Cognac Barrel Aged Moloko - Three Floyds Brewing Co. & Brewpub

Rogorama

Indiana

4.91/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

A great beer here. Pours black with tan head. Cognac is well balanced with the milk stout. The best of the FFF special releases, in my opinion. Aroma is wonderful, and the taste matches it. Wish i had a few more bottles. Hope Floyds comes out with more variations of moloko in the future.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 19:43:45 | More by Rogorama

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.5/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Very excited to try this. A huge thank you to David for sending me this unexpectedly.

The beer is near black with a thick beige head. The aroma offers roasted malt, chocolate, vanilla, oak, cognac. The milk presence is overshadowed to a certain degree, but not necessarily in a negative way. Rather than being lactic or having a promiment milk stout presence, the beer is beautifully balanced. Cognac is present throughout both the aroma and flavor, and just sits beautifully atop the base beer. I thoroughly enjoyed this. Another outstanding stout from the dudes at FFF.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2012 19:33:56 | More by Huhzubendah

cfrances33

Illinois

4.35/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle 293 of 564
Poured into a Three Floyd’s teku, and served at approx.. 50F

Pour: Pitch black with a finger and a half deep khaki head. Recedes to a rim and leaves no lacing. (5)

Smell: Vanilla is really evident from the first whiff. Sweetness leans more towards toffee than caramel. Definite cognac notes, but amazingly does not overpower or lend a booziness – just a clean cognac presence. Some dark fruits mingle in the back. (4.5)

Taste: Opens with a deep cognac sweetness characterized by dark fruits and toffee. Slight vinous taste as well, much like a port wine. As the cognac subsides, vanilla and chocolate linger on the back of the tongue. As the glass warms, the cognac presence stays longer before the chocolate notes enter. Really, really nice and pretty out of the box (4)

Mouthfeel: This beer really excelled here. No boozy burn at all, which was my main concern opening this so soon. Carbonation is truly like silk – simply slides over your palate. I would define it as “buttery.” A definite sipper. (5)

Overall: I was incredibly impressed by this beer, when I went in expecting a solid offering or a miss. Absolutely exceeded my expectations. If I could, I would definitely get this beer again. (4.5)

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2012 00:00:10 | More by cfrances33

stxSS07

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle #501/564 into a snifter.

A- Pours black and a little slicker than its non-barrel counterpart with a thin cap of milk-chocolate head that dissipates into a ring around the glass. Leaves surprising alcohol legs...I wonder how many ABV points this guy gained after a year in the barrel. 4

S- Sweet sticky/sugary cognac, vanilla, caramel chocolate/cocoa, some spicy/woody barrel notes. I wouldn't be able to tell you this was Moloko if you handed me a glass. 4

T- Follows the nose, but I'm able to pick out the Moloko base on the back end. Starts with vanilla, big sugary cognac, and caramel. Followed up by roasty chocolate and the bit of lactic sweetness that Moloko finishes with. Tasty. 4.5

M- Medium bodied...close to full, but not quite there. Nice chewyness. 4

O- Really surprised at how tasty this beer is. The sweetness from the cognac barrel compliments the sweetness already found in Moloko extremely well. 4.5

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2012 05:51:51 | More by stxSS07

drabmuh

Maryland

4.28/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Thanks Geist, served in a Three Floyds Teku glass. Beer is black with a wispy tan head of small and large bubbles, some lacing, moderate retention. Looks good.

Aroma is cognac, which is good if you love cognac. Very sweet aroma.

Beer is pretty sweet, nice body, the liquor up front adds a nice dimension to the beer that fades in the late palate and leaves an almost blank flavor on the palate. The finish is a little dull but it is a superior beer by a lot. I'd have it again.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2012 18:16:39 | More by drabmuh

jaasen64

Massachusetts

4.23/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml bottle. Bottle #230/564. Thanks Mike (Mbrown44) for bringing this one! Split 4 ways, poured into HF stemmed glass. Tried back to back with regular Moloko.

A- Pours jet black with a thin slightly bubbly mocha brown head that fades fairly fast. Consistently rising carbonation bubbles, definitely less then the regular Moloko.

S- Strong presence of cognac that almost gives it a fairly boozey smell, some dark chocolate hiding underneath the cognac, the cognac makes it very aromatic. The cognac gives it a nice smell that is a little bit too dominant and gives it a foreboding presence that it's going to be a booze bomb other then that though it's a very nice smelling beer.

