Left Hand Milk Stout - Left Hand Brewing Company

MattyG85

Minnesota

4.19/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz. nitro bottle into a stout pub glass.

Appearance: Pours a very dark brownish black with a lot of carbonation. About two fingers of beige head that settle into a thinner creamy layer. Leaves a good amount of lacing.

Smell: A very creamy, roasty, and toasty aroma with good hints of sweet milk chocolate and coffee roast. Sweet dark roasted malts with hints of cocoa, milk chocolate, coffee, cream, lactose, cookie dough, toast, caramel, toffee, grain, oats, and yeast. Sweet hints of brown sugar and a slight hint of syrup. Some earthy hop hints in the background. A pretty rich and solid milk stout aroma.

Taste: Like the smell hints at, a rich and creamy milky taste with lots of roasty chocolate and coffee notes. Roasted malts with good notes of milk chocolate, cocoa, cream, coffee bean, lactose, vanilla, dough, toasted bread, oatmeal, grains, caramel, toffee, and yeast. Sweet notes of brown sugar and a little syrupy taste. Earthy hops come in towards the finish adding a little balancing bitterness. A very good roasty taste.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a carbonation on the higher end. Very creamy, velvety, and smooth. Somewhat syrupy. Finishes somewhat dry.

Overall: A very solid milk/sweet stout and probably the best use of nitro I've had so far. The nitro adds creamyness without taking away from the other flavors.

Serving type: nitro-bottle

05-16-2013 06:20:18 | More by MattyG85

CloudStrife

New York

4.1/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

12oz bottle of nitro and regular poured into a snifter. Best by 10/09/13.

A: Pour a similar dark blackish brown with a tad more head on the regular version. Too dark to see any carbonation. Good head retention and lacing. Head ont he nitro is a lot softer and more like a guiness.

S: More aroma comes from the nitro bottle. Roasted malt, chocolate and coffee dominate. Hints of lactose sweetness.

T: Since the ntiro has a colder serve by starting with that. Roasted malt, coffee, chocolate and milk stout sweetness. The coffee and chocolate are not as pronounced in the regular version. More of a dark fruit taste.

M: Smooth and creamy mouthfeel on the nitro, very easy drinking. Both are very drinkable but the nitro just edges out the regular on creaminess.

Overall certainly a tasty milk stout. Interesting to do the comparison between the two, would say nitro wins out.

Serving type: nitro-bottle

05-12-2013 22:28:16 | More by CloudStrife

Alextricity

Michigan

4.11/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Drink by August 2013 -- single nitro-bottle (all black with white text) bought for $2.19 (same price as non-nitro) and poured aggressively into a Sam Adams perfect pint.

Appearance: I poured it pretty much as aggressively as I could, and a slow head formed at about the size of about a finger. Not very big, but I love the nitro bubble look. The head is a tan color, and the lacing isn't too bad either. It's also a pretty dark black color, but it can be seen through, with traces of ruby red.

Smell: Wow. To me, it smells like a caramel and chocolate ice cream, which I wasn't expecting. Smells very sweet, and would make a damn good candle.

Taste/feel: To my surprise, the taste is pretty muted, to be honest. There's definitely a quality chocolate stout flavor to it, but it's not as robust as I thought it might be. The feel, unsurprisingly, is very nice. Absolutely silky smooth, and drinks like a craft Guinness.

In terms of flavor, this is a MILD let down. As for appearance, smell, and feel, it met or exceeded my expectations (especially the aroma). This is an extremely smooth, easy drinking stout that anybody should try out if they haven't already.

If somebody you know is a Guinness drinker, invite them to try this -- it's everything that Guinness is ... but quite a lot better.

Serving type: nitro-bottle

05-11-2013 20:07:25 | More by Alextricity

brock146

Minnesota

4.19/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Dark dark brown/black. Nitrogen creates the perfect looking stout with a white foamy head.

Aroma: Mocha aroma with extra sweetness

Taste: Roasted malts and sweet residual flavor. Coffee notes.

