“Hold On To Sunshine is a rich and delicious stout intended to be savored and enjoyed as we enter the cooler Autumn months here in New England. Life can come at us fast and hit us with unexpected hardship, inducing stress, fear, anger, confusion, sadness, and uncertainty. But together we must find solace and comfort in each other, and in something wonderful, equal, and free for everyone to hold on to – Sunshine. For Lauren.”
Glassware: Tulip.
Appearance: Jet Black with a thumb of finely beaded foam perched on top. Good head retention with wavy lace work down the glass.
Aroma: Plenty of uplift. Tonnes of black coffee, milk sugars/lactose, vanilla, marzipan, toasted marshmallow and roasted malts. Quite musky with undertones of dark chocolate, honeycomb, powdered cocoa and dark fruits backing up. It offers a solid density yet it’s still so light and pleasant to take in. Superb.
Flavour: Smooth and unbelievably well balanced. Delicious notes of coffee, vanilla, and milk sugars to the fore. A lovely roasted malt at the base along with dark fruits, licorice and hints of very mild molasses filling it out. Just a faint tickle of booze as it moves in to an ultimately dry finish with roasty malts, mild ash and coffee in the tail.
Mouthfeel: Creamy and silky smooth with an assertive dryness developing late in the piece. It holds an excellent weight and the 7.6% AbV shows through at just the right times.
Overall: Unbelievably well put together. This is our first crack at Treehouses dark range and it’s official…..they’re just as good as their hoppy beers. Brilliant balance between the bitter coffee and the sweet milk sugars, the booze is spot on and the roasted malts provide the perfect base. Delish!