Carlsbad Cow Stout
Pizza Port Bressi Ranch

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From:
Pizza Port Bressi Ranch
 
California, United States
Style:
Sweet / Milk Stout
ABV:
5%
Score:
89
Avg:
4.01 | pDev: 10.72%
Reviews:
13
Ratings:
19
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Dec 16, 2014
Added:
Dec 10, 2008
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 4.5 by double2chin from California

Dec 16, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by BarryMaKociner from California

May 28, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by John11486 from California

Feb 16, 2012
Photo of sholland119
Reviewed by sholland119 from Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
On tap at Stone, 11/7/11.

A-Pours an opaque deep brown with a thin mocha head and no lacing.

S-Lactic and roasty with a hint of sweetness. Deliciously appealing aroma.

T-Rich flavors, nice roastiness and a healthy amount of sweet lactose.

M-Medium bodied, moderate carbonation.

O-Tasty and delicious, an excellent example of the style.

HV
Feb 15, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by emaciated from California

Nov 18, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by jlb502 from California

Nov 15, 2011
 
Rated: 5 by TheRealDBCooper from Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands

Nov 14, 2011
Photo of mikedrinksbeer2
Reviewed by mikedrinksbeer2 from California

4.05/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
On-Tap for Stout day at Blue Palms

A- pours black thin head that gives way to ring quickly with no cling. No carbonation.

S- roasty malts, but subntle nose overall. Touch of coffee.

F- smooth flavor, roasty finish. Malty solid.

M- smooth, silky, a touch thin, but excellent. A little viscosity on the end, perhaps the lactose remnants.
Nov 04, 2011
Photo of brokensail
Reviewed by brokensail from California

4.2/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
On-tap at Beachwood Brewing

A: The beer pours a dark brown color with a finger or so of khaki colored head.

S: Just an overall pleasant sweetness to this. Nice lactose character with mild roasted malt character and quite a bit of chocolate (both milk and dark). A touch of coffee and some toffee sweetness.

T: A roasted malt base, but the sweet milk sugar really adds a great flavor to this beer. A decent amount of chocolate flavor to go with it, a touch of toffee, and some hearty bread. Just a touch of coffee, too.

M: Maybe on the light side of medium in body with medium carbonation.

O: The sweetness was just about perfect. Very tasty beverage.
Sep 27, 2011
Photo of HopHead84
Reviewed by HopHead84 from California

4/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
9/11/2011

On tap at Pizza Port Carlsbad.

A: A dark brown that borders on black with a bubbly tan head that quickly fades.

S: Moderately roasted grain with a toasted aspect. There's a mild coffee note and a cream-like sweetness emanating from the snifter.

T: Sweet cream and roasted malt with a little toasted biscuit. Coffee is evident, accompanying earth and a low bitterness.

M: Lower medium in body with a creamy moderate level of carbonation.

Overall: A good Sweet Stout, though not a style I enjoy drinking all that much.
Sep 12, 2011
Photo of Halcyondays
Reviewed by Halcyondays from California

3.9/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
On-tap at Beachwood BBQ, I'm always interested in a new Milk stout, a fairly rare style, especially in CA,

A: Pours a dark brown to black, with a moderate off-white head, good retention, limited lacing.

S: Smells like a cup of morning Joe, it has that sweetness on the back end. Coffee and milk chocolate is what's going down here.

T: Definite roasted malt background, but the lactose smooths everything out. The residual sugar boosts the flavour profile and allows the darker malt and chocolate flavours to shine without becoming overbearing in bitterness.

M: Medium-bodied, very smooth, elegant, creamy, very good here.

D: This would make a great session stout. It's very tasty and will keep any stout fan interested over the pint. Not as good as Left Hand's (which I still don't know why we don't get in CA), but it's almost neck and neck, this is clearly a well made version of this style which I'm a big fan of and needs to be made more.
Oct 01, 2010
Photo of Kegatron
Reviewed by Kegatron from Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
On tap @ the Carlsbad location on 11/14/09. Served in a pint glass.

Pours a fairly solid black in the glass, with a finger of smooth and creamy mocha colored head. This stays rich, leaving some thick lacing back, which hangs in heavy swathes down the sides. The aroma is equal parts roast and sweetness, with heavier feeling chocolate and some milky smelling lactic character that adds a layer of creaminess to the nose. There is a good bit of floral and citric hops present as well, giving this quite the fresh feel in the nose.

The taste is big on roasted chocolate malts that combine with an equally big dose of lactic sugars to give this a sticky and sweet chocolate milkshake presence. Underneath this is a pretty sturdy feeling dose of spicy hop bitterness that offers up some much needed (and well done) balance to the profile. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, maybe a bit fuller, with a nice moderate sharpness to the carbonation from the hops, with more of that sweet and milky character gliding underneath. Good overall drinkibility here for a thicker beer.

This was a recent gold medal winner at GABF in the Sweet Stout category and I can see why. While the base Stout is nice, I think that it's the aggressive American hop profile that really makes this beer, giving it an assertive spicy pop that nicely plays off all of that sweetness. I'm not huge into this style but I really enjoyed this much more than I thought I was going to. Glad I took a chance on it.
Dec 15, 2009
Photo of nickd717
Reviewed by nickd717 from California

3.93/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
GABF gold, huh? I tried it there and neglected to review it (I know, what kind of ticker am I? Isn't 1oz enough?), but luckily I tried it again on tap at PP Carlsbad on San Diego Beer Week (phew!). largadeer was also there and I see he beat me to the punch on this one, making me look like a total chump. Thanks, Chris. I think 5 Black Tuesdays might help me get over this devastating defamation.

Black in color with a creamy one-finger tan head and good lacing.

Aroma is roasted malt, chocolate, and coffee. Some earthiness too. Could be a little more intense.

Flavor is similar, typical stout profile but executed very well, with some milk as well as some earthy notes.

Medium body with a smooth mouthfeel and soft carbonation.

Drinkability is pretty high. Overall this is solid stuff.
Nov 23, 2009
Photo of largadeer
Reviewed by largadeer from California

4/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This was on tap at Pizza Port Carlsbad. Being a gold medal winner at GABF, I figured it was worth a try, and it didn't disappoint. A black body with brown highlights and a thick tan head that leaves some lace behind as I sip my pint. The nose is chocolatey, roasty, creamy, not especially sweet actually - very balanced. Very full-bodied and flavorful on the palate, more roasty than sweet with a hint of cola flavor, surprisingly mellow on the whole. Balance is the word here, the lactose never becomes cloying. Mid-palate is roasty, chocolatey, only faintly sweet. Roasty, semi-sweet finish with lingering licorice. A subtle, balanced, thoroughly drinkable milk stout.
Nov 12, 2009
Photo of charlzm
Reviewed by charlzm from California

3.65/5  rDev -9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Consumed 02/03/09 at Blue Palms Brewhouse, Hollywood, CA.

Beer is almost black with only the slightest deep garnet highlights. One finger light tan head reduces to a sticky ring of lacing that lasts to the bottom of the glass.

Aroma is somewhat sweet with graces notes of vanilla and smoke drifting above deep roasted malt. It could only be better if it were stronger.

Mouthfeel is a bit thin, more like a porter than a stout. Smooth, though.

Flavor is dark roasted malt (touching on coffee and chocolate) with some vanilla and a touch of smoke. Lactic sweetness provides a bit of contrast. Low bitterness.

Easy to drink, but the flavor becomes a touch tiresome by the bottom of a pint glass. And I like stouts.
Feb 04, 2009
Photo of waltonc
Reviewed by waltonc from California

3.23/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
On tap at Toronado last night. I love millk stouts in general, and this was fine, but quite mediocre compared to great ones like Double Cream Stout and Moloko. Brown color, smells of roasted malts. Taste is dark roasted malts, a little coffee, and, of course, lactose sugar. Mouthfeel is thinner side of medium with medium carbonation. Pretty drinkable given the low ABV.
Jan 23, 2009
Photo of abfraser
Reviewed by abfraser from California

2.95/5  rDev -26.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
At Toronado's stout event on 1/21/08

A: Dark brown/black, with no sign of carbonation or head to speak of. Blah looking.

S: Didn't get a whole lot. Fairly weak nose. Some subtle sweetness and roasted aromas.

T/M: Disappointing. Milk chocolate-y flavors are true to the style but there's very little intensity. It just tastes watery to me. I'm no expert on milk stouts, but I compare this to one I loved, the Moloko from Three Floyds, and this is pretty beneath that.

D: Didn't really enjoy this one. Left half a glass and got an Abyss.
Jan 23, 2009
Photo of SShelly
Reviewed by SShelly from Oregon

3.89/5  rDev -3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
On tap at blue palms.

Comes out dark dark brown, with hints of red, medium off white head that fades fast.

armoa is very mild, a little roasty, very true to the style.

Taste is spot on for what I look for from a m.s. a little roasty and malty upfront, with nice residual sweetness, coats the mouth and leaves your mouth looking for more.

Hope to see this on tap more often, a good beer if you are looking for something unchallenging that trys to drink itself.
Jan 16, 2009
Photo of magictrokini
Reviewed by magictrokini from California

4/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Tap @ Hamilton's. Great version of a milk stout. Pours dark brown with a short beige head with moderate lacing. Subtle cream and cocoa nose, mixed with marshmallow. Smooth, creamy milk chocolate taste with roasted oats and just a hint of a bitter chocolate bite at the end. Smooth and long finish. Lactic, milkshake/malt taste with a cream mouthfeel.
Dec 10, 2008
Carlsbad Cow Stout from Pizza Port Bressi Ranch
Beer rating: 89 out of 100 with 19 ratings