Lacto Traditional Stout Beer - Simonds Farsons Cisk Plc.

jmdrpi

Pennsylvania

2.44/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

330mL bottle, no date.

appears a very dark brown color, no head. almost black. smells a bit like sweet flat cola. molasses too. neither off-putting nor appetizing. just kinda weird. taste is a bit raisiny. tastes artificially sweetened, but then has a drier finish with some soy sauce flavor. body is not thick, but still very sticky,. very low carbonation level.

overall - cool to try a beer from Malta, but wouldn't drink this again.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2013 03:59:11 | More by jmdrpi

PapiMagnum

New York

1.16/5  rDev -57.7%
look: 1.25 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.25

Look, this was likely the worst beer I've ever had. I'd rather drink a Keystone Ice and that says a lot.

Smell...smells sour. Tastes sour. No flavor. Just disappointment. Felt watery. No head. I was hoping for something like 2X Milk Stout by Southern Tier, which is amazing. The best part of the beer was that it still looked like a beer and didn't make me vomit.

I don't plan on writing many reviews for beers here, but couldn't resist the urge to warn you to avoid this one at all costs. What a disappointment.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2013 01:11:27 | More by PapiMagnum

DragonzBreath

Michigan

2.45/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 2

Strange beer for sure. Poured thin and dark. Bubbles lined the rim. Smell was sour, almost vinegar. We searched for flavor and found. None. A very odd beer light and flavorless. This beer reminds me of a cross between a balsamic vinegar and a Good Stout..with a coffee bean drug through the sludge. CHEERZ

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 00:40:06 | More by DragonzBreath

UCLABrewN84

California

2.1/5  rDev -23.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Pours an opaque black with a dark khaki head that settles to wisps on film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt, soy sauce, and an aroma of red wine/port that went bad. Taste is slightly sour with the red wine/port flavor being the most prominent. This beer has a very low amount of carbonation with an almost flat and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a poor beer with some bad aromas and flavors that equate to a drain pour.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2012 03:42:34 | More by UCLABrewN84

jlindros

Massachusetts

2.03/5  rDev -25.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Don't remember where I got this, but I think I may smell bad beer review time... When it says right on it "caramel color added" you know you're in for something special.

Pours dark black color but still somehow watery and thin looking on the edges, with a dark colored think fizzy quick fading head. It has that burnt cola color, wait, that's probably exactly what it is.

Nose, holy frig, it's as if the bad breweries of Mexico all got together and made cola milk, then forgot about it for months in the sun and heat. It oozes with fake sweeteners, extracts and adjuncts, with just the right amount of skunky lager. A light cola syrup, with sweet lactose and a bit of powdered over roasted cocoa. Wait... is that coffee? Yes actually, but not in the normal sense, it's more like coffee wafting from the floor of the men's room at Starbucks.

Taste hits right off with chocolate water and powedered milk, the kind my Depression era grandmother used to make that I would pour down the sink when she wasn't looking, which is where I'm guessing this is headed. It somehow stays chalky despite the lactose, with a hint of curdled cream and baby spit. Again more of the cheap macro lager like skunk and fake sugars. It does have some cola taste, but more like cola coming back up. A touch of roast gives a burnt coffee chew to it as well. Finish is, I wish non-existant, but instead a light bitter metallic twinge and more old cola and bark from a fermented tree or something. Oh, there's also a moldy bread taste, which actually seems to help a bit, reminds me a bit of a Kvass in that sense.

Mouth is thin and watery, yet somehow a weird powdered chalky creamy feel, and little carbonation, which is unfortunate as my tongue could use as many breaks as it could get.

Overall, well, have you ever backed your car over your foot accidentally... well it's kinda like that, except replace car with steam roller, and foot with tongue, and everything else with horse bile and you get a similar experience.

Thank GOD that review is over, cause now I can dump the beer, and what's left of my taste buds that I can still taste.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2012 23:51:32 | More by jlindros

Thads324

Connecticut

1.48/5  rDev -46%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 1.5

Bought this on a whim...no date

Pouts jets black with barely any head. Big dark brown bubbles on the outside. The ittiest bit of lacing.
Aroma is of sweet malt smell that is barely there. A bit of laundry detergent as well
Starts creamy and then has a medicinal character. More basic sweetness with water. The slightest bit of roasted and chocolate malt. Quite terrible from start to finish. It taste like I'm drinking iodophor.
The best part of this beer is the mouthfeel. Creamy and smooth, velvet like feeling. Light body. Low carbonation is very nice.

