Mackeson Triple XXX Stout - Carib Brewery Limited

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.26/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

The beer is opaque with a near black body. The head measures two inches thick, fades slowly and leaves ample lacing in its wake. The aroma offers chocolate milk, brown bread, biscuits. Smells great. The taste delivers what the aroma promised. A superb example of the style. No bitterness or lactic presence. So smooth and creamy on the palate. Lingering chocolate breads and doughnuts, though not at all too sweet. I'll be picking this up again.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2013 01:21:24 | More by Huhzubendah

andrenaline

Ontario (Canada)

3.83/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours pitch black, finger of mocha head, some retention and nice sporadic lacing.

S - Rich mocha notes, toasted caramel, hints of cocoa, and an odd rubbery finish.

T - Sweet milk chocolate, dark cocoa, leafy greens, rich caramel, and the sweet cocoa notes linger on the finish alongside a touch of molasses and chewing tobacco.

M - Medium bodied, smooth and a touch of stickiness on the finish.

O - A tasty milk stout and a surprisingly quality brew coming from a brewery that I had previously thought had nothing but average brews.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 21:45:08 | More by andrenaline

chinchill

South Carolina

3.74/5  rDev -7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

33cl bottle from Trinidad, dated May 2013, served in a snifter. A moderate pour yielded a huge tan head that died down rather quickly but left the glass laced and a very durable partial top coat. Dark brown on the pour but an opaque black body with brown edges in the glass.

Aroma: nutty roasted malts and corn; fairly rich but not complex aroma of toasted grains with milky caramel.

Taste: Chocolate, medium and dark roast malt with a milky/toffee sweetness overwhelming a touch of underlying bitterness all the way to the aftertaste. A bit too sweet for me but ultimately leaving a pleasant aftertaste.

Medium-full body with well-chosen medium-light carbonation.

O: a bit sweet, even for a milk stout.. Good, rich dessert beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2013 02:23:34 | More by chinchill

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

3.84/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Mackeson XXX is a shade or two darker than hot chocolate but has the same kind of look: an opaque but not quite black complexion with an abounding topping of whipped froth. This super deep brown beer does sanction the odd highlight against the light and prooves very pro-lacing.

The aroma has a cocoa and powdered milk scent that reminds me strongly of Ovaltine and, even more strongly, of Maltesers candy. It shares the same corn syrup, malted milk powder, milk chocolate and honeycomb malt notes as the popular Mars confectionery.

The taste, indeed the beer writ large, can also be summed up by saying "liquid Maltesers". With an ingredients list that includes corn syrup, sugar, cocoa mass, lactose and malted barley extract, its similarities in flavour to the confectionery should come as no surprise.

Overlooking the stout notes, which are secondary anyhow, Mackeson XXX drinks something like a soft drink - it has a cola-caramel sweetness and sarsaparilla or root beer-like earthiness. Factor in the sugary powdered milk/cheap milk chocolate flavours and, while there's nothing inherently wrong with any of this, this beer will appeal primarily to a pretty undiscerning group.

Right now, at a movie theater somewhere in the Western world, some kid is probably paying $8 for a bag of tiny, solid, spherical (non-alcoholic) Mackeson XXX candies. After several rounds of sampling I fail to find much to this beer beyond its similarities to the Maltesers confection which, in fairness, is not a bad thing. In fact, I rather like it.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2013 04:27:00 | More by biegaman

WissBrauSean

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -19.2%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

The beer pours pitch black with a one finger brown head that lasts throughout the drink and leaves a Mothra looking lacing pattern on the glass with antennae and all! Cool!

The beer has a roasted malt aroma evenly mixed with a milky sweet smell and maybe some caramel and vanilla going on.

The flavor is sickening sweet lactose and corn sugar with a caramel malt and a hint of roasted malts and perhaps some bread to it. At the end there is only a tiny hint of bitter dryness from some hops and for me, that is the most enjoyable part of this beer.

The mouthfeel is over the top sweet and extremely full with low to moderate carbonation. It leaves a film on my tongue.

Overall, this may be a good beer for the style, but I doubt it. It's my only sweet/milk stout so I can't really judge it to the others and going by the description on here it fills all the criteria, but I think more than necessary so I am going to give it an average score of 3 overall. Will I seek this out again? No. Only if I want to compare it with another one, but I don't like this beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2013 01:16:38 | More by WissBrauSean

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.8/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

330ml single bottle. Wow - made with mild sugar, more sugar, and caramel? Is that what the 'triple' in the name is alluding to?

