Local Option Mourning Wood
Mourning Wood is an oak-aged coffee amber ale. Fresh American oak used during the aging process and Dark Matter’s El Salvador San Jose pulp-natural coffee aromatically drive the beer yet they remain subtle components of the beers’ overall flavor profile. This amber colored, medium-bodied, and extraordinarily well-balanced ale has a delicate taste that is appreciated by beer drinkers of all palates.
3.6
251 reviews
Chicago, United States
Community reviews
7/1/15. 500mL bottle thanks to rdixon77. Amber pour with a small khaki head. Coffee on the aroma, light oak, vanilla, hints at acidity. Coffee in the flavor, mild vanilla, caramel, doughy, mild acidity. Not bad.
Pint bottle, labeled Morning Wod Oak Aged Coffee Amber, not sure where it came from, maybe Vinmonopolet Vika. Noisy, foamy beige head rapidly dissipating. Hazy apricot coloured body. Poor lacing. Modest smell of caramel and herbal hops, coffee behind. Dried fruity flavours backed by coffee, semi-dry. Prolonged ending. Foamy in the mouth. Fine bodied. Something different, not bad at all (Tromsø 14.06.2015).
June 12, 2015 - on tap at Bricks. Dark orange pour with limited head. Aroma was light coffee, oak, grain and malt. Taste was consistent with aroma and maybe some toffee.
Willrunforbeer sharing another bottle. Hazy Amber in color, fast dying head. Aroma is a nice level of coffee upfront with a toffee and yeast hint. The coffee come off a tad stale.
I’m not going to get going on my bottle dating rant but... I fell like 4 months ago this was a good beer. Mellow caramel and toffee base with a smooth carbonation level. The coffee is old and starting to turn mildly acidic. But I will grade on a slight curve because coffee bean can fall off fast in a brew. I hope one day I can try this fresh.
500mL bottle. Pours medium amber with an off white head. Aroma is vegetal coffee, wet cardboard. This smells too old. Taste is just like it smells. not good.
Bottle. Cloudy amber pour, with an off white head. Caramel, dried fruit, coffee, watery, and notes of oak. Pretty thin, but then again it is an amber ale. Meh.
Aroma malts vanilla and bourbon, more coffee on the taste, a touch thin, a lot of things going on, just not feeling like it is coming together all that well
bottle. Nose of caramel, vanilla, chocolate, cafe au lait, a bit of leather. Deep amber, hazy, with a fine, low head. Sweet coffee and vanilla flavor, honey. Light, with fizzy carbonation. Bit too sweet, but nice.
Deeper, darker flavor than its appearance would indicate. Pours a rich mahogany color, lots of head. Dark fruits, some coffee and chocolate, with a smooth finish. Courtesy of Dave.
Belle robe orangée aux reflets ambrés pratiquement translucide. Un bon col surmonte le liquide qui lui semble liquoreux, si on se fit à la dentelle. Arômes de malt caramélisé, café, cacao et chêne. Le nez est léger et doux. En bouche, café, muscade, bois, caramel et orange. Le tout s’étire longuement et le grain de café procure une belle rondeur. Les saveurs sont douces, subtiles et très équilibrées. Effervescence moyenne et texture bien relevée. Une belle découverte originale.
Dull amber with a thin white head. Aroma is vanilla and vague bourbon. Flavor is a bit heavy on the vanilla, comes off a bit sweet and thick though. Not much wood or smokiness as I expected, mainly just vanilla and sweetness.
Wife: 3.4
Bottle. Murky golden amber, lacy off white head. Aroma of coffee (light roast) and chocolate. Flavour is the same, milk chocolate more assertive, underlying hops creep in after a while. Characterful amber.
Bottle. Pours a hazy amber with a ring of off white head. Aroma is heavy on coffee, taste too with some wood involved.
nose is all coffee....pretty solid stuff...flavor is different...good beer.......(#424)......
Bottle - Coffee and nice caramel malt notes with a touch of cocoa. Cloudy gold with a decent white head. Cocoa and nice mellow cocoa notes. Nice and mellow. Pretty nice.
Amber with a pale head and some suspended matter. Aroma is coffee, nuts, dark fruit, maple syrup. Medium bodied, bittersweet and lightly roasty on the palate. Taste is coffee, hazelnut, oak, hint of maple.