An awful beer besides the mouthfeel. The brewers should come to America and learn how to make flavorful low alcohol beers. I'm pissed I wasted 2.49 on this brew...drain pour city, maybe the sink will like it more

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2012 20:15:11 | More by Thads324

Halcyondays

California

3.68/5  rDev +34.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

11.2 oz. bottle,

A: Pours black with a brown/tan head, solid lace and head retention.

S: Roast and brown sugar, caramel candy.

T: Lactose, malted milk balls, quite sweet with a light roast backbone.

M: Light-bodied, creamy, crisp carbonation, easy drinking.

O: An interesting effort, it certainly has a distinct flavour, perhaps a bit too sweet in the end, but an enjoyable example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2012 18:18:01 | More by Halcyondays

SLeffler27

New York

3.15/5  rDev +15%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours dark walnut, but is essentially black, in a tulip glass. A dark, velvety chestnut head turns shiny and rocky before quickly fading to a ring. There is a minimal, syrupy lace and overall the appearance is quite odd.

Has an aroma filled with rich roasted malt and molasses, followed by coffee and bittersweet chocolate. With warmth, the aroma turns acrid.

The flavor is overly sweet with malted chocolate and brown sugar. This one is fairly one-dimensional through a modest, sweet finish.

Has a medium to full body with an odd texture akin to wet satin. The carbonation is prickly. Much to my surprise there is a presence of alcohol in this 3.4% beer.

This one is better suited to a dessert setting.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2012 19:57:07 | More by SLeffler27

rudzud

Massachusetts

1.48/5  rDev -46%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1

Purchased at Julio's. A beer from Malta? Sure, why not.

A - Poured into my Duvel tulip a deep dark brown almost black with a creamy one finger mocha head that fades to a sudsy cloud with thick side lacing.

S - Ugh, what the heck? With such a promising look how can this smell come from it? Dark fruits and booze? Booze, are you kidding me? This stuff is 3.4%, how can it smell boozy?! Theres some bread and lots of sweetness. This has a kvass like quality.

T - Really didnt want to try this beer after the nose. Ugh. Artificially sweet with some off bread notes. What the hell am I drinking. Lacto is really weird tasting too. Ugh. This is a mess.

M - Feel is very thin and syrupy. That being said not lik eI can actually get full sips of this vile liquid. Ugh. Make it stop.

O - Why? Why have I drank this? I mean this is absolutely horrific. The taste lingers in the mouth worse than a funky bleu cheese. I drank as little as possible of this beer to write a review. Really hoping this doesnt eat a hole in my sink as I drain pour this junk.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2012 04:12:16 | More by rudzud

bucklemyshoe

Georgia

3.65/5  rDev +33.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

330 mL bottle. Pint glass.

A: Pitch black pour; dark tan head that last about 5 seconds.

S: Oats, cocoa, lactose, and caramel.

T: Wet and slightly state oats, some sweet and tangy dark fruits, lots of sweet lactose, and some roastiness.

M: Thin body with low carbonation.

O: This is light, tasty, and from Malta!

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2012 14:36:29 | More by bucklemyshoe

Beertracker

Oklahoma

2/5  rDev -27%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

Farson's Lacto pours up with a modest carbonation that creates a small brownish-khaki colored head that maintains above the deep reddish brown-nearly black body. Head retention is surprisingly good! The aroma is very sweetish e.g. Malta Goya with hints of burnt molasses, caramel syrup & damp fallen leaves. Oxididation doesn't help. The flavor is very one-dimensional with a light sweetness & subdued roastiness that creates an off-dry, slightly sulphery finish. This light-medium bodied lager lacks substance, but easy to finish & move on! This Maltese lager needs more lacto & stout!

CHEERS! Beertracker

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2012 06:36:02 | More by Beertracker

thekevlarkid

Maryland

2.3/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Out of a bottle this Maltese (!) beer was a reddish/brown color with one finger of khaki colored head. Decent retention and thin bands of lacing were left as I sipped it. The aroma was unusual; a blend of sweet malt, lots of caramel, raisins and as another reviewer perfectly put it “used coins.” I admit, I didn’t think this when I first tried it but when I read it reviewed as such I instantly thought “My God! That was exactly it!” The flavors, sadly, were much like the aroma. Caramel, metal, raisins and lactose sugar with just a touch of chocolate on the finish. Odd and not at all the Maltese version of Left Hand’s Milk Stout that I was hoping for. The mouthfeel was also not as rich as I think the style dictates and the body a little thin. The carbonation was appropriate however. An interesting spin on the theory but not a winning one, in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2012 02:46:50 | More by thekevlarkid

RuckusDu

Colorado

1.83/5  rDev -33.2%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

A - Pours very dark with a good caramel colored head, about one finger worth. Head quickly falls but some lacing remains.