This beer pours a solid black, with faint basal cola highlights, and three fingers of bulbous puffy, rocky light brown head, which leaves some decent striated rings of droopy lace around the glass as it evenly subsides.

It smells of bittersweet chocolate, sugary powdered milk, lightly roasted bready grain, sweet earthy root - like off-brand cola, and a vegetal, rather woody hoppiness. The taste is a whole lot sweeter - cola-esque caramel, dollar store milk chocolate, a mild lactic sourness, toasted bready malt, a further sarsaparilla soft drink edginess, and earthy, weedy hops.

The carbonation is quite tame, just a wee tickle here and there, the body an adequate medium weight, a tad clammy from the sugar, but generally smooth, even a little creamy. It finishes still well on the sweet side, the milk sugar, cocoa, and caramel all overshadowing any inherent maltiness at this point. As for the hops - they be on island time, methinks.

A fairly equitable milk stout, even if it is heavily skewed towards the former, as the roasted and earthen notes make up enough time to keep things basically grounded. So, worthy if you've tired of 'dry' stouts, and feel the need to give your sweet tooth a bit of exercise.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2013 01:23:53 | More by biboergosum

micromaniac129

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I actually thought this one was British, the name fooled me.
This beer is actually pretty good but for me it was way, way too sweet. Once the beer starts to warm it really kicks up the sweets.
In the taste you can taste the robust malts and molasses. A smooth flowing velvetty feeling beer thats has an ever so sutle ashen feel.
This brew is really black too with a nice dense mocha head.
A good well round beer the only draw back being that it's really sweet.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 14:12:40 | More by micromaniac129

beertunes

Washington

3.24/5  rDev -19.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Thanks to Rampaige for this one. Poured into 10oz goblet. Poured a solid black color with under 1/4 inch of tan head that had no retention and very light lace, although there were tons of tiny bubbles clinging to the side of the glass.

The aroma was mostly sweet and malty, with a bit of underlying grain. Pretty typical, in other words. The taste was pretty much the same, sweet, malty and bit of earthy grain. There was a touch of an odd funk at the back that some folks may enjoy more than I did.

The body was right where you'd expect it for the style, medium full and not heavy. Drinkability was good, the beer was consumed easily and enjoyably. Overall, a nice little beer. I suspect that while drinking light, yellow brews on the beach all day, this would make for a very pleasant change of pace. Worth trying if you see it.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 23:32:31 | More by beertunes

SpeedwayJim

New York

3.7/5  rDev -8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A little personal history about this beer. It was one of the beers that first got me into craft. However, it stopped being imported for a while for reasons others would know a lot more about. This is the "new" imported version from Carib brewery.

12oz. bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a frothy, chocolate colored head with good retention. Beer is pitch black. Lacing is thick, spotty, and stringy with decent stick. Oily legs. Definitely a looker.

Nose is chocolate, lactose, sugar, roasted malt and coca cola. Like I remember. Deliciously heavy on the milk sugars.

Opens sweet lactose, plum, cocoa powder and chocolate. A lot maltier than I remember. Some roasted malt graininess in the back finished off by more lactose sweetness and a light sprinkling of coffee. Sweet aftertaste. Decent but not as good as I remember.

Light bodied with moderate to low carbonation. Slick and silky in the mouth and smooth going down. Mellow finish with a lingering aftertaste. Nice.

This beer is a lot less balanced than I remember. Huge chocolate and lactose backbone with very little roasted malt and cocoa bitterness to even things out. Decent because the feel is still very solid but overall I'm a bit disappointed revisiting this one.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2012 02:14:13 | More by SpeedwayJim

tranehead

Florida

4.05/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours inky black with nice tan head. Nose is slightly chocolatey/coffee-ish but somewhat muted. first quaff sort of fills the mouth. MUCH more body and flavor than the nose belies. Creamy mouthfeel that leaves a mild lingering slickness on the back of the tongue. A mild hint of sweetness that's not overdone. I've had the Left Hand and this is a little less sweet. Nicely balanced and overarchingly quaffable. And my local co-op got a great deal and it's $6.49 a six. Man... I'm gonna help them run out of it!

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2012 00:40:24 | More by tranehead

tobelerone

New Jersey

3.95/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This beer really did the trick for me during a recent stint in the caribbean when there was little else to chose from, beerwise, that wasn't skunked fizzy macro lagers. I used to love this beer in the early 1990's and although this is brewed in the islands I believe it comes pretty close to the UK-brewed milk stout of yore.