T- Cognac very prevalent but not as strong as in the smell which is definitely a good thing. Dark fruits and some light chocolate hide underneath the cognac sweetness. Nicely balanced.

M- Smooth, lightly creamy, packs a tiny bit of heat but nothing off putting. Definitely a sipper.

O- This was a nice beer that really made the cognac presence known and tasted completely different then regular Moloko. In my opinion it was a tiny bit overpowering (especially in the aroma) but not bad at all. The lactose sugars from the regular Moloko had completely faded away and were replaced by a nice presence of dark fruits. I would definitely drink this again if given the chance and I would recommend trying it out especially if you like cognac.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2012 00:58:59 | More by jaasen64

MasterSki

Illinois

4.18/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle shared by Frank (lurchingbeast). Thanks dude! Served in a Hill Farmstead tulip.

A - Finger-plus of tan foam settles to a thick collar, a few wisps, and specks of lacing. Very dark brown body with lighter tinges at the edges of the glass.

S - This smells more like apple brandy than cognac, as there's a pervasive green apple aroma. The base beer also appears to have been largely obliterated, with only mild hints of chocolate and caramel in the periphery. I don't think I could tell that this was Moloko if I tried it blind.

T - The taste is significantly better, with a nice balance of sweet milk stout and vinous cognac flavors. There's a bit of spirit alcohol flavor to this and a hint of the previously mentioned green apple, but chocolate, caramel, vanilla, and cognac are the main culprits and they work in surprising harmony.

M - Smooth, medium body that's quite cream mid-palate before yielding to a dry and tannic finish. Lower carbonation, and minimal alcohol warmth, even with the fairly intense boozy cognac flavors.

D - Pretty good, but I think I prefer the bourbon and port Moloko's to this one. The green apple aroma is a bit strange, although I think only a few of use picked up the flavor, but the flavor is excellent. It'd be hard to tackle a whole bottle without a bunch of friends, but I'd happily have a few ounces if I can across this again.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2012 00:52:35 | More by MasterSki

aasher

Indiana

4.13/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle shared by Rillo at the Charlotte Tasting 2012. Thanks Rillo!

Cognac Kilometer looks like the regular, thick and viscous dark chocolate brown with a one finger dark beige head. The nose definitely has plenty of Cognac character. It is vinous and has plenty of grape character yet still has plenty of the roasted malt and chocolate that I love in the regular Moloko. There are traces of Cognac all over this beer. As always Moloko does well in a barrel. The Cognac is different but I do prefer the Bourbon barrel version. Good beer though.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2012 01:14:48 | More by aasher

HuskyinPDX

Washington

4.13/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle opened on 1.12.13.
Bottle 193/564

A - Pours a very dark brown with a 3/4 inch fizzy brown head that fades slowly.

S - Strong booze, dark fruit, red-wine, cognac for sure.

T - Nice chocolate and stout, then some cognac and booze sweep in, very nice.

D - Low to medium carbonation with a heavier body.

O - The smell is boozy , but the taste is more balanced. A stout with a cognac influence.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2013 07:07:45 | More by HuskyinPDX

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.98/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Big thanks goes out to cmrillo for sharing this one during the One Year Anniversary of My Wreck Tasting! Bottle #524 of 564! Served from bottle into a Crooked Stave ‘Crooked Line’ tulip. Poured pitch black with a half finger tan head that subsided to a minimal amount quickly. Maintained nice lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, apple, sweet alcohol, wood, fruit, and spice. The flavor was of sweet malt, wood, sweet alcohol, fruit, spice, and apple. It had a light feel on the palate with medium-high carbonation. Overall this was a fairly good brew. The barrel definitely added a very nice level of complexity to this one. However, it did cover up a lot of the base brew if I am honest. This hurt its score slightly if I’m honest, but this was still a solid brew. Definitely worth your time if you get the chance to try it.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2012 11:56:19 | More by thagr81us

tewaris

Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks Frank! Split with a few great BAs.

This is just not the right base beer I think. Dark brown foam with a ring for head. Nutty aroma with cognac/brandy making through after some intense attempts. Sweet, roasty and a fruity base somewhere. Medium body, medium feel. Can't think of anything offensive about this beer, frankly; but can't think of a great reason to put it in a waxed bottle and sell it for insane prices either.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2013 10:52:52 | More by tewaris