Congratulations, Graham Johnson of Marblehead, Massachusetts! You’re a 2016 Longshot American Homebrew Competition winner! Better yet, your Longshot Coffeehead Imperial Stout is my personal favorite of the three different Longshot beers in the 2017 sampler. It should be noted that Graham is a Boston Beer employee, working in the Business Analysis Department.
Is it me or does Graham look a lot like Mr. Bean on the label? That is more than a little apropos, since Longshot Coffeehead Imperial Stout is described on the bottle as ale with cocoa nibs and coffee beans added.
From the bottle label:
This imperial stout, aged on coffee beans and cocoa nibs, has decadent flavors of chocolate, espresso and hints of raisins. It finishes with lasting sweetness.
On the Longshot website, Graham says about homebrewing:
Love the attention to detail and making something you can enjoy. For me, it’s a similar satisfaction to cooking a big holiday dinner, only it lasts longer!
Brewing beer really is a form of cooking, so the analogy is a good one. Samuel Adams Longshot Coffeehead Imperial Stout has an alcohol content of 7% by volume with 22 IBUs. The six-pack sampler runs $9.99 this year, a good deal I think. My bottle is notched as best before September of 2017, though I think it could go much longer properly stored. This is the third Longshot Imperial Stout to my knowledge, the other two being 2014s Longshot American Stout and Longshot Five Crown Imperial Stout from 2012.
Samuel Adams Longshot Coffeehead Imperial Stout pours to a jet-black color with a thick creamy tan head and a rich luxuriant mocha nose. Taking a sip, the beer is thick and full in mouthfeel, sinfully smooth even with chocolate, coffee, raisin and caramel notes all melding together perfectly. This beer has me exclaiming Wow! as I sipped, rich and luxurious as it is with its delicious dark notes. The finish is slightly sweet and the beer is smooth and chocolaty overall, not really bitter with only subtle hints of roast. It’s like a big beautiful candy bar in a bottle!
American Imperial Stouts tend to run 10% or more in the alcohol department, but Coffeehead is more akin to a classic English Imperial Stout (think Samuel Smith’s Imperial Stout) with a lower ABV. It’s a beer that I would love to see again, though as is often the case with Longshot beers, I probably won’t.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft