3 Stars Brewing Co. - "Starsky and Brunch" stout

I love coffee, and bacon, and maple, so naturally when we got this at D'Vines I had to give it a shot. As you may recall, during my 2016 trip to Miami, I tried Funky Buddha's "Wide Awake, It's Morning!" imperial stout, which is essentially almost identical to today's beer - coffee, bacon, maple. And while I'd rather not blog about something similar to a previous post, I think it might be interesting to compare the two different approaches. Today's example is called "Starsky and Brunch", an 8.30% ABV stout made by 3 Stars Brewing Company right here in the District of Columbia.

According to the can, this Breakfast of Champs was made on February 6th, 2020. So not super fresh, but that's less important for this style of beer. Let's crack it open.

Pours surprisingly quickly, and generates practically no head. Nose of cocoa powder.

OK, definitely maple-forward, with a nice touch of sweet sap flavors, which I like. Presents a thin consistency, with hints of coffee and not a lot of bacon. Finish is somewhat sweet, with a resurgence of that sap flavoring.

These things can go either way, I find - either super heavy and oily, or light and thinner on flavor. This one is closer to an ale than a stout and is quite different from the Funky Buddha entry noted above; unlike its Florida cousin, Starsky and Brunch is quite light and a bit thin. This consistency is not necessarily bad, though: it's nice to encounter these flavors is a lighter format. I wonder about the bacon, though - what is that supposed to add here? I would presume salt and savory, but no such qualities can be detected, at least not by me during this tasting. Although the light consistency toned down the power of the flavors, it's still a good beer and a decent value for $13.99 for four pints.