6288 Stout from Tuckerman Brewing Company

In case you haven't figured out by now with this blog, I like big flavors.  I like beers that make themselves known.  Sure, sometimes on a hot day, when you need something really refreshing, a less assertive beer can be the way to go.  Most of the time, though, I go for something more akin to a meal in a bottle (or can...or tap).  Logically then, stouts are up near or at the top of my various beer lists.  Stouts are as much of a meal in a bottle as you can get.  They also often have some of the deepest flavors.  IPAs and the like can be much more assertive, but the flavors that show up in a stout are, in my mind, more complex and interesting.


To start off my self proclaimed Stout Week (might last longer...no clue how many stouts I have in the fridge), I opened an old favorite, 6288 Stout from Tuckerman Brewing Company.  I happened to stumble across a 4-pack of 6288 at McKinnon's Meat Market in Salem, NH.  They have a surprisingly good beer selection, especially for a supermarket.    I wasn't even looking for this, as recently I had been wondering if they were even still producing 6288.  I felt like I hadn't seen it in years.  Then there it was, right there at toe level!  As soon as I got my basket low enough, it just jumped right in...really...you should have seen it!

For those not familiar with the White Mountains of New England, Tuckerman Brewing is named after Tuckerman Ravine, and 6288 Stout is named after the height of Mt. Washington, the highest peak in the northeast.  Further, part of the proceeds from 6288 Stout actually go to support the Mt. Washington Observatory.  Drink a beer and support science.  How can you lose?!  As a side note, if you're ever in Conway, NH, check to see if the brewery is open and go for a visit.  It's not a big place, but the people are great, the samples are always tasty, and did I mention it's a brewery tour?  Why wouldn't you want to go?

According to their website, 6288 Stout is brewed with 5 types of malt, along with American and French hops, and is bottle conditioned for 3 months.  You're probably asking yourself "Self, are those all good things to have when it comes to beer?"  While it obviously demands some serious skill from the brewers, the answer is definitely yes, yes and yes in this case.

6288 Stout pours jet black with a good size tan head.  That head disappears fast though.  Not really a problem in my book, just an observation.  While many stouts have huge coffee or chocolate smells, this beer smells of malty goodness.  It's a wonderful roasty, grainy smell.  Maybe you'll pick up a bit of coffee or chocolate due to that roastiness, but I just smell wonderful beer.  The use of the 5 malts probably lends itself to that nice even roasted smell, but it definitely leads to the richness of flavor.  This is a deep, dark beer.  Those roasted malts are the main flavor.  The hops are a bit noticeable, but they mainly help balance out the richness.  Nowhere that I can find do they say what the alcohol content is, but this is not a hard hitting beer.  It seems to have a good, average alcohol level.  I think what really helps this beer though, is the bottle conditioning.

Bottle conditioning involves letting the beer continue to ferment through one of various different processes inside the bottle.  What does this do?  Well, when it comes to flavor, the beer tends to get somewhat smoother and the various flavors meld together better.  From what I've read, the yeast, as it ferments more sugars, basically counteracts and disrupts some bad chemical reactions that happen in beer once its bottled.  A nice side effect of that is that bottle conditioned beers also last much longer.  If you see that a beer is bottle conditioned, there's a good chance you can age it rather well.  You never really know what you'll get, but some beers just get better and better with age.

Really, when it comes down to it, 6288 is a very solid stout.  You won't be disappointed in the least, if you're a fan of stouts, and I bet you even go back for a second...or third...or fourth.  This excellent example of what a stout should be, gets an A- in my book.  Go grab a 4-pack while it's still available.  You'll thank me.