Oshkosh Beer of the Week: Hinterland Luna Coffee Stout

All right, I admit it, the only reason I bought this stuff was that I liked the fancy, 16-ounce bottles. I figured I’d swallow a four-pack and then recycle those sweet jugs to dress-up a few pints of my homebrew. Turns out, it ain't just the bottle that’s pretty. This beer is a beauty and perfect for fall guzzling. Luna is an easy drinker that starts with a percolating coffee aroma and flavor that glides gently into all manner of dark-malt subtlety as it permeates your innards. Along the way you get a little bit of burnt pizza crust, some peat, a hint of chocolate... it’s a well-rounded, flavorful beer that doesn’t punch you in the throat to get its point across. If you’re the sort that likes to fuss about style guidelines, this one hits all the requisite marks for an American Stout. The mouthfeel has a pleasant heft with just enough roasty bitterness to cut the wash of creamy sweetness that underlies the whole set-up. That dark-malt aspect grows slightly astringent towards the very end, but not at all in a bad way. A top-notch stout from top to bottom and one I’ll be revisiting... not just for the bottles, either.

You can find Luna Coffee Stout at Festival Foods in Oshkosh. It snuck into town a little over a week ago in that pile of Hinterland they've got stacked at the entrance to the liquor department. You'll probably have to dig some to find the Luna, but rest assured, there's plenty more in there. And if you want to learn about what's going on up at the Hinterland Brewery in Green Bay, here's an interesting interview with Hinterland brewmaster Joe Karls. It's the classic homebrewer to pro-brewer story and it'll have you liking the beer even more.