Packaging: Draft, 4 pack 12 ounce cans, (Nitro available on draft at brewery and a few places around town)
I’ve had Southern Star Buried Hatchet Stout a few times, but I never had the opportunity to sit in peace and write about it. I can take notes when I’m out and about, but somehow they’re never as good as when I’m focused at home. Last week we got together at Drink of Ages Pub for a Stout Tasting, and Buried Hatchet Stout did pretty well. Full write up coming soon.
One reason I’ve never written about Buried Hatchet Stout is ‘cause it comes in a four pack. For one, we have unpredictable “winter” weather where it’s cold for literally hours on end. For two, I have a pretty tiny beer fridge, and I don’t really want to stock up on stouts 4 at a time. Unlike Nick, you won’t catch me drinking a big stout on a hot day.
Not wanting to get a four pack of it, I was pleased when I found a single at the grocery store a few weeks ago. 8 times out of 10, that shelf disappoints, but I check it every week just in case, and boom! There I saw a brown can with an illustration of an upside down hatchet in the dirt. The handle of the hatchet doubles as the root and stem of a little tree, and fluffy white clouds and baby blue sky are in the background. The rest of the can is gold and brown.
Buried Hatchet Stout pours the darkest of browns. Just a bit darker, and it’d be black. A little bit of iPhone flashlight reveals an opaque reddish-brown with tiny particles floating about creating the opacity. The head is tan, frothy, creamy, and it melts into a thick white ring at the top. Each sip laces the glass artfully.
The appearance of Buried Hatchet Stout doesn’t reveal as much, but the smell is where it gets interesting. There’s smoky, roasty, coffee aroma with some sweet toffee up front. That’s all accompanied by a tiny whiff of chocolate, and alcohol as it warms.
It tastes exactly like it smells with a smooth and welcoming start to the sip followed by mild sweetness and finished with the bitterness of Baker’s chocolate and coffee. The carbonation is spot on, and the mouth feel is a little bit slick and sugary and leaves a slight coating on the tongue. The warming affect of each sip is exactly what I want in a stout during a blistering cold 60° evening, but the body leaves a bit to be desired, as it’s on the lighter side. Not quite watery, but toeing the line closely.
You can find Southern Star Buried Hatchet Stout pretty much anywhere good beer’s sold. Hop Scholar Ale House, The Shack on Telge, and Hubbel & Hudson all have it on draft, and you can even find it on nitro if you go straight to the source. I’ve never had it on nitro, but I hear good things, and apparently quite a few places around town have it. I got my single can at HEB, but I might be back for the full 4.
My Overall Rating
3.5
Southern Star Buried Hatchet Stout
It was a great example of a stout. Although I prefer my stouts a little bigger bodied, the aromas and flavors were spot on. I regret waiting so long to sit and write about this one. I apologize for that. I️ hope we can bury the hatchet… (lololol)
Let us know by voting below or tell us about it in the comments! Beers to you, Houston!
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Anthony's a Houston native, a Creative Strategist at https://ledgeloungers.com/, an adjunct instructor of Visual Communication at Lone Star College, and a UH Coog that loves good beer almost as much as he does his city. Anthony lives to help others and that's found a home helping some of the coolest breweries on earth with creative and marketing projects that can be seen on our Portfolio page. Fueled by hoppy lagers, sessionable IPAs, and gangster rap, he's ticked his way through H-Town, rocking the most unusual Nikes he can find. When he's not writing for us, he's with his family or very patiently rooting for the Rockets.
2 Comments
William C.
Posted at 07:43h, 21 November
I agree with your commentary about SS’s Buried Hatchet but I tell you what, having this beer on nitro (I’ve seen it available all round town) is absolutely phenomenal. I believe SS should revisit their canning process only for the Buried Hatchet and emulate how Guinness offers their classic draught with the nitrogen widget.
Tony D
Posted at 09:30h, 21 November
William! Now I have to hunt it down on nitro. I’ve been skeptical about those nitro widgets and haven’t tried anything with them yet. Now I gotta try that too! More beer!
William C.
Posted at 07:43h, 21 NovemberI agree with your commentary about SS’s Buried Hatchet but I tell you what, having this beer on nitro (I’ve seen it available all round town) is absolutely phenomenal. I believe SS should revisit their canning process only for the Buried Hatchet and emulate how Guinness offers their classic draught with the nitrogen widget.
Tony D
Posted at 09:30h, 21 NovemberWilliam! Now I have to hunt it down on nitro. I’ve been skeptical about those nitro widgets and haven’t tried anything with them yet. Now I gotta try that too! More beer!