Hamilton Haul--Survival Mode

Survival Mode is billed as a “stout brewed with coffee & vanilla”. It’s a 6.5%, 20 IBU ale sold in 473mL cans by Hamilton’s Grain & Grit Small Batch Beer. The skull in a coffee pot optics on the label made this a hard beer not to buy, so I did x3.

Survival Mode has a handsome, blackish ale with a quick-lived tan head. It’s got a sweet mochaccino nose and a flavour that matches—sweet to bitter movement with café con leche elements. The back end delivers a finish that I’d have sworn was heftier than the advertised 20 IBUs. As for vanilla, there is a whisper, but not much more than that.

This beer has a lot to like—great strength, good balance, and solid bitterness. I didn’t entirely love the coffee flavour, which I found to be a bit grainy. I’d also like to know a bit about the coffee they sourced for the endeavour, but no info was immediately forthcoming.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.