Mouthfeel: Silky smooth. Creamy and medium bodied.

Overall: This is an excellent beer. I've had the regular the non-nitro version several times but that one takes the cake in my opinion. Very fun to look at and drink!

Serving type: nitro-bottle

04-26-2013 20:00:43 | More by brock146

hoosiersapper27

Indiana

3.44/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Appearance- Big 2 finger Tan head, black body, cool nitrogen bubbles. Beer looks perfect.

Smell- Light Coffee with some slight caramel notes.

Taste- Malty creamed coffee slight amounts of smoke

Mouthfeel- Medium with somewhat too much carbonation.

Overall- This is a good beer, good for a more standard stout but not over the top. I get the lactose sugar feeling in my mouth like I just drank milk, but this beer is pretty basic for a stout. Not bad by any means, not overall impressive though either.

Serving type: nitro-bottle

04-16-2013 23:41:45 | More by hoosiersapper27

ubenumber2

Arkansas

3.53/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured from nitro bottle into pub glass fast and hard as the bottle and website says.

Pitch black beer after everything settles down with a 1 finger head that is tan and very creamy and thick. The head sticks around through the whole glass and kind of cascades off the glass with each drink

The smell is a little lackluster for me , small hints of dark burnt malt , slight hint of chocolate in the background , just not a lot going on in the smell department

The mouth on this beer is amazing , thick and creamy and so smooth, I wish every stout had this creamy drink to it

The taste was ok for me , nothing to brag about. I was hoping for more of the malt to pop out at me. Just the normal stout flavor to me , but weak in that.

Overall this was a hard beer to rate for me , the looks and mouthfeel were a homerun , but the taste and smell which are far more important were not there. I would like to try this beer on tap and see the difference , but out of this bottle it just a so so brew

Serving type: nitro-bottle

04-13-2013 14:16:52 | More by ubenumber2

CMUbrew

Michigan

4.11/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12oz nitro bottle into a Founders imperial pint glass

A: Pours black with a half inch head of thickish creamy brown foam, which settles to a permanent two centimeter cap.

S: Roasty and toasty malts, a little bit of roast coffee, and a hint at chocolate. If the nitro is supposed to mask the scent, it isn't doing a very good job.

T: Nice roast flavors and some light-medium roast coffee. Just a tad bit of sweetness hidden in there.

M: Creamy, creamy, creamy. Very smooth, silky, and slick. The nitro really works here.

O: This is what I always want Guinness to be like. The nitro makes this tasty beer very smooth and highly quaffable without being watery. This is an excellent choice for stout lovers or anyone who likes an easy drinking beer.

Serving type: nitro-bottle

04-02-2013 02:21:22 | More by CMUbrew

WallingBrew

Virginia

4.49/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

This is my go to milk stout. The offering in a Nitro bottle is a plus as I felt the end product poured into a glass, had more of a velvety milkshake mouthfeel. This beer is everything a milk stout should be, toasty and roasted dark malts with a balanced milk sugar sweetness with a lingering flavor of milk chocolate. C'mon what's not to like?

Serving type: nitro-bottle

04-01-2013 02:06:12 | More by WallingBrew

SometimesIfart

Michigan

2.7/5  rDev -32%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 2.75

A - Pours nearly pitch black with a two finger mocha head that doesn't seem to go away. Surprisingly, leaves no lacin.

S - Pretty much all lightly roasted malt up front along with a little bit of lactose and sweet malts.

T - Lightly roasted malt and lactose are pretty much the whole flavor. It is quite watery as well.

M - Light, watery, creamy body with almost no carbonation.

O - Overall, this is pretty much a Guiness Draught with a bit more creaminess. It's sessionable, But very lacking.

Serving type: nitro-bottle

03-23-2013 04:54:07 | More by SometimesIfart

bambam2517

Arizona

3.78/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

12 oz nitro bottle poured into a pint glass, served at 40F. Packaging says to try it over ice cream, and it sounds crazy but after tasting it I have to agree it would be worth a try.

