Dark Horse Too Cream Stout - Dark Horse Brewing Company

jimmah120

Minnesota

3.8/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle with no date poured into a Mason jar.

Glugs out a pure black, with a very thin mocha head that disappears in an instant. Smell is heavy on the coffee, with some dark chocolate, and a little cream soda sweetness in the back. Taste is crisp toffee malts up front, then fades into a roasted dark chocolate-coffee favor. Very savory. The medium body feels a little on the light side, but is still creamy.

Nice roasted flavors in this stout, but heavy on the coffee flavor, which I'm not that into. Excited to try their blueberry stout next.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2012 23:54:07 | More by jimmah120

neckbracesub

Indiana

3.9/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Dark Horse has done a mighty good job with this extremely dense and full-bodied milk cream stout.

Too Cream takes the method of a new classic like Left Hand’s Milk Stout and amps up the ABV% and coffee/licorice/chocolate aromas and flavors, making it damn-near as good as the aforementioned beer.

If you can’t get it on tap, do yourself a favor and pour your bottle into a nice pint glass of some kind and admire the beautiful java head and enjoy immensely.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2012 00:59:26 | More by neckbracesub

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.85/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Dark beige/tan color to the head, but it doesn't last, nor does it leave any lace. The beer is near black in color where no light passes.

Deep dark chocolat; bittersweet smell. Strong chalky cocoa smell.

The flavor mimics the smell except that there is more burnt malt taste to it. The body is creamy, but not too sweet like most Cream Stouts. The aftertaste is slightly nutty with a linger coffee ground taste.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2012 00:55:27 | More by smcolw

Flounder57

Massachusetts

3.98/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle was poured into a tulip glass.

Appearance: The beer poured a small head that has reduced to a thin layer. Pitch black with visions of bubbles at the sides of the glass towards the top.

Smell: roasted coffee, chocolate, sweet and bread malts. Can't wait to try a sip.

Taste: All of the above with a slight smokey and ash factor to the taste. Some bitterness towards the end, but it all mellows out evenly making this beer easy and enjoyable to drink.

Mouthfeel: full bodied, smooth, delicious, medium carbonation, a little boozy, and great drinking on the palate.

Overall: Very nice addition to the four part series. Can't wait to try out tres next. Dark Horse has yet to dissapoint me with this series.

Serving type: bottle

02-29-2012 01:26:44 | More by Flounder57

cradke

Texas

4.1/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Black as night: Thin caramel colored fine head. Pours very viscous. Looking fantastic.

Smell: Sweet and malt notes. Smells like a dark russian or rye bread and the grain notes come through nicely in the beer. Wish there was a bit more nose to it but the smell is nice.

Taste: Starts with a nice roasted feel, some chocolates with some nice sweet and cream notes. The chocolate sticks around and there are some roasted, almost to coffee notes. The complexity and evolution of the taste is fantastic. Flavors just keep popping in and evolving as the beer moves across the palate and even after its down the pipe. One of the best aftertastes I have had.

Mouthfeel: Pretty nice, nothing amazing. The carbonation is a little low but nothing to complain about.

Overall: Really solid brew. My first Dark Horse and I really enjoyed it. The taste evolution is great. The aftertaste is fantastic. This is one of those beers that has notes of flavors that you've had before, but is just executed and put together much better than before. I really enjoyed this beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2012 06:31:32 | More by cradke

zeledonia

Minnesota

3.83/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle from last year (winter 2010-2011).

Pours dark brown, black in the center, with a half-finger coffee-brown head. Head fades pretty quickly, leaving a bit of lacing that won't quite stick to my glass.

Smell is quite roasty. Charred wood, some coffee and chocolate. Smells an awful lot like One, which I had just the other day. This is more woody and heavier on the dark roast. Has a subtle sweetness in the background.

Taste is quite similar to the smell, and again pretty similar to their oatmeal stout. Loads of dark roasted malts, with coffee nudging out the cocoa. Sweetness comes through more here than in the smell, and adds some nice variety. Finish is rather bitter, as the roasted malts rear up again.

Medium-bodied - not too light, not too heavy. Carbonation is moderate, as it should be. I don't get much of the lactose slickness that I'd expect from a cream stout, though.

A good milk stout. Solid all the way through, with nothing spectacular, but no real faults either. Definitely on the charred/roasty side, and lower on the sweetness than many milk stout.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2012 05:20:35 | More by zeledonia

warnerry

Michigan

3.95/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Pours black with three+ fingers of creamy brown head that has very good retention.

S - Combination of sweet and roasted earthy malts. Relatively simple, but good. A bit of smoke and coffee as well.

T - Roasted malts come through more in the taste than the smell. Also, some sweet malt and a very faint tartness. The roasted character may be a bit too much for a cream stout, but taste is good overall.

