Customer Reviews

YUM Review by RX

Rating

this is going into rotation. thick, a little sweet and just a slight bite at the end. black as night.
YUM! (Posted on 3/19/13)

Yummy! Review by David

Rating

2 weeks primary, 2 weeks secondary primed with 2/3 cup of turbinado sugar and bottled in 22 oz. glass bottles. 3 weeks after bottling and getting rave reviews from all who try it (even the light beer drinkers). "You made this?" Brewed in South Florida so fermentation was on the warm side but the results are excellent. (Posted on 12/26/12)

Very Good and Very Quick Review by ELS

Rating

This Stoudt is the first beer I've ever brewed. So, being new to the home brew world, I wanted to follow this recipe to the letter and read all the advice from the Northern Brewer Reviews to make sure my beer didn't suck. Many of the reviews mentioned the proper time for fermenting, conditioning, etc. which ranged from 4-8 weeks before actually having a finished quality beer you can drink from the bottle. Seems like a long time to wait!

That all changed when I talked to a brew master from a small local brewery that I frequently visit. He said, after two straight days of zero change in gravity in the primary fermenter cold crash the beer at 38 degrees for another two days and go straight to bottling. I must say I was skeptical! I didn't want to ruin my first batch of beer! However, this guy has a brewery that Beer Advocate rates "World Class" so I decided to follow his instructions.

Needless to say, after 6 days in the primary fermenter I cold crashed the beer for 2 days and carbonated in the bottles for 10 days. Today, 18 days after I started, I'm drinking some damn good beer! Obviously, if you are kegging you can get the total days down to 10.

I realize I'm a novice and that beer usually gets better the longer you condition it (I'm sure this Stoudt wil taste even better and mellow in a couple weeks). Yet, the brewmaster I talked to brews with a 10 day turnaround and he makes some of the top rated beers in the world. My advice is to cold crash once fermentation stops if you have the ability to store the primary fermenter in a cold temperature controlled environment. (Posted on 6/10/12)

Better than I imagined! Review by Headly

Rating

This is the perfect stout! Good job Northern Brewer. Just an absolute perfect stout. My family believes I am a beer god.......don't tell. Thanks (Posted on 4/26/12)

Smooth, Nice Finish Review by HonestSam

Rating

Very good, I did 3 wk 1*, 3Wk 2*, usually i do 2 and 4 for stouts (I forgot). 2 days cold conditioning as with all my beers, 36 hrs at 30psi and it was ready. ABV 4.9, if you can sip and wait the sweet raisin flavor comes after a few minutes. I thought about adding 1 oz of Cascade but glad I didn't. It would have knocked out that sweet finish. Also great price. (Posted on 2/29/12)

Great stout for those who don't like chewing their beer ;-) Review by Bill

Rating

I love a heavy thick stout but not everyone does. I made this as something a little more middle of the road.

Just tapped it and it is very nice. The sweetness is there, but not cloying. And like that fact that the hops are a background flavor as opposed to something up front in the taste. Excellent beer and will definitely brew it again.

Only downside, as mentioned by another, very poor head retention. Very well may be my glass and/or the fact that I just jumped the tap from a Christmas beer to the stout keg. Who knows. Did 2 wks primary, 2 wks 2ndary & 2 weeks keg conditioning at room temp. I'll see what a little more time does. But bottom line: this is a minor disappointment and the beer is great. (Posted on 2/20/12)

I want more!!! Review by C4Brewing

Rating

I can't believe how great this beer tastes. I want to brew this again and again. Super easy to brew and the taste is unbelivable. 5 stars!!! (Posted on 12/7/11)

Wait for it Review by Donald

Rating

At first it was Dr Pepper flavored, but as it got older, that faded to something much nicer! Wait about 6-8 weeks and the prune/raisin flavor mellows nicely. (Posted on 11/17/11)

Great Brew Review by Notyoume

Rating

This was my first Stout but my 12 brew completed and this will be the first one I will do again. Great flavor, not to hoppy, and a great coffee finish. I added 1/2 lb of DME to the last 15 minutes of the boil to get 6.4%ABV. (Posted on 10/24/11)

Fantastic! Review by Al

Rating

This was my first batch ever! Super easy to make and everyone loved it, will do it again for sure. (Posted on 8/29/11)

Fantastic! Review by Al

This was my first brew ever, very easy to make as I followed the instructions down to the letter, and I'm more than happy with the end result. Everyone seems to love it, would definitely make it again. (Posted on 8/29/11)

Excellent Stout! Review by Spence's private stash

Rating

This was my 13th batch and 3rd stout batch. I was able to get a great beer in about 4 weeks. Punched up the grains a little, and of course threw a little pale ale extract to bring up the gravity, and Yum Yum! A tasty full-bodied and rich stout was born. This is an easy beer to brew and gives great results, but remember, it's all about the fermentation temp. I kept it about 66 degrees and got a robust and crisp stout with a hint of sweetness at the end. I would recommend this recipe for beginning brewers who enjoy a milk stout. Cheers! (Posted on 2/15/11)

Good stout, poor head retention Review by Brendan

Rating

I relize that the before mentioned poor head retention was probably my fault, it poors a lovely tan thick head but deminnishes like a Dr. Pepper, with the same fiz. Never had this happen before, so I feel like it was probably some error on my part, probably a rinse error. It has not disrupted the drinking of this beer at all, I enjoy somehting different thrown into my drinking sessions with pals, this fits the bill (Posted on 1/25/11)

Great taste!!! Review by Stan

Rating

Great taste... Very easy recipe.
BUT.... As a novice brewer I found out this the hard way.
If you have any issues with lactose use great caution with this brew. Your posterior will punish you for any over indulgence. (Posted on 7/1/10)

Great brew! Review by HoZr

Rating

I made this as my second brew and everyone that tried it was blown away! I even made a rather large error in the primary and it STILL ended up being my whole crews favorite. I used a starter and pitched before the temperature was optimal. As such I got some esters that really ended up adding a good kick to the final product. I used Munton's KreamyX Priming Agent at bottling and the final product had some great hints of chocolate and bananas. All in all I will be brewing this again. (Posted on 5/4/10)

excellent Review by 5Sneakers

Rating

One of the best kits so far. Will make again. (Posted on 5/3/10)