A - I think the nitro bottle is a failure, I poured pretty aggressively and I'm left with a very still looking stout. Its very dark brown with the tiniest amount of mocha foam. Not creamy at all. Bump-Bump-a-dum (the price is wrong...) Still, looks appetizing to a coffee hound like me.

S - Coffee with sugar and creamer.

T - Again, coffee with sugar and creamer. Nothing more going on.

M - Tastes like iced coffee, only less creamy than the real thing. It does not linger or have an acidic aftertaste though, I'll give it credit for that.

O - Meh...least favorite offering in a style I love.

Serving type: nitro-bottle

03-20-2013 03:17:55 | More by bambam2517

Bosoxfan20

Oklahoma

3.79/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A- Poured from a 12oz nitro-bottle into a pint glass. Pitch black with virtually no light coming through. An extremely aggressive 180 degree pour (as the label instructs) leaves a beautiful 1.5-2 finger creamy, light tan head. It scared the crap out of me to pour it as aggressive as the label says, but glad i did it. Not familiar with nitro bottles. It turned out perfect. Great retention with fantastic lacing. Just a delicious looking beer.

S- Mocha is a strong characteristic here. Also picking up hints of chocolate, coffee, roasted oats, toffee and caramel. Great smelling stout.

T- Fairly good job of following the nose, but not as flavorful as it is pungent. Mocha is still the key flavor, but also detecting some earthy hops on the back end to give it a decent balance. Not much bitterness. Nice and simple. Not too complex or overwhelming.

M- Mid body. Creamy and smooth. Quite drinkable. Slightly dry finish with little to no alcohol detected.

O- One of the best looking beers i have ever seen, good smell, but the tapered off a little from there. The flavor was just a little underwhelming. Good solid stout that i would certainly drink again, but not one that will blow your taste buds away. A much better version of a Guinness stout in my opinion.

Serving type: nitro-bottle

03-18-2013 02:54:40 | More by Bosoxfan20

Swedgin_Wu

Florida

3.96/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

It's a shame BA lumps the nitro and non nitro reviews together. I'm going to review the nitro and discuss the differences, as the nitro is vastly superior

Appearance - After a vertical pour, the nitro bubbles settle nicely and there's a nice thick tan head. The beer itself is pitch black after it settles. the non nitro has virtually no head even with a vertical or aggressive pour.

Smell - Smell is faint and difficult to pick up. Mostly a light coffee scent. The non nitro barely smells like anything.

Taste - Coffee, with a slight bit of milk chocolate. addition of lactose is certainly present.

Mouthfeel - The nitro is fairly creamy and easy to go down....a bit watery despite the nitro for my liking, but i do enjoy it mostly. The non nitro tastes flat and has little to no carbonation

Overall - The nitro and non nitro are night and day. The non nitro taste is much less pronounced (and it's not exactly an overpowering beer to begin with). The smell even less.The creaminess of the nitro is an important element to its integrity, most like most Guinness (which im not a big fan of, but Draught > Extra stout and it's not even close by comparison). The wateryness is extra noticeable in the non nitro version...the creaminess of the nitro offsets some of the mouthfeel.

Overall it's a decent Milk/sweet stout...something i'd buy (and do buy) semi regularly, but it's a bit of a let down if you drink it right after a richer,tastier English chocolate/milk/sweet stout. The non nitro version is a waste of money, but the nitro is a decent buy for an american made milk stout

Serving type: nitro-bottle

03-17-2013 00:33:34 | More by Swedgin_Wu

Mewster

Virginia

3.35/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 1.75 | overall: 3.25

Poured hard from a nitro-bottle into a tulip glass (all I had). Great black color and thick head that you want from a nitro beer. Taste was less sweet and creamy than the traditional (non-nitro) milk stout from Left Hand. Wanted to have all the same flavors with a nice creamy head. A bit disappointed by the lack of carbonation after the recommended hard pour. Wife liked it more than me.