M - Not quite as creamy as I would like. Maybe over carbonated and a touch thin for the style.

O - Not my favorite of the DH stout series, but still a good one overall.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2012 15:24:08 | More by warnerry

Cheesedogg

Michigan

3.8/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass. Very dark, opaque brown/black in color with a nice inch of foam. Head disappeared after a few minutes. Smell of very roasted malts with the hint of coffee and cocoa. Taste the nice java flavor with just a bit of bitternes to finish. Very smooth and drinkable beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2012 02:46:24 | More by Cheesedogg

BedetheVenerable

Missouri

3.33/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Presentation: 12oz brown pop top, sort of shady, simplistic label, so characteristic of Dark Horse...doesn't much matter though, it's all about what's inside. No date, but I think we've had this one for a little over a year.

Appearance: Pours BLACK straight out of the bottle. Not black in the glass but brown out of the bottle, this is PITCH, OBSIDIAN black from the get-go. Really impressive and viscous looking. A dark mocha cap crowns this, but falls fairly quickly to thick ring and thin film.

Smell: Thick, dark roasted grain aromas, with hints of alcohol, and a touch of smoky char. Powerful and pleasant, if not tons of depth.

Taste: Char and roasted grains lead the way here. Only the most minimal of dark fruity esters, this is burnt, sharp, and roasty. It has a rich, full feel typical of a cream stout, but this ends drier and much roastier than the typical examples.

Mouthfeel: Rich and full, velvety.

Overall: Not at all a bad beer, but it's not really what I think about when I think of a cream stout, even a larger-than-usual version. Foreign Export Stout? Perhaps. At any rate, it's not a bad beer, but at 10 bucks or so for a 4-pk, this isn't probably one I'd pick up again.

C+ to B-

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2012 03:33:28 | More by BedetheVenerable

Alieniloquium

Florida

3.58/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle poured into a pint glass. Another bottle courtesy of chpueblo22.

Appearance - Inky black and glass-staining. Not much head, but that it has is a very dark chocolate foam. Nice. I forgive its subsequent torpitude because of how jet black it is.

Smell - Lactose and a hefty coffee roast. Maybe a hint of alcohol as it warms. Uninspiring, but at least I get the roast more than the lactose.

Taste - Lactose sweetness right up front, but it isn't overwhelming. The dark roasts fight through. Mostly coffee, but some chocolate and burnt malt comes through as well. Nicely bitter in the finish, as it combats the lactose, but it's more from the roast than hops.

Mouthfeel - Not boozy in the taste and decently carbonated. The lactose, even if I don't love the flavor, makes it smooth and somewhat creamy. The heavy roasted malts really kill any notion of a cream stout, though.

Overall - I enjoyed One more, but this isn't bad for a milk stout. I try not to hold my opinion of lactose additions against these beers, and this one at least gave me a decent stout behind it.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2012 23:54:50 | More by Alieniloquium

ThePorterSorter

New York

4.25/5  rDev +9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Another incredible stout form darkhorse... Thanks again to DoctorB2B

Apearance:
Jet black as expected with a 1/2 inch of dark, tan head. The head eventually dissipates to a thin halo around the edges and there appears to be very little cloudiness/sediment. The beer leaves an oily, yellow glaze on the inside of the glass.

Smell:
All I get out of the nose is a light roastiness and some sweetness. When it warms up the alcohol becomes more pronounced.

Taste:
This is a tasty effing beer. The bitterness is much more pungent compared to its smell and plays nicely off the stout's creamy sweetness. It's a super potent beer, but is also super balanced.

Mouthfeel:
The beer's rich, sweet-stout body, alcoholic burn, and carbonation give me first impressions of a cola beverage (coke blak anybody?), but the roastiness lingers beyond that of any soda. I love the body of the stouts darkhorse makes.

Overall:
Hard to get, but seems to be reasonably priced and very accessible in other states. I paired the beer with some Tuscany grilled ham and sharp provolone, which seems to have worked well. I'd recommend the beer to others and I'm glad I received it as an unexpected extra

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2012 00:32:31 | More by ThePorterSorter

AdamBear

Pennsylvania

4.47/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

A-pours like black motor oil, exactly how i like my stouts to pour. thin dark tan head

S-i could smell this as i was pouring it in to the glass and as i walked to my desk. it smells like really dark roasted coffee beans and cocoa beans. smells extra fresh. super strong, not exactly pure smelling though.

T-comes in with with a really dark and sweet taste of mocha. its a thick taste that lingers to a semi-bitter matching after-taste. the after-taste has more of a chocolate cover coffee bean flavor. pretty smooth and well balanced.

