The Patsy (no longer in production)

Barley Forge Brewing Company — Costa Mesa, CA

20 Nov 2018 · Stephen

American Stout Barley Forge Brewing Company

6.6% ABV

37 IBU

Coffee black Color

Contributing Factors

Presentation ✓

Character ✓

Experience ✓

Return ✓

4 / 4 I'd order another

Tasting Notes

Appearance Near black, pours with a beige to tan head that settles to a persistent ring. Cola dark in the glass with no light transmission. Looks exactly like a proper stout should.

Aroma Coconut tropical sweetness leads immediately — not artificial extract sweetness, but a genuine toasted coconut character that's warm and inviting rather than candy-like. Behind it, chocolate and mild roast from the stout malt base, with the rye adding a subtle spicy earthiness underneath. Creamy and smooth on the nose, the kind of aroma that makes people who say they don't like stouts reconsider.

Palate Creamy and smooth — the descriptor that comes up again and again from every reviewer — with coconut tropical sweetness upfront, chocolate and mild roast through the middle, and the rye's distinctive spicy dryness building on the back half. The coconut is forward but not overdone — one reviewer specifically flags it as slightly overdone on their palate, which is the honest minority opinion, while the majority finds it perfectly balanced. At 37 IBU there's a real bittering presence that works with the rye dryness to keep the sweetness in check.

Finish Medium-dry, clean, with the rye spice and roasted malt lingering alongside a faint coconut sweetness that fades slowly. The finish is what makes The Patsy exceptional — it resolves completely, leaves no cloying weight, and makes the next sip as inviting as the first. Still holds up on aged cans.

Watch the Review

Today's #30SecondBeerReview comes out of Costa Mesa, CA from @BarleyForge and their 6.6% coconut rye stout, The Patsy brewed with Northern Brewer hops, toasted coconut and chocolate. #FPLBeerClub pic.twitter.com/m6g3VnsHr0
— Stephen Toumi (@30SecBeerReview) November 20, 2018

The Verdict

The Patsy was Barley Forge's masterpiece and one of Southern California's most beloved stouts. A rye stout with coconut that converted stout skeptics, earned a trademark, and outlived the brewery that made it. I had 78 Untappd check-ins, a 4.02, and a loyal drinker community still hunting the last cans. Some beers make you rethink a whole style. The Patsy is that beer.

— Stephen · Contributing Factor Brewing · 20 Nov 2018