06 Apr Buffalo Bayou Red Velvet Stout by Nick B

Red Velvet Stout

Buffalo Bayou Brewing

Houston

Milk/Sweet Stout

ABV: 8.1%

IBUs: 25

Packaging: Draft, 22oz. Bottles

I’d like to revisit the first Houston brewery I fell in love with when I moved here in 2013… Buffalo Bayou Brewing.

They released their Red Velvet Stout back in February, one of their Secessionist Series beers, and I have passed it up for the time being. Red velvet cake is not always my preferred choice when it comes to cake, but it is still one of the better types of cake out there. That sweet cream cheese icing and the vanilla cake with cherry flavor added to it… It’s hard to pass up (unless there is chocolate cake or Boston creme pie).

I was feeling a little decadent on the way home today and decided to snag a bottle at my local liquor store so I could have it as a dessert after dinner. Red Velvet Stout’s label features multiple shades of red. A deep mahogany red gives way to crimson illustrations of cake, stars, forks, and bottles of alcohol. The name is in pink with the words “Fat Kid Heaven” underneath. It sticks out like a sore, red thumb and is a departure from their typical labeling. There’s no buffalo sighting this time.

When I poured Red Velvet Stout into my snifter, the color was rich and the body was like watery cake batter. There was a nice amount of tan carbonation that filled out the top of my glass. I caught an initial whiff of coffee that mellowed out to semi-sweet milk chocolate and buttercream. The bitterness was countered nicely. I did not get any cherry on the nose, which was disappointing.

The flavor of Red Velvet Stout gave me what I was seeking though. The mouthfeel was full bodied and coated my entire palate, but it wasn’t as thick as the pour made it seem. There was an initial cherry and cream sweetness that sort of leads into bitter, roasty coffee and charred wood flavors. It’s definitely a dessert beer by how sweet it is, but it is a little lacking when it comes to filling you up. It’s not exactly spot on with the cake of its namesake either.

I’m giving Red Velvet Stout 3.5 stars because the flavors are good, but not amazing. If you’re going to bill yourself as liquid red velvet cake, you have to fully live up to that, and I felt this one landed a little short. What do you think of beers that are supposed to be liquid versions of famous cakes? Beers to you, Houston.