Hi guys.  For today’s craft beer review I’m going to be trying the Naked Fish brewed by the DuClaw Brewing Company located in Bel Air, Maryland.

Big thanks to the Hungry Duo (Adam Hudak and Stephanie Suratos) for sending me this beverage to try.

From the website, duclaw.com, we gather this bit of information regarding the Naked Fish.

Gourmet chocolate raspberry coffee is used in the brewing process to achieve this unique flavor and aroma. Naked Fish is a dark, medium bodied stout that finishes fairly dry with chocolate and coffee tones.

Sounds good to me.

This beer comes in a 22 oz. bottle and it has an ABV of 4.6%.

The brew poured a super deep ruby to black color with some brighter ruby highlights around the bottom and edges of the glass.  The crown was khaki colored, smooth and creamy.  It wasn’t particularly large however, but the retention time seemed adequate and the lacing looked pretty good.

The aroma brought forth compelling hints of dark chocolate and some roasted coffee bean.  Raspberry tones were easily noticed, but they served as only complimentary fragrances without ever becoming overbearing or too “loud”.  Very nice I thought.  Some roasted grain and breads follow deeper within the smell to help add a touch more complexity.  This bouquet kind of reminded me of those chocolate raspberry candies that come out at Christmas time.  Yummy.

The raspberry jumped out a bit more in the taste.  Still not out of balance or obtrusive though.  Just more noticeable.  Welcome roasted coffee and dark chocolate smatterings gave it a nice, but subtle sweet taste.  The bitterness was of medium strength and little to no tartness was found.  Again, a slight breadiness brought up the rear and provided some intricacy.  The raspberry seemed to vanish somewhat as the liquid passed across the taste buds, which in turn let some of the other aspects really define the beer.  Not bad at all.

The mouthfeel was medium to medium/thin bodied.  A little lighter than I like my Stouts, but that’s alright.  It was very smooth, velvety and slick.  It wasn’t quite as dry as I was hoping for either.  The carbonation was good and a comfortable amount of flavor was left on the palate after each sip.

Man, this would be a killer session beer!!!  Super easy to quaff.  As far as Stouts go, this beer has to rank near the top for the drinkability factor.  Literally, one of the easiest drinking Stouts that I’ve ever had.  I really liked the raspberry “twist” with this brew too.  It was like a nice little surprise with each sip.  Overall though, it wasn’t quite as rich or robust as a traditional Stout.  Just an enjoyable and interesting drink.  I’d say give the DuClaw Naked Fish a try if you see it.  I think you may enjoy it.

Thanks for reading and commenting folks.  I really appreciate it.

Until next time.  Cheers.

Score:  3.85 out of 5
Grade:  B+