Enjoying Savannah River Beacons (I think)

Savannah River Brewing Beacons Coffee Milk Stout
Augusta, GA | 25 IBU, 6% ALC

I read the label and saw “coffee, lactose and chocolate.” I was sold plus it was a local brew. What confused me was what to call it? Not sure if the name on the label is hand-drawn or a font. If it’s a font then they need their money back. Trying to read the letters is a bit of a challenge for old farts like me and I’ve been analyzing fonts for the publishing biz for years. After a few minutes I realized the little seashell things weren’t letters. “BEACONS.” I had to check the website to confirm it.

I could spend more time reviewing the label or talk about the beer (there is a strange lobster/giant cockroach-like creature and a man with a paddle floating from a lighthouse that reminds me of some of Monty Python Search for the Holy Grail kind of art. I’m sure there’s some deep meaning in the label but I bought it for the ingredients rather than the label.. oh back to the beer).

This is the first brew from Savannah River Brewing I liked on first taste. My issue, which dates back to when they opened, Savannah River aligned themselves to the German Purity Laws style of brewing so that all of their beers had the same mouthfeel with only the flavor profile changing (sometimes just slightly). Each brew I tried just seemed like the last so I gave up. Swamp Thing was a move away from that and I thought it was time to give them another try. Adding lactose to a brew is not exactly living up to anyone’s purity law and I like it.

Nice dark brew with a roasty toasty coffee flavor which seems to beat out the chocolate by a hair. Still got a dry edge on the side of the mouth but it stays predominately smooth and creamy down the middle from the lactose. it says it has some oats which they say helps with the smoothness. I’ll take their word for it. I’m glad I got a six from Publix rather than buying a single at Toast.

On a recent camping trip with Beer Brother Mark I shared one with one of our guests who showed up for the dinner and he really liked it.

Their website says ” Beacons is a Coffee Milk Stout brewed with lactose and finished on coffee and cocoa nibs. Dark as night, this stout with light up your taste buds with chocolate and coffee notes. Oats and Lactose lend the beer a smooth, creamy texture that will leave you feeling nice and cozy. The roasty quality of the dark malts help to balance the sweetness of the lactose sugar. We used cocoa nibs from Condor Chocolates in Athens, GA and a blend of Rwandan and Columbian coffee beans from Ubora in downtown Augusta.. 25IBU 6% alc.”

I guess I might have to swing back around and try some of their other brews again. Maybe they’ve changed them up some. I wouldn’t mind supporting our local breweries a bit more often.