M-thick and medium carbonation with a dry finish

O-i'm pretty impressed with this stout. its solid tasting yet its super smooth and really drinkable, even dangerously drinkable. i would say this borderlines the taste of an american imperial stout...it has the flavor profile. i recommend this and will get this again if i see it.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2012 01:40:24 | More by AdamBear

Goblinmunkey7

Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours on the heavier side. Black with dark brown at the edges. Head is a dark tan and drops to a thin ring pretty quickly. Very still.

Smell: Roasted malts, a faint touch of sweetness. Lingering notes of cocoa and coffee, but it's really roasted sweetness. Faint grassy edge. Something akin to crust. Very mild, lacks some of the overt sweetness I expect from the style. Nice malt profile though.

Taste: Roasted malts, slightly burnt. Some sweetness mingles with a slight char and smoke. Missing the lactic sweetness. Very roasty with a touch of citrus on the back. Coffee and cocoa in good measure. Delightful flavors.

Mouthfeel: Borders on full at times, but is ultimately a high medium body. Carbonation is mellow and helps smooth the whole experience out. Very smooth.

Overall: This is very similar to One Oatmeal Stout with a little more malt character. It lacks the sweetness for the style, but makes up for it with a solid malt presence. Well-crafted and creamy.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2012 20:42:54 | More by Goblinmunkey7

ChopperSmith

Minnesota

3.73/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a standard pint glass.

Appearance: Deep opaque brown, almost black, with no light getting through when held to the light. A one finger dark brown foamy head that settled to a nice frothy cap but didn't leave any lacing behind.

Smell: Dark roasted malts, coffee, chocolate milk with a little whiff of sweetness and alcohol.

Taste: Big dark roasted malts with flavors of dark chocolate, coffee and a little smoke. Not as sweet and lactose filled as some other cream stouts, but that's what makes this original and unique. I like the big bold smoky malts and bitter chocolate flavors.

Mouth Feel: Full-bodied and hearty, thick and creamy.

Overall: A good big blast of dark roasted malts and lots of complex flavors. A sipping beer, and one is enough, so not really for sessions...but a good one if you just want one big dark malted brew. I would drink one of these again if I'm in the mood for the style.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2012 23:40:24 | More by ChopperSmith

tsauce2

Indiana

3.88/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

P: 12 fl oz bottle into a DFH snifter.

A: SRM is dark brown/black. Opaque. Head is dark brown/chocolate, velvety, 1 in, dissipates to nothing. Medium carbonation. Medium lacing.

S: Dark roast malt, chocolate, oat, lactose, mild sweetness, light hop additions.

T: Dark roast malt, hops come through fairly quickly, chocolate, alcohol, oat, light sweetness. Aftertaste is semi-bittered chocolate malt and a bit of alcohol.

M: Full body. Viscous. Big body from heavy malt use. Hops cut the profile a bit, with the oat, chocolate, lactose, and alcohol coming in afterwards and adding back to the feel. Wet finish.

O: Nice milk/sweet stout. Good flavors, with an interesting hop presence. A bit of alcohol gives a nice warmth. Solid finish and something I would definitely have again.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2012 12:41:27 | More by tsauce2

stealth

Minnesota

4.1/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Nice looking pour. Really great looking dark head, but it dissipates quickly and doesn't leave much in the way of lacing. Really great nose on this one - roasted creamy dark chocolates. Taste is similar to the nose - lots of roast, bitter chocolate. Not sweet at all; I am not tasting the lactose sweetness I expect in a milk stout. Very imperial stout like in taste and mouth feel. Very creamy, semi-thick brew.

Overall, this is a real solid entry from Dark Horse. Lots of flavor for the palate, and extremely drinkable. The lack of any milkiness in the taste detracts from its overall rating, for me, as that extra milkiness would have made this one stand out, rather than seeming like another imp. stout, albeit an above average imperial.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2012 06:19:47 | More by stealth

micromaniac129

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a deep brown that looks thick and velvetty.
A vigorous pour produced a good size foamy cap, tall and dense. Carb's look light. Aroma is rich, roasted malts, coffee and heavy cream. Drinks pretty thick on the palette. Nice roasted malt flavor, some coffee. Drinks smooth and velvetty although you can notice some grit.
Finishes with a light burnt bitterness thats toned down a notch because of the sweetness.
A good drinking beer with a bold, smooth and sweet taste.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2012 11:50:40 | More by micromaniac129

PeterIngemi

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- black, with a one finger chocolate brown head, very little lacing

S- roasted coffe, touch of smoke, chocolate

T- smell follows the nose closey, although the smoke is more pronounced in the taste, but works well with the roasty coffe notes, finishes like a mocha coffe... Pretty tasty

M- full bodied and creamy, finishes dry, great mouthfeel.

