Sort Mælk - To Øl

Dennoman

Belgium

3.93/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

"Black Milk", I guess that kind of says it all. I love the names craft breweries come up with these days. From what Google Translate tells me, the bottle also reads: "Death is a master from Germany". Apparently this is from a German poem from 1948 called "Death Fugue" by Romanian poet Paul Celan. It begs the question what a holocaust reference is doing on a Danish beer. Oh well.

33 cl bottle, 2012 bottling so very fresh. Important when considering this is 13.1% ABV.

A: One word: textbook. Pitch black with an espresso-colored head. Sexy as hell.

S: Surprisingly subtle. Sweet notes of whisky without the actual booze and brown sugar, also a good deal of hops. Not much in the way of "stouty" smells like roasted coffee or dark chocolate, but still very pleasant.

T: Oh, that's where the whisky went. First thing to hit your tongue is the overwhelming sweetness, which is then broken by booze astringency and just enough coffee bitterness to cut through it. Very good, but ridiculously rich. Though I've had stronger beers, this is probably one of the biggest sippers I ever tried. The potency of this beer is just silly and even at 13.1% it still manages to punch well above its weight.

M: Thick and creamy thanks to medium carbonation. Again: textbook for the style, but it loses some due to your mouth actually feeling numb with booze. This is just way too alcohol-forward for me, I prefer it hidden a bit.

O: A very good crack at a "Danification" of the big American bourbon aged stouts. I somehow feel that whisky generally doesn't do the trick as well as bourbon when it comes to aging beers. The whisky here doesn't seem to lend much extra value to the beer as it isn't peaty enough to turn it into anything special. This beer sadly isn't batting with the likes of Plead the Fifth or Bourbon County, but it's a damn fine effort.

A sipping beer among sipping beers. Worth getting if you can find it, and let me tell you they don't come cheap.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2012 09:19:20 | More by Dennoman

Jeffo

Netherlands

4.45/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

We first tried this beer at The Copenhagen Beer Celebration 2012 and it knocked my socks off. A mate of mine managed to track down some bottles for us, and I am forever grateful. Cheers man!

From a bottle into a snifter
A whisky barrel aged imperial milk stout

APPEARANCE: A thick, pitch black pour yields a two finger, medium-thick, creamy tan head with excellent retention. Jet black body with lower levels of carbonation evident. Head slowly fades to a good foam cap. A half wisp and ring remain until the end leaving touches of lacing down the glass. A thick, excellent looking imperial stout.

SMELL: Yes. Roasted malts, dark chocolate, whisky, oak and vanilla all work in perfect harmony. Some sweet cream, lactose and fudge brownies as well. Really bold, ballanced, and decadent. Love it.

TASTE: Lots of whisky barrel, oak and burnt malts up front. Lots of flavor barrel, moving into a big, bold and very persistent aftertaste of whisky, oak and vanilla, with traces of milk and pure, dark chocolate as well. Roasted and burnt malts linger on the palate with a hint of booze as well. This is very flavorful and more barrel heavy than the nose had led on, but it's still an absolutely decandent treat.

PALATE: Medium body and medium carbonation. A touch lighter than hoped and only somewhat creamy on the palate. Goes down fine with a bit of a burn at the swallow and finishes slightly mouth-coating. Big, but appropriate, though it could be a touch heavier for the style.

OVERALL: Outstanding. Unfortunately the palate isn't quite as thick and full as it was on tap in Copenhagen, but it's still a memorable and absolutely decadent brew. I would love to be able to get this in mass quantities. If you get the chance at this one, don't pass it up. Thanks again for doing the dirty work on this one rvdoorn. This is world class stuff.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2012 18:49:22 | More by Jeffo

danieelol

Australia

4.48/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Drunk from my Double Bastard glass (courtesy of joecast).

Black with nice head/lacing.

Nose is like a tiramisu- lots of sweet cream, liqueur and coffee. Some nutty roast I associate with a sweet stout. But lots of coffee and dessert. I gradually get a big, formidable Imperial Stout roast forming. Sometimes get some fishiness/seaweed, presumably from the Scotch. Some firestick-y alcohol (the good kind)

Taste is more sort of caramel, fruity, chocolate-y desserts. Scotch-barrel is more explicitly present here, bringing a greaty smoky and sort of refined spirituous character.

Mouthfeel is sweet-roast-scotchy. Well balanced currently. More age and it could get a little sweet.

Great beer. This would garner a lot of hype if it were brewery-only limited release in the US.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 09:07:24 | More by danieelol

eric5bellies

Australia

4.5/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Drank from my Duvel Tulip

A - This beer pours a thick black, oily colour with a deep coffee coloured head that reduces to a decent film with thick lacing. Nice

S - Aromas of sweet malt, hop and chocolate. Delicate and yet balanced. impressive

T - Well up front there is some really nice sweet flavours followed by chocolate, coconut, licorice and a nice bitter sweet after taste, that is the result of the whiskey barrel. The booze is a little warming on the finish.

M - A very silky texture and full mouthfeel. The carbonation is perfect.

O - This is the best stout that I have had in some time. The balance here is very impressive as is the mouthfeel. A top brew. I don't think there is much more to ask of a stout.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2013 13:21:30 | More by eric5bellies

Thehuntmaster

South Africa

4.58/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

330ml bottle 13,1% Abv.
Served lightly chilled in an over sized wine glass.
No bottle date.

Appearance: Perfect - Sort Mælk pours a midnight black, with a back light only revealing a sliver of light along the edge of the glass and a rough pour generating a massive mocha coloured head. The head lasts well for the Abv. and coats the glass in thick lacing as it recedes.

Smell: The initial nose is consists of bitter-sweet dark chocolate, creamy caramel (I am guessing the lactose is responsible for the creamy character), vanilla and a dash of quality Scotch; with roasted malts, coffee, burned raisins and some molasses soon joining in as the nose begins to open up. Room temperature yields a hint of the 13,1%, as well as notes of dark treacle/brown sugar, chocolate fudge and rich dark fruits.

Taste: The flavour certainly seems more European than the nose, with a big, bitter roasted/charred malt character in the finish. that said, the sweetness and barrel character are far from forgotten. Notes include: Sweet caramel, a distinct sweet creamy quality, chocolate fudge, dark treacle sugar, vanilla, whiskey, cocoa, molasses, burned raisins, charred malt, roasted coffee beans and a hint of booze.

Mouthfeel: Medium-full bodied, with a medium level of carbonation. Ordinarily I would say that this is over carbonated for my tastes, however the addition of lactose has made the carbonation so amazingly creamy, even I would not wish for a lower level!

Overall: Sort Mælk is a fantastic barrel-aged imperial stout and one I hope becomes a regular brew from the guys at To Øl. I think the addition of lactose worked wonders for the flavour and particularly for the mouthfeel and I would love to see more breweries experimenting with imperial versions of their milk stouts.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2013 20:41:36 | More by Thehuntmaster