Serving type: nitro-bottle

03-17-2013 00:24:45 | More by Mewster

Mitchster

Michigan

4.49/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Brewed with Pale 2-row, Crystal, Munich, Roast Barley, Flaked Oats, and Chocolate malt. Hopped with Magnum and East Kent Goldings.
47 SRM, 15.5 plato, 22 IBU, 5.2% ABV.

Pours out to a dark brown (not quite black), forming a small tan head with poor retention and no lacing. Carbonation is mild to moderate. Mouthfeel is smooth with a light astringency in the finish and a medium-dense body. Aroma is amazing and wonderfully enticing....initial nose of marshmallow s'more's, TONS of milk chocolate (damn if this isn't the most chocolate-iest stout I've had that isn't brewed with chocolate!), vanilla, a hint of coffee..."Baby, you're all that I want, when you're sittin here in my mug...I'm finding it hard to believe...I'm in fuckin' Heaven!" Ooof...Let me regroup myself...OK, much better, thank you.

Taste is wonderful, an echo of the aroma with a very nice residual malt sweetness and a lingering finish of mineralized water, akin to the Black Jack Porter on 'roids. Finish is clean, no perceptable alcohol, no off-flavors.

Never overbearing, completely balanced, satisfying, VERY drinkable. I love this stuff. Gimme more! Blown away by another Left Hand brew! Doh@! A yummy present for my 500th review. "Pssshhht....Left-Hand...iffn' you're listening...send me cases of this stuff:) I promise to be a good poster-boy."
L=3.5, A=5, T=4.5, MF=4.5, O=4.5

Re-review of nitro bottle 3/7/13-$11.99 for a 6'er at BevCo. Brewed with Pale 2-row, Crystal, Munich, Roast Barley, Flaked Oats, Flaked Barley and Chocolate malts. Hopped with Magnum and US Goldings. 25 IBU's, OG=16P, 6.0% ABV. No widget. Poured hard. Forms a nice creamy long lasting light tan head with really ncie lacing and great retention. Pours out to a near black with brown accents. Carbonation is low, ~1.0 carbs or so. The nose is wonderfully full of chocolate and carob..beautiful roast notes with black walnut. Mouthfeel is smooth, pillowy soft, creamy and medium bodied. The taste is great...black walnut, well balanced roast, residual sweetness perfectly balanced with a classic mild hop profile and notes of black patent and roasted barley in the aftertaste. There is an odd grassy tartness that doesn't quite sit well in classic examples. Overall though, this is a near world-class beer, IMO.

Serving type: nitro-bottle

03-08-2013 00:19:00 | More by Mitchster

Maxwell

Massachusetts

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

The beer pours like black velvet with a beautiful, near perfect head of tightly knit, sand dune-white bubbles. The beer’s body is dark and impenetrable to the eye, though presumably clean. The beer leaves a sheet of medium width, very tight lacing across much of the glass that eventually stretches into a long web. On the nose, the beer smells nicely roasty, like espresso. There is also a great lactic sour-sugar smell in the nose that lets you know it’s a milk stout. It actually almost smells like a cappuccino. Faint hints of a caramel and toffee can also be detected in the nose. On the tongue, the beer tastes much like the smell, with rich sweet coffee with a touch of roasted bitter and a touch of lactic sour. The flavor begins as watery coffee with a touch of milk before blooming into beautiful, almost cappuccino-like, flavors. Touches of toffee, vanilla, and sour milk touch upon the tongue. The finish is a bit sour with a touch of roasted malts and the aftertaste is a lesser clone of the finish. On the mouth, the beer feels smooth and velvety with a creamy quality to it. The beer’s body is medium and fluffy thanks to the nitrogen bubbles. The mouth is left wet with sour saliva. Overall, this is a lovely nitro milk stout. Great complex flavors. It is a little watery in the start, and honestly this beer is better when on tap than in the bottle (yes, yes, this is obvious, but it is especially prevalent with this beer). Try this beer.

