sound very drinkable.
I took your advice and found some RedVelvet. My review is this week. Surprisingly very drinkable. Thanks for the tip.
Oh, and my son also said there are reputable breweries here where he hasn't tried their beers because the head brewers are ass-holes. I guess they're everywhere. :-))
I was glad to see you enjoyed the red velvet. I didn’t personally experience the brewer so I’ll gladly drink the beer if it’s goid!
I get the feeling that sometimes they're like head chefs...
Great graphics on the can!