S - Smell is of bread. There may be some chocolate there in the background, but it is very light if it is.

T - I don't know if it gets much worse than this, but if it does, I hope I don't ever try it. Artificially sweet. Plastic. Some hints of chocolate again but not enough. Can barely put down a couple sips to complete my review.

M - Light with almost no carbonation. I would expect more carbonation here. Nothing helps the taste.

O - This was sitting in my cellar for a few months and I wish I would have just left it there. Just bad. I don't know who would buy this knowing what it tastes like. At least I can check Malta off my list.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2012 21:54:48 | More by RuckusDu

plfahey

Minnesota

2.58/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

11.2 oz. bottle poured into a tulip glass.

Appearance-Black brown and almost totally impermeable to light. Moderate medium dark tan head shows ddecent retention and some nice lacing.

Aroma-Interesting toasted malt aroma, with slight caramel, and some nutty notes-probably from oxidation (age). Slight coffee creamer aroma and a touch of raisins as well. The nutty malt aroma reminds me more of a nut brown ale than a stout, but that can probably be partially blamed on the fact that a low gravity import beer is not likely to wear it's age very well, and I'm not quite sure how long this sat on the shelf before I picked it up. That said, even if I look beyond the stale malt notes, there's really not any roast to speak of here.

Flavor-Sweet, bland, and somewhat one dimensional. Tastes like milk sugar, with background notes of toasted bread, nuts, and caramel covered raisins. A bit cloying, and still semi-sweet in the finish.

Mouthfeel-Medium light body with moderately low carbonation. It does seem to get a little bit of a body boost from the milk sugar, but not as much as I would expect/hope. Ends up kind of thin and a bit unpleasant.

It's hard to say if this would be better fresh, but it's not very good in it's current state. One dimensional and too sweet in it's milk sugar/caramel/coffee creamer flavor. The caramel and dark fruit flavors achieved by the caramel malts used are not bad, but the lack of any real roast flavor is a deal breaker for me.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2011 07:59:55 | More by plfahey

rsdaugherty

Colorado

2.7/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Bottle into pint glass
A – Almost 1 finger of tan head which reduced to a thin layer quickly but stuck to the glass, beer is a very dark brown 3.5
S – Dark roasted caramel malts, sweet cream, herbal overtones 3.5
T – An odd bitter herbalness permeates this brew, semi-sweet malts, more herbal than expected, light body and slightly dry/mineral, a very drinkable beer but not one I’m enjoying the taste of too much, dark but not a stout in my book 2.5
M – Thin watery and light, very un-stout like 2
O – If a very light thinner session stout is your target, this may work for you. Not what I was hoping for and I will not be revisiting this brew. 2.5

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2011 23:44:45 | More by rsdaugherty

tvv375ia

Iowa

2.45/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

poured from 11.2ox bottle into pint glass

A-well it looks of very dark with no light coming through with less than a finger of head that faded away quickly

S-smell is not bad I get some carmel malts and a little dark fruit

T-not much like the smell unfortunately I do get a slight dark fuit at the very begining but that fades very quikly to a sweaty leather type taste

M-very thin and watery

O-it says on the bottle carmel color added so that should have made me steer clear but I saw the made in Malta and I couldn't resist. I don't know if other beers add color or this is the only one with the courage to list it on the label but I will just count this as country number 10 for my reviews.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2011 02:32:52 | More by tvv375ia

Illtryit

Missouri

2.6/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Poured coffee colored black with caramel colored film head that clears up rather quick and leaves a big - bubbled ring around the rim.

smells sweet. A mix between red wine and anise.

Taste is not very good at all. This is nothing more than a light beer with coloring added and some kind of artificial flavoring. Somewhat chocolatey.

Mouthfeel is very thin and watery. No body to this beer.

This is definitely not a stout that I care to drink again.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2011 00:55:17 | More by Illtryit

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

2.58/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

11.2oz bottle. Caramel colour added to a milk stout? Uh oh…

I can trace my paternal heritage back a few hundred years, and it stops with this little island, merged with that other little island, Eire.

This beer pours a solid black, with slight cola edges, and one skinny finger of foamy milk chocolate brown head, which settles quickly, leaving some random specked streaks of lace around the glass in the process. It smells of sweet caramel malt, milk, fermented red grape juice, and leafy hops. The taste is stale cider-soaked bready malt, yeast, warm milk, and a little bit of chocolate coffee. The carbonation is very sedate, but with a weird little tongue tingling after a spell, the body medium weight, but in a squishy fruit manner, smoothness defined in an equal manner. It finishes with an airiness, aged black fruit dancing about, tartness coming and going.

