Schlafly Raspberry Coffee Stout

Schlafly Raspberry Coffee Stout has been on my Want's list ever since I had a taster sample at the Flying Saucer Beer Fest.  Schlafly made exclusively for Schnucks Culinaria in Saint Louis. Being in Kansas City I can't go to my local Schnucks to get a bottle.  We don't even have Schnucks grocery stores in KC.  To get this object of my desire I would have to either go to it, or it would have to come to me.  I don't have any road trips to Saint Louis scheduled, so I would have to find a way for it to come to me.  Enter the art of the beer trade.

The basics of a Beer Trade is fairly simple, two people swap beers for beers they couldn't get locally.  The logistics of a trade can be a little more complicated.  There are many online forums dedicated to Beer Trades, BeerAdvocate and RateBeer are among the most popular.  Typically you post what it is you want and what it is you are willing to trade for it.  Shipping can be an issue.  Sometimes you need to be creative in how you get beer from Point A to Point B.  I'm a fan of shipping "collectibles".

I want to thank Evan Benn for this particular trade hook up.  I had to go into Overland Park, KS to get some Free State beers.  Overland Park, the Land of Beige and no street signs.  The land that even Google Maps doesn't like going into.  The land that causes dissociative identity disorder.  That's how much I wanted the Schlafly Raspberry Coffee Stout.
 
750 ml bottle poured into a standard shaker pint glass. There is a nice, thick looking khaki tan head that has a slight pinkish tint. The head recedes gradually, but doesn't leave much in the way of lacing. Body color is a dense black. That black shifts to a chocolaty brown with a tilt of the glass to look at the head from underneath. That chocolate brown also has a hint of purplish pink.

Smell is domainated by a tart raspberry balanced by a sweet mocha coffee bitterness. Very bold aromas linger in the back of the nose. Taste is also dominated by the raspberries. The raspberries are sweet, but not cloyingly sweet. The tartness from the berries and the coffee bitterness does a great job of balancing it out. The coffee has a mild roasted bitterness. I can't tell if it's the coffee or the malts giving off the chocolate flavors, probably a combination of both.

The standard Schlafly Coffee Stout is a little on the thin side. This one has a little more body, a little bit on the syrupy side. Not in a bad way at all. This was an excellent treat.  From what I hear these are selling off the shelves at a fast pace.  I would say get some while you can.