Hopworks Urban Brewery
Portland, OR
Available: OR, WA, BC
Seven Grain Stout is made with barley (Egyptian), wheat (Mesopotamian), oats (Egyptian), amaranth (Aztec), quinoa (Incan), spelt (Mesopotamian), and kamut (Egyptian), and finished with 15 pounds of cold-pressed Stumptown Hairbender espresso.
ABV: 5.3
ABW: 4.2
Color: 34
Bitterness: 35
Original gravity: 1060
The brewers have dug into history, with grains from the Old World of Egypt and Mesopotamia, to fashion a beer that’s red/black with a sensational aroma of milky grain, burnt fruit, chocolate, peppery hops and butterscotch. The massive palate outweighs the beer’s modest strength. Bitter hops and roasted grain vie for attention with dark fruit and chocolate. The finish is long and complex, with a bittersweet note of rich malt and dark fruit, and chocolate underpinned by peppery hops.
The beer is black as expected, but I hadn’t noticed the small words “coffee added” on the label. No matter—the coffee jumps out of the glass and announces itself, nutty, fruity and complex. The beer wisely tones down the roasted malts and lets the coffee speak, and the bone-dry fruity palate sports a broad, almost tannic bitterness. It signs off with a clean bite, coffee lingering. One might wonder what the “7 grains” are for, but perhaps they bring the admirable lightness on the palate. A fine pairing for medium-rare venison in a velvety demi-glace sauce.
Roger Protz is the author of Complete Guide to World Beer and 300 Beers to Try Before You Die. He is a respected beer authority and editor of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide.
Internationally recognized brewer and expert on traditional beer, Garrett Oliver is the brewmaster of the Brooklyn Brewery and the author of The Brewmaster's Table.
