Rochester Mills Milk Shake Stout - Rochester Mills Beer Co.

yamar68

Minnesota

3.48/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

I'm gonna try this one on for size, even though Alextricity doesn't approve. (risky, I know)

Sure does pour nicely. Dark chocolate brown body with a frothy pale khaki head.

Dat lactose. Plentiful creamy sugar... it's got that lactic sweetness that you'd expect from any basic milk stout. Think Left Hand.

It drinks fine... the powdery cocoa flavors are overwhelmed by metallic brown ale notes and lactose. Consistency is nice, appropriate for the flavor profile. But I can't see myself drinking more than one of these bad boys.

This ain't no 79 cent Frosty, but this dog'll hunt.

Serving type: can

05-30-2013 02:14:05 | More by yamar68

Alextricity

Michigan

2.93/5  rDev -18.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

No canning date -- poured into a shaker pint.

Appearance: Pours pitch black with a very short lived tan head. Patchy lacing at best. Pretty much no bubbles in the beer that I can see after a few minutes. Meh.

Smell: Super metallic... I figured it may be my glass, but it smelled the same out of the can. I try to get other aromas out of it, but the metal smell is dominating everything else. There's a really, REALLY subtle chocolate sort of aroma in there as well, but it's way in the background. Doesn't smell awful (outside of the blood smell), but it doesn't exactly smell good, either.

Taste/feel: Really, same as the smell. Not much to taste beer. A mild metallic after taste, not much going on on the front of each sip... really quite bland. Back of the throat has a pleasant roastiness. There's some chocolate on top of the roasted malts, but it's really subdued. The feel on this one is the best part of the beer -- it's not super thick, but has a pleasant creaminess, with light carbonation.

Disappointed. I have to think that this can was old... which would be kind of confusing, considering I live only about 20 minutes or so from the brewery. It's not an awful, undrinkable stout, but there's nothing about it that stands out. It isn't sweet like a milkshake, it doesn't taste like a milkshake, it doesn't feel like a milkshake. The name "milkshake stout" is misleading, as it tastes like nothing more than a plain old stout -- with a metallic note in the aroma and taste. Might try it again on tap, but not out of a can again.

Serving type: can

05-01-2013 17:57:04 | More by Alextricity

GRPunk

Michigan

3.95/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Pint can poured into a nonic pint.

A- The finger-worth of brown head develops with an audible fizzle, but fizzles out pretty quickly. The near-black body shows mahogany edges. Stick settles back into the body for the most part.

S- Quite roasty at first. Lots of sweet chocolate and some coffee. Warmth creates a more robust aroma and accentuates the coffee.

T- As the name and aroma suggest, there's a lot of milk chocolate flavor. The background is a medium roast coffee. Some residual sweetness creates a sugar-sweetened coffee effect.

M- Moderate body. A little fizzy at first, it settles down and gets creamier.

O- I like it, though I generally really like most in the style. It has a nice combination of semi-sweet chocolate and coffee that makes it a little different from the others.

Serving type: can

04-28-2013 22:08:37 | More by GRPunk

chocosushi

Oklahoma

3.36/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.5

Thanks Matt
Pounder->

A ~ Looks like a milk stout. Luscious tan head. Black/brown color. Head sticks around for a long while.

S ~ Milk Sugar, Cocoa Nibs, Ovaltine, Cane SUgar

T ~ Vanilla, Cocoa, Baking Chocolate, Confectioners Sugar...Very creamy.
The lactose & cocoa nibs play well together in the flavor department.

M ~ Slightly metallic but w/ a to-style creamy feel that finishes sweet.

D ~ Wouldn't seek out but would gladly drink again. Traded for this one on a whim, & don't regret it one bit. Hit the spot after a long shift.

Slainte!

Serving type: can

03-23-2013 23:04:25 | More by chocosushi

tectactoe

Michigan

3.89/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

Poured from the can into a glass. Dark brown, very nearly black with a creamy, beige head that has a grey-ish tint to it. Even from the pour, it looks a little thin for a stout, but looks can be deceiving, so I guess we'll see.

The aroma is packed with lots of milky chocolates, pretty sweet and forthcoming, actually quite a bit more dense than I was really expecting. Nice roasty character, pretty mild and welcoming; good helping of coffee beans which also flow along with the already creamy and sweet characteristic of the beer. There's a balancing dryness that rushes in during the latter half of the beer that helps balance the sweetness a bit, mainly because there isn't much hop or roasted bitterness to do that job.