Well, a strange old bat, this one. Stout characteristics get pushed aside in favour of weird amber ale off-flavours. Could be an age issue – as there's no date info on the bottle, but then again, maybe it's just that I’ve never had a Mediterranean milk stout before.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2011 06:07:51 | More by biboergosum

avalon07

South Carolina

2.88/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a black color and a thick texture. There was a half inch of foamy, tan-colored, long-lasting head. Excellent lacing.

S: A very faint aroma of malt and coffee, but not much else.

T: Tasted of light malt and some mild coffee up front, with milk in the finish. Mainly, this was a thin, watery beer without much discernible flavor.

M: A solid amount of carbonation with a smooth, somewhat thin finish. Medium-bodied.

O: While this beer does have one or two good attributes, it is pretty mediocre.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2011 12:11:11 | More by avalon07

chinchill

South Carolina

3/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Undated 11.2 oz bottle poured into a pint glass.

Despite a rather vigorous pour, only enough head was generated to barely cover the top, and this disappeared rapidly. A very dark brown liquid, a bit hazy, with a tan head.

Aroma: a spicy smell (hops?) of hops and malt. Smells sweet.

Tastes sweet too, at first, giving the initial but momentary impression of being way too sweet. but then some bittering hops kick in towards the finish to provide a good sweet/bitter balance. Nice flavor effect, even if the flavor is not good until the finish.

M: under carbonated and a tad watery.

O - an interesting brew worth seeking out as a novelty. A bit different from other milk stouts I've tried. Good dessert beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2011 22:52:26 | More by chinchill

rhoadsrage

Illinois

2.9/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

(Served in a nonic)

A- The dark dense black body lets a soft glow of brown in at the base. There is a thin bubbly tan head that is gone before the first sip. The beer is a bit too dense to see any sign of carbonation.

S- The soft soapy aroma has some cola qualities to it but no roasted malt noticed.

T- The slightly tart flavor has some cherry qualities to it with a watery cola note to follow and a roasted malt note hint at the finish.

M- The light mouthfeel is slightly watery in texture with no alcohol heat noticed.

O- After pouring the glass, I read "with caramel color" on the label. It made me nervous that someone would actually advertise that. I would call this a diet stout, it is thin and watery with very little flavor. It was a let down.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2011 21:46:05 | More by rhoadsrage

TheBeerAlmanac

Kentucky

2.28/5  rDev -16.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Bottle poured into a tulip

A: Pours black with a thin but solid tan head. It’s quite nice looking, actually.

S: Smell is sweet with molasses and sugar. And after dinner mints. Weird, I know.

T/M: Flavor is slightly sweet like honey or molasses but that’s pretty much it. It’s very similar to an American amber, not high on my list of things to emulate.

Because of the amber similarities, I’ll pass on this one next time, and I’m not saying that because I’m biased. Okay, I am. But seriously, I’m not.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2011 01:44:31 | More by TheBeerAlmanac

jlb502

California

2.33/5  rDev -15%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

$1.99 for 11.2 oz. Poured into a tulip.

A: Looks fine. Nothing wrong in this department.

S: Metal and prunes. Really dislike the metallic element.

T: Tastes like sweet prune water with shoe polish mixed in. Also some wood shavings.

M: Creamy and watery, if that's possible.

O: Not awful but below average.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2011 03:52:47 | More by jlb502

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

2.28/5  rDev -16.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Yikes, this one was a little off... I really thought this one sounded good from the look of the bottle and everything. Don't judge the book by its cover, surprisingly this just tasted really bad. The look of it is fine even the aroma is pretty nice but the taste is just not the greatest at all. This brew is not worth the money in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2011 23:03:29 | More by Knapp85

mempath

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

i guess you have to know how to pour a stout to get it to show it's potential. pretty active dark cocoa nib head stays lively, lacing nicely and thick with a large sudsy, tight island remaining for some time.

nose is a slightly sharp sweetness, dried dark fruit, vanilla. for an incredibly low ABV, this smells a bit like a liqueur. interesting.

i see alot of poor reviews but trying to keep it objective.

yeah, there's the average (or less?!) aspect...something not melded here...interesting in that it would be perhaps a really refreshing deep summer dark brew...not bad at all (at first), but mouthfeel is very thin, finish is too dry and fast...the flavor is actually full-bodied for a split second, but it fades and seems imbalanced. the sweetness would actually make this not as enjoyable and just cloying had it lingered. so there's something positive. don't let it warm up!

in a sense, a drinkable brew, but for it's price (!) and low ABV, i don't know.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2011 00:16:02 | More by mempath