Pours inky black with a creamy head of good size and retention. Decent sticky lacing remains on the glass. Aroma is mild but still has milk chocolate and cafe con leche notes and a restrained roastiness; very much in line with the style. The flavor follows closely; ample smooth lactose sweetness, like a chocolate milkshake with touches of coffee; lightly roasted malt character and just a little bit of bitterness on the finish.

Body is medium to slightly light; moderate carbonation, nicely smooth and creamy feel. Good take on the style, packs a decent amount of flavor, easy to drink, a real life-saver in a world of simply terrible beers.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2012 19:36:45 | More by tobelerone

keithmurray

Louisiana

4.38/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance - dark brown/mahogany with mocha head

smell - dark chocolate, expresso, roasted malts, molasses

taste - milk chocolate, dark chocolate, roasted malts, expresso, molasses, slight bit of char in the finish

mouthfeel - medium bodied, medium carbonation, creamy, milky mouthfeel, sweet upfront and in the body, the finish has a bit of char to it, really easy drinking beer

overall - really good beer that drinks bigger than it's 4.9%ABV, enjoyable

Price Point - $10.99/6 pk 11.2 oz bottles

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2012 21:22:52 | More by keithmurray

bluejacket74

Ohio

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

330 ml bottle, label says best before December 2012. Served in a pint glass, the beer pours dark brown with about an inch tan head. Head retention and lacing are both good. The brew smells like roasted malt, chocolate, and a bit of smoke. Taste is similar to the aroma, but there's the addition of some lactose. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's smooth and slick with a good amount of carbonation. I think it's a good overall brew. Picked up a single at Liquor Barn.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2012 00:38:56 | More by bluejacket74

kylehay2004

Florida

3.95/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: two finger head with decent retention on a deep brown body.

S: mosty dark chocolate with mild smoked malt notes.

T: very milky and creamy with lots of dark chocolate. Minimal toasted malts.

M: light to moderate carbonation. Medium bodied and smooth.

Overall: almost like a baileys consistency with mostly sweet tastes with little malt presence. Drinkable but simple and isn't trying to be a beer really.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2012 12:15:49 | More by kylehay2004

barczar

Kentucky

3.58/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Aggressive pour yields an opaque brown beer with a solid 2 finger head that dissipates slowly, like a boiling batch of toffee. Amber highlights are difficult to discern.

Aroma is nutty roasted malt, slightly acrid, with deep chocolate and a hint of sweetness.

Chocolate and bitter roast malt comprise the flavor backbone, with a surprising toffee sweetness to balance the bitterness. Far sweeter than anticipated. It reminds me of drinking the milk leftover from a bowl of cereal.

Body is moderately heavy, with fairly light carbonation. Finish is somewhat cloying.

Very different than any milk stout I've had. If you like your beer on the sweet side, give this a shot. Would have again...eventually...

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2012 05:06:44 | More by barczar

SWMeyer4141

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

My first beer from Trinidad and Tobago.

Poured into a Pint Glass.

Appearance-Pretty much black body with a 3 finger mocha head. Slowly dissipates leaving some nice lacing.

Smell-Roasty, Smokey, Sweet malts. Slightly sour

Taste-Not what I was expecting and suprisingly delicious. First sip is creamy chocolate then followed by some sweet sweet malt and finishes with some roast and something fruity. EXTREMELY sweet but when it gets to be a little too much some light hops and fruit balanceds it out.

Mouthfeel-Creamy and Smooth. Medium bodied, nicely carbonated. Really coats the mouth.

Overall-My only big complaint will be that it's pretty filling, and couldn't drink much. I remember trying this UK version years back and don't remember it being this good. Really tasty stout. Would be great with desert, or just plain for desert.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2011 04:03:24 | More by SWMeyer4141

GodOfBeer

Ontario (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This is straight from St. Lucia, brewed in Trinidad. The bottled version is brewed in St.Kitts and personally I think this is better.

Pours a dark brown(black) with a one finger thick tan head, lots of lacing!

Smells of sweet chocolate milk, coffee and rich caramel malty-ness!

Tastes malty and rich upfront, like chocolate brownies and finishes milky sweet with a slight hop bitterness to balance it out.

Overall a wonderful milk stout, the best I've ever had. I'm sure this is different than the now retired English version. If you're ever in the Caribbean, seek this one out!

Serving type: can

06-12-2011 22:25:50 | More by GodOfBeer