It hits my palate somewhat creamy but still a bit thin, and more thin than I would expect for a stout of any kind. The flavors, however, are certainly on point. Sweet chocolates, mild roasted malts, light nuttiness - a nice collaboration of flavors from the first sip. As time goes on, the malts get a bit more roasty, but are constantly balanced by the soft blanket of sweetness. Some heavy coffee flavors come in, too, in a "heavy cream, heavy sugar" kind of way.

I speak highly of the coffee here, but chocolate/cocoa is the real star of the show; sweet, milky, creamy, etc.. I'm sounding like a broken record here, but you get the point. Mild roasted bitter twinge near the end, and though this beer is all about the sweetness, it remains soft and manageable, never coming close to cloying or off-putting. Medium carbonation, light bodied and thin.

Very surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. It was pretty damn tasty, soft and silky sweetness through and through with a nice helping of cocoa and a little bit of coffee and roasted malt bringing up the rear. I don't know if I'd actively seek this one out again, but for the right price, I'd definitely pick more up.

Serving type: can

03-18-2013 02:35:37 | More by tectactoe

Jpatrix

Michigan

2.99/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured from 16 oz. can into a pint glass.
A - Pours dark with a thin quickly disappearing head. Zero lacing on glass.
S - Light chocolate aroma but not a lot of aroma from this pour.
T - Initial chocolate with sweetness of a milk stout.
M - Thin mouthfeel. Not a bold stout but as a milk stout this is expected.
O - A thin bodied stout with not a lot to it. M Sweet Stout is not my choice of stouts though. This would be a good "style transition" beer.

Serving type: can

02-27-2013 00:55:22 | More by Jpatrix

buschbeer

Ohio

3.49/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.5

16 oz can
Served in a perfect pint glass

A - It appears black, but when held to the light some ruby highlights are visible. It was topped with an inch of mocha head that settled to a skim.

S - I get some roasted malt and milk chocolate. There are some hints of coffee.

T - It starts out tasting like milk chocolate. After several sips the roasted flavors come through leaving a slightly bitter aftertaste.

M - It is thin for a stout. I would like a full to thick mouth feel.

O - It is a decent beer. I would drink it again if offered, but I would not seek it.

Serving type: can

02-09-2013 20:24:41 | More by buschbeer

StoutHunter

Michigan

3.28/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

I picked up a can of Rochester Mills Milk Shake Stout last week for $2.19 at The Lager Mill. I had a sample of this last year at a festival and I liked it and since cans of it just started showing up I decided to get a can and revisit it, so lets see what I think about it now. No visible bottling date, but I know it's fairly fresh. Poured from a 16oz pint can into and imperial pint glass.

A- This can looks pretty good, it's got a nice clean and classy look to it, with some nice information about the brewery. It poured a nice black color that didn't let any light come through and it had a half a fingers worth of tan head that instantly died down to a thin ring that eventually disappeared and it left hardly any lacing behind. This was an ok looking beer, the color was nice but the head and lacing were disappointing and could be improved on.

S- The aroma starts of with a higher amount of medium sweetness with the milk lactose imparting a sweet and creamy aroma followed by loads of chocolate with milk chocolate sticking out the most but there is also a slight cocoa powder like aroma. Up next comes the malts which impart a roasted malt, grainy, slight coffee, and some slight caramel aromas. This beer had a pretty good aroma, it had lots of chocolate aromas and the milk lactose showed up nicely, I have no complaints.

T- The taste seems to be pretty similar to the aroma and it starts off with a medium amount of sweetness that imparted a nice and creamy milk lactose flavor followed by the cocoa nibs that impart a nice milk chocolate flavor but it's a little on the light side. Up next comes the malts which impart some grainy, almost charred malts, and a slight coffee flavor. On the finish there's a lighter amount of bitterness with a roasted malt and chocolate like aftertaste. The taste was nice, but it seemed a little watered down to me especially when compared to how rich and robust the aroma was, not bad, but not great.

M- Smooth, crisp, on the lighter side of being medium bodied, with a higher amount of carbonation. The mouthfeel wasn't that good, it was pretty over carbonated and the body was way too thin especially when it's called a Milk Shake Stout.