Serving type: nitro-bottle

03-05-2013 18:07:51 | More by Maxwell

proc

Michigan

4/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is a fine beer. Pours out to a vast blackness. An agressive pour yielded a very, small head. The aroma gives forth roasted malt. Mouthfeel is very silky, almost creamy, but not heavy at all. This was very much Guinness-like, but with a real, depth of flavor. Very drinkable.

Serving type: nitro-bottle

03-04-2013 16:36:18 | More by proc

robhbest

Michigan

3.79/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Nitro Bottle poured into tulip glass. Label said to pour hard.

A: Pour hard I did. 180 degrees full force pour. Anything else would have foamed onto your counter tops. This poured a pitch black, which you started to see the cascading head start to form. Almost like the head starts at the bottom of the glass and waterfalls to the surface. Absolutely beautiful.

S: A little roastyness from the malts, chocolate, nutty.

T: Definitely more roasted malts, chocolate and coffee. They are very light in flavors, Neither really overwhelm each other.

M: Nice and creamy, the nitro adds something special to this beer, and I like it.

O: This is a fine example of a sweet stout. Its not overwhelming, or is it underwhelming. The nitro bottle is a cool idea, however for me I like my stouts with a little more kick to them. Nothing wrong with this beer.

Serving type: nitro-bottle

03-04-2013 03:25:55 | More by robhbest

CFHMagnet

Ohio

3.66/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

An aggressive pour nets me... a half finger of head. This is sandy colored and frothy. Body is a deep deep brown.

Roasty and sweet. You almost smell the lactose sugar. Hints of milk chocolate and light coffee.

Lightly roasted malts and sweetness make up the opening. This rolls into milk chocolate with a dark chocolate/coffee flavor.

Mouthfeel is a full and creamy medium-heavy body. Simple with almost no carbonation really noticed, it goes down without leaving a coating.

Serving type: nitro-bottle

02-23-2013 03:41:47 | More by CFHMagnet

russwbeck

Virginia

3.85/5  rDev -3%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: First ever nitro-bottle! I must have poured it wrong, as I get no head. I kept waiting for it to show up late, as most nitro beers do, but it never came. This date is off to a poor (pour?) start. 2

S: Sweet, but enjoyable roasted. The roast is much more prevalent than the sweetness from the lactose, which is a welcomed change for the style for me. Slight hints of coffee. 4

T: The taste continues this trend of roast over sweetness. I really came into this expecting the sweetness to be amplified by the nitro...I could not have been more wrong. The balance is very nice on this. 4

MF: Hardly any carbonation, but the body is thick and syrupy (nitro, I know, right?). This was really drinkable. The finish is dry and mouth watering and the sweetness provides a great balance. It is very drinkable. 3.5

O: Very nice baseline milk stout, and I liked the nitro play on things, despite the fact that I messed up the pour. Would try this again! 4

Serving type: nitro-bottle

02-22-2013 01:43:51 | More by russwbeck

Moose90

Colorado

3.48/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Best By: 07/01/13

A – Pretty much jet black in the glass, pours with some translucence though. Head is creamy and medium height. Lacing is somewhat thin, yet presentable.

S – Bitter dark chocolates. Dark roasted malts. Some light coffee notes. No sweetness here.

T – Creamy, dry and roasted. Nice chocolate and coffee notes as well, overall pretty bitter.

M – The nitro aspect is nice, it cuts through the bitter notes and makes for a nice creaminess. Overall it's a little bit light.

O – Good not great stout, I applaud Left Hand for the nitro bottle, definitely nice, but still lacks greatly to a nitro tap.

Serving type: nitro-bottle

02-17-2013 21:07:50 | More by Moose90

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

3.56/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz nitro bottle poured into tulip

Ink black pour, crop of frothed head, solid thin layer of retention persists throughout the pour. Patches of lacing droop down the glass, leaving streaks while drinking.

Milky roasted malts with chocolate and faint sweetness in the nose. Slightly bready with cream and vanilla.

