Holidaily Brewing Riva Stout

Gluten Free Stout Style Beer by Holidaily Brewing

Flagship Stout, Brewed in Colorado

Are you one to save the best for last? Because I AM. And that’s exactly what I’ve done with Holidaily Brewing’s flagship lineup. After working my way through the Buckwit, the Favorite Blonde, and the Fat Randy, I’m finally ready to dive into the Holidaily Brewing Riva Stout!

This beer is packaged in 16 oz. cans and in Holidaily’s words: “Riva Stout is a beer named after a dog, who was named after a ski run, which was named after a battle where the 10th Mountain Division bravely took Riva Ridge in 1945.”  You got that? ?

The grain profile of the Riva Stout consists of three different types of roasted millet and buckwheat. The varieties of millet used include a dark roasted and a chocolate roasted millet. It has a 6.5% ABV, and I have been unable to locate the IBU thus far.

There aren’t many gluten free stouts on the market, and out of the ones that do exist, there are few that fulfill a beer drinkers expectations of a thick and creamy stout. The body we’re used to in a solid stout is hard to achieve with gluten free ingredients–but it’s certainly not impossible, and there’s a few breweries out there who have nailed it. Let’s see how Holidaily Brewing did with theirs…

The Taste Test

Holidaily Brewing Riva Stout

My god, this is a beautiful beer. The pour of the Holidaily Brewing Riva Stout was downright beautiful, which I highly encourage you to watch on the BGFB Instagram or YouTube channel. The stout poured a thick dark chocolate color. So dense that light does not pass through it. (Remember stouts like that from your non-gluten free days?!) The head was decent, and it created a temporary blanket of bubbles as it faded. Those didn’t linger for long though.

The Riva Stout smells of roasted coffee and chocolate. It has an earthy aroma, due in part to the presence of buckwheat in the grain profile I would guess. This beer looks and smells so good, I can’t wait another minute to taste it.

Well guys, I think it’s safe to say that I’ve found my second favorite gluten free stout on the market. It’s delicious. Full bodied, rich, bitter, earthy, and the coffee-like dark chocolate character really puts a kick in your step. If you don’t enjoy the bitterness of dark chocolate, then you may want to stay clear of this beer.

I am not quite sure what the hop bill looks like for the Riva Stout, but there doesn’t appear to be any actual coffee in the ingredient list, so the bright and bitter qualities I’m detecting must be created by a combination of roast and hops. When the stout hits your palate, you experience a brief dance of flavor before the strong wave of bitterness crashes the party.

Overall, I am incredibly pleased with this stout. My only wish is that the frothy after-head would have lingered at the top of the beer longer. The body of this beer is so fantastic, it deserves beer-mustache powers.

The only other thing I have to complain about is the fact that I can’t buy it in Oregon! ? I don’t usually get this upset over this problem because I realize I’m very lucky to live in a state with 4 dedicated gluten free breweries (even if I can’t purchase them all where I live). But stouts are my jam! My second favorite style, behind IPAs. I’m sure you are all aware of how rare a good gluten free stout is. So now I love another, and as soon as I finish this glass, the heartbreak begins. Ha! Man, I’m so dramatic tonight. 

Holidaily Brewing, you did a fantastic job with this one. Good call on making it a flagship and not a seasonal offering. I look forward to coming out for a visit one day. I can’t wait to meet your team in person.

Cheers!

P.S. Like what I do for the gluten free beer community? Consider buying me a beer for my efforts! ;)