Overall I was disappointed with this beer and I thought it was a a pretty average example of the style, I remember it tasting more robust and being much thicker when I had it last year, so trying it in the can was a bit of a let down. This beer had ok drinkability, it went down smooth and it wasn't filling, but the flavors didn't really hold my attention and the mouthfeel was confusing, one pint can is enough for me, I don't think I would want another one. What I liked the most about this beer was the aroma, it was pretty good with some nice roasted malt, chocolate and milk lactose coming together to make for a nice aroma. What I liked the least about this beer was the mouthfeel, it was just way too thin and over carbonated for the style and it really needs to be worked on. I don't think I would buy a can of this, but I would try it on tap to see if there is any difference, and I can't say that I would recommend this beer to my friends. All in all I was let down with this beer, it just wasn't as great as I remember it and I think it needs some work, better luck next time guys.

Serving type: can

01-13-2013 20:13:49 | More by StoutHunter

mwa423

Ohio

3.65/5  rDev +2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - Beer is a very dark rich brown with little off white head that quickly died and didn't leave much of a lacing.

S - Very sweet aroma with a mix of lactose, milk chocolate, a tiny bit of coffee and malt. Pleasant smell for the style.

T - The taste is very similar to the aroma with lots of chocolate and milky sweetness. The aftertaste is similar to a coffee flavored chocolate bar.

M - Mouthfeel is exceptionally creamy and smooth, not as thick as a milkshake but certainly leaving the same sweet taste on the tongue.

Overall, a very decent milk stout with plenty of lactose. Certainly rich and sweet but light enough on the tongue to drink in the summer. Appearance is really the only thing lacking in this beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2011 23:08:05 | More by mwa423

LilBeerDoctor

New York

3.05/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Reviewed on 6/21/2010. On tap at the brewpub. Pours black with a small tan head. Aroma of bitter chocolate, roasted malt, smoked malt, and a hint of lactose. Flavor of lactose with bitter chocolate, also there is sort of an odd tartness. A decent stout but odd tasting and the lactose and chocolate malt flavors did not quite come together.

Serving type: on-tap

12-23-2010 23:30:24 | More by LilBeerDoctor

DackAchan

Michigan

4.47/5  rDev +24.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Good appearance, oil black with a one finger mahogony head. Little to no lacing.

S- Excellent smell. Sweet, with hints of chocolate, toffee, and brown sugar.

T- Taste like it smells. Excellent choclate taste, laced with strong brown sugar, sweet for a Stout, with some hints of toffee and coffee.

M- Good mouthfeel, no strong bite to it, slight bitter aftertaste at the end perfectly complimenting the chocolate and sweetness of the first sip.

D- This is an excellent beer. I finished school this week and went to the Mills 4 times, every time I had a Milkshake Stout. The MS Stout is the only beer from the Mills I have had twice this week.

Serving type: on-tap

12-16-2007 17:08:23 | More by DackAchan

mcallister

Ohio

3/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Thick, gooey, and black. Tan head is full and thick with good retention.

Nose is lacking. Hints of toffee, caramel, sweet malt, milk chocolate, lactose, and a light roasty quality. Just somewhat out there.

Sweet toffee and caramel malt. With a sour milk taste in the mid palate. Virtually no finish. Hints of vanilla and milk chocolate. A blueberry, black raspberry lingers as it warms up.

Mouthfeel is thin and week overall a beer that is just missing in all the right places.

Serving type: on-tap

04-23-2007 17:37:41 | More by mcallister

sinstaineddemon

Connecticut

4/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - this beer pours a typical stouty black with a thin brown head that laces to the rim very quickly

S - has a coffee/chocolate aroma that we all would expect from a stout, the creamy aroma from the lactose is nice and quite evident, a great addition to the bouquet, almost smells like home made ice cream

T - hmmmm...., tartier than i expect, the choco/coffee flavors were present as expected, but the milky sweetness is combined, almost replaced with a tartinees

M - very smooth and well bodied, balance is a little off, needs to be slightly sweeter, but still very good

D - a little lower than normal due to the acidity, but still high

Serving type: on-tap

04-10-2006 03:32:02 | More by sinstaineddemon

mjohn27603

Michigan

3.7/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Drank on premises at Rochester Mills Beer Company. Color is black and opaque. Served with a 2 finger head that reduced to a 1 finger depth. Aroma was sweet with roasted and milk smells. Lactic acid is added to the beer. The taste is similar to the aroma with sweet roasted flavors some maltiness. The beer is not very bitter with some hops balance. Not bad but not outstanding. Rating is raised by high drinkability.

Serving type: on-tap

11-10-2002 14:40:33 | More by mjohn27603