Cocoa powder and baker's chocolate up front with tempered sweetness. Creamy, milky tones with a dash of nutty coffee, leading into the backbone. Roasted malts, dark chocolate, caramel and bread crust provide the much needed support. Finishes milky and sweet.

Medium body, milder carbonation, creamy and smooth on the tongue. This is a nice benchmark for the nitro milk stout, although I could definitely appreciate some bolder flavors.

Serving type: nitro-bottle

01-30-2013 02:15:17 | More by xnicknj

Jimmys

Pennsylvania

4.11/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

12 oz nitro bottle poured into tulip. bottled on 11/13/12.

A: very dark brown body. pretty close to black. head is almost the complete opposite. a bright white. creamy. retention is meh, some chunky lacing left behind.

S: chocolate. sweet brown sugar. vanilla beans.

T: tons of sweet chocolate. bits of unfermented sugar tingles on the palate. a lingering dark chocolate. bitter and very dry.

M: not a bad job on the nitrogenation. medium bodied.

D: wooo, this is one sweet stout. the nitrogen makes for a really nice addition to a American made milk stout. truly one-of-a-kind. get some in the nitro-form.

Serving type: nitro-bottle

01-23-2013 04:26:30 | More by Jimmys

MattSweatshirt

Texas

3.7/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours with an awesome cascade of nitro wonderfulness. Ends with dark body that has amber highlights in the light and a tanned creamy head.

Enticing aromas of sweet milk chocolate and roast and coffee.

The flavor brings out a nice roastiness, coffee, and chocolate. Was expecting more sweetness but works without it letting the roast shine.

Smooth and creamy beyond belief.

Great easy drinking sessionable stout. Kills Guinness as far as a nitro stout is concerned.

Serving type: nitro-bottle

01-22-2013 02:55:21 | More by MattSweatshirt

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

3.71/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75

Appearance. Well, it has that awesome niro look, no doubt about that! Fine curtains of brown bubbles cascade downwards as the black seems to eat them up while rising from the bottom of the glass. All the while an incredibly creamy, almost milkshake-like tan head forms to about 1.5 fingers worth. Great retention and lacing.

Smell. Black coffee and roasted malts and with some milk chocolate and sweet vanilla. Yum.

Taste. Milk chocolate and some slightly astringent, bitter roasty malts. There's a little coffee in the finish as well.

Mouthfeel. Medium+ body with low carbonation. The carbonation is so creamy and fine, it feels almost nonexistant. Not a big fan of what nitro does to a beer in this category

Overall. I really do love the look of this, mainly due to the nitro. Sadly, the nito seems to have adverse effects on the mouthfeel, and even the taste of a beer. To me, nitro is just a gimic that I can do without. Otherwise a good beer that really does look cool.

Serving type: nitro-bottle

01-18-2013 01:09:39 | More by Rutager

d1ckvanswype

Florida

4.53/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

A: WOW. I could just stop right there, but let me elucidate. Poured aggressively (bottle inverted 180 degrees) into a 20oz Pils style glass (to give enough room to smell and allow for a large head). Watching this beer settle is a treat, reverse waterfalls of mocha head turn into pitch black, with some mahogany-cola highlights just where the beer meets the glass. Leaves a hefty 2" dark tan head, which sticks around until the last gulp. Incredibly rich lacing as well.

S: Bittersweet cocoa, milk chocolate, vanilla, coffee, roasty malt bomb. I wish it were a tad more aggressive on the nose, personally, because I think it smells so damn good but it's a touch too faint for such a big beer.

T: Exactly what I described in the smell, but with a mildly tannic quality at the end that is balanced with a pleasant milky smooth chocolately sweetness. Again, it could be a bit bigger, but now I'm splitting hairs.

M: Gorgeously velvety, like drinking a well crafted cafe au lait or latte. Mild drying feel at the very, very end, similar to the astringent note from coffee.

O: I feel like I should get back to my bottle shop and buy all of these before they're gone, it's that good. Going to pour my second as I finish this.

Serving type: nitro-bottle

01-17-2013 18:58:52 | More by d1ckvanswype