Pours barely translucent dark honey golden-brown with a thick and frothy buff head. Malty aroma has overtones of oak and quality coffee. Flavor is a sonata for malt and coffee, with bits of oak in the background. Firm, smooth texture has a subtle but lasting fizz. Wood you mourn after having one? No - as long as you drink responsibly.
500 ml from Whole Foods Plymouth Meeting. Pours about lovibond 17-18 with frothy, off-white head. Nose is hops, coffee, oak, vanilla, cacao, orange marmalade. All over the place olfactorally. Tastes hoppy, citric, with tart bitter notes, ovaltine, cacao, vanilla, and mild coffee. Unique, certainly, but technically, although not bad, this one is a bit of an outlier. In my top 25 unique beers of all time.
500 ml bottle from BOTW (Rochester), shared. Murky amber with light and dark yeast flecks. Fairly strong coffee with decent, caramel/toffee, a touch of vanilla, kinda messy. Medium body, relaxed carbonation. Similar flavor, messy. I don’t like coffee beers, even with cheeky names.
Mahogany pour with a beige head. Aroma is coffee. Coffee dominates the flavors but not overpowering. Oaky dryness, caramel malt, well rounded tasty beer. The coffee goes great with the amber beer. Great lacing.
pours unclear medium dark golden with a small reviving light beige cap, leaving nice lacing. spicy minerals, delicate earthy coffee, toasted fruity maltiness - strawberries and other berries, soft caramel in a wood - light woodsiness from hops and barrel; flowery and peppery light boozy notes, pepper and tannins. average carbonation, light body, lightly astringent/tannic and fruity-spicy finish. barrel is well suited for this coffee amber concoction - nice malt feature too. very nice offering!
Coffee is light. Oak is heavier. Amber coloring is perfect. Aroma is decent but not showing what it holds. Bottle
Bottle (500 ml). Split 2-ways. Shared by czar, thanks!
Appearance: Slightly hazy amber with a medium beige head that leaves a small ring of white foam.
Aroma: Well integrated coffee with caramel, light vegetal notes and light fruitiness.
Taste: Moderate coffee, caramel, light vegetal notes, hints of acidity, light fruitiness and light coffee bitterness.
Palate: Medium body. Moderate carbonation. Mild coffee finish.
Overall: Quite tasty Amber Ale. The balance is good and the base beer have enough personality to handle the coffee. Nothing is overpowering. Very well exectuted.
500ml bottle. Light hazy amber color with off white head. Malty aroma, light caramel, wood, coffee. Sweet and bitter taste, caramel and coffee. Medium oily body with soft carbonation.
$7.99 500 ml bottle from Wine Warehouse, CHO.
Pours hazy brownish with a large beige head.
Smells of coffee and chocolates.
Tastes of chocolates, coffee, chocolate powder, and candy.
Poured from bottle, pours a clear dark amber brown with a thin head and some spotty lacing, the aroma has a good amount of sweetness and roast with a hint of chocolate as well, the flavor has a sweet front end with a good amount of caramel and malt with a roasty finish, not bad.
Pours a cloudy amber color with a thick white head. Aroma is of roasted malts, a little chocolate, coffee, and metal. Heavier palate, slight carbonation. Flavor is of malts, oak, coffee, a little booze, and something metallic. Leaves an oaked malt finish. Decent stuff for an amber. Almost a little too sweet for me though.
Bottle at home (Labelled as Morning Wood, 7.3%) (shared). Pours a hazy amber with a white head. Sweet malty aroma, coffee (liquor), toffee, hint of alcohol, nutty/woody. Taste is sweet malty with bitter coffee (liquor), long bitter coffee aftertaste. Bit watery thin. Not bad.
Bottle. Pours dark amber with a frothy off-white head with nice lacing. Aroma of caramel, coffee and oak. Flavor was lightly sweet with caramel, roasted coffee, oak, mellow fruit and toffee. Medium body, soft carbonation, dry finish.
My bottle is labeled Morning Wood. Amber color. Not much of a head. But there is lacing. Malty aroma. Taste is malty and very sweet. Finish has a twang mixed with the too sweet sugary presence.