O- another very good stout from dark horse!

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2012 02:39:49 | More by PeterIngemi

DavoleBomb

Ohio

3.38/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a snifter.

3.0 A: Black. About as black as it gets. Pour yielded only one finger of short lived frothy brown head. No lacing.

3.0 S: Soft, supple roastiness. Tangy lactose and semi-sweet chocolate. Not a lot going on here.

3.5 T: More power than the nose suggests. Moderate roastiness with a touch of char and smoke. Lactose and bittersweet chocolate in healthy proportions. Perhaps a touch of molasses. Not wildly complex, but good.

3.5 M: Heavier medium body. Good moderate carbonation. Reasonably creamy with a lightly bitter aftertaste.

3.5 D: Decent, but nothing to write home about.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2012 21:25:33 | More by DavoleBomb

mattboyer182

Indiana

3.9/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - pours pith black with a thin tan head.

S - heavy smoke smell. Roasted and chocolate.

T - taste is lightly smokey at first and and it leaves a nice sweet milk aftertaste in your mouth.

M - medium bodied and light to medium carbonation.

O - love the aftertaste. My favorite part. Pretty good other than that though.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2012 01:19:26 | More by mattboyer182

jmarsh123

Indiana

2.78/5  rDev -28.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Pours black with a light tan head that dissipates quickly.

Smells of chocolate, roasted malts and has a distinct smokiness. Just a touch of lactose sweetness despite being a milk stout.

Roasty malt at the forefront. Some smoke (maybe a bit too much) before finishing earthy and dry. Again not a lot of lactose to the taste.

A bit thin for my liking with medium carbonation.

Not a big fan of this one. The smoke flavor overwhelms a bit and the good creaminess of the milk stout is missing.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2012 22:09:41 | More by jmarsh123

adman08

Wisconsin

4.13/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A-Pours a very dark brown, almost black, with a lot of light brown head that leaves good lacing.
S-Fairly strong aromas od dark chocolate and coffee. Slightly sweet smelling.
T-Tons of roasted flavor with some bitter chocolate and coffee flavors. There is some sweetness along with a very slight smoke flavor.
M-Medium bodied, fairly strong alcohol warmth, decent carbonation.
Overall, I like this beer. It's maybe a bit strong for a milk stout but the flavors are pretty great. It's nicely balanced, not too malty and sweet and not too roasted and bitter.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2012 18:53:14 | More by adman08

Caterwaul

Ohio

4.35/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A:Inky black with dark chocolate head.

S: Mmm- coffee and chocolate.

T: intense mocha flavor, with coffee leading and chocolate supporting.

M: thick and warming, with with a slight (almost) gritty feeling induced by the light carbonation.

O: It's quite good- Super creamy and decadent. I'll have to try baking with this someday.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 17:11:41 | More by Caterwaul

cosmicevan

New York

4.33/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

thanks to urbancaver for hooking it up with dark horse stuff a while ago.

a - opened the bottle and filled my duck rabbit snifter. poured a gorgeous thick rich black and a thin creamy dark tan head. very attractive. head was gone quick and the lacing was pretty slick.

s - dark roasted chocolate. kind of boozy. smells like a deep dark russian imperial stout.

t - big roast. is this really a milk stout? seems like a RIS. much bigger and bolder than most milk stouts with the sweetness more in the background and the roasted chocolate upfront. really tasty though.

m - kind of crisp. i can feel the tingle of the booze. medium to soft bodied.

o - overall, this one has some time on it as i received it a while back and it tastes pretty fantastic still...seems more RIS to me than milk stout. either way, another fine beer from dark horse. this brewery continues to impress me. word on the street is that they will be hitting NY soon so fingers crossed and can't wait.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2011 02:49:31 | More by cosmicevan

doucmehu

Wisconsin

3.83/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

2010 bottle poured into New Glarus footed... whatever it is.

Pours a thick, oily deep brown, nearly black. Minimal mocha head that quickly goes the way of the dinosaur.

Smells of roasty malts and chocolate milk sweetness. Nothing over the top but welcoming, and only improves as it warms.

Taste is quite good, I was impressed with this one. My go to milk stout is Moo Joos, and I think this one is better. There is plenty of flavor in this one. Chocolate and toasted malts are dominant, with a nice lactose sweet and mild tartness to it. Being this is a 2010 bottle, there really aren't any hops or bitterness.

Creamy texture with very mild carbonation, surprisingly thick body for the style. It sticks around for a while.

Overall, this is a nice beer with a surprising amount of flavor. The lactic qualities keep it from drinking more than 1-2 at a time, but good to go back to again, especially at a low price.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2011 04:32:17 | More by doucmehu