89 Rating: Peppermint Stout by Garage Brewing Co.

Peppermint Stout, from Garage Brewing Company, is being evaluated as a Spice/Herb/Vegetable Beer (Category 30A) from the 2015 BJCP Style Guidelines.

This beer pours exactly what you would expect from an American Stout, black and opaque with a thick tan head that lasts forever.  The drinker is greeted with a moderate roast and coffee aroma followed by a light peppermint candy with a hint of vanilla.  The peppermint character increases in the aroma as the beer warms, along with light, grainy base malt.  The flavor shifts to allow a more prominent peppermint hit, with light background notes of roast, coffee, bittersweet chocolate, vanilla and a light grainy maltiness. Medium high but smooth hop bitterness emerges mid-palate and lingers into a dry finish.

The peppermint, which does work well with an American Stout, is a bit too forward in the flavor and tends to take center stage rather than combining with the base ingredients to create more balanced beer.  However, this is an enjoyable beer overall that would be quite tasty with anything chocolate.