I haven’t had a stout in a few weeks, let alone an organic one. I came across the Old Plowshare Stout at New Beer and thought it looked interesting. It seems that Old Plowshare comes from Northcoast Brewing Company, possibly manufactured for Whole Foods? I had a hard time following the trail, as neither site references this particular beer, but other review sites refer to the two companies. Apparently, this is supposed to be an organic version of Northcoast Brewing Co’s Old No. 38 (these guys really like old stuff, don’t they?)
Anyway, I think this was my first shot at an organic beer. This beer poured smooth with little to no head. It was a real dark reddish-brown. For a stout, it had a great scent. Full of chocolately goodness. On taste, I personally felt it was a little… acidic or bitter at first? I suppose in a way that coffee might be. But after the first few sips, that feeling quickly faded away. In contrast to the chocolately smell, the taste was more coffee-like and one taster on ratebeer gave it a “raisin-y” label, which I thought was a good call. Overall, this was a pretty good stout. Though I usually like a stout with a little more flavor, I thought Old Plowshare was pretty good and easy to drink – not overly filling or anything. Overall, I give this beer about a 16/20.
The Facts:
ABV: 5.7
IBUs: mid 40’s
values:
$.12/oz.
.46 oz/$
(a lot of these facts I snaked from Charlie the Beer guy’s Organic Episode on Speaking of Beer. Please check out his podcast. I think it’s the best beer podcast out there)
On Tap 