8

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

16 ounce can into tulip glass, no can dating. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and fluffy light khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, medium roast coffee, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, cream, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark bread/crust; with light notes of molasses, toffee, dark fruit, smoke, char, wood, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malts, coffee, cocoa, vanilla, lactose, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast notes; with big strength. Taste of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, medium roast coffee, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, cream, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark bread/crust; with light notes of molasses, toffee, dark fruit, smoke, char, wood, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Light herbal, woody, grassy, peppery, roast, charred bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, medium roast coffee, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, cream, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, dark bread/crust, light dark fruit/smoke/char, wood, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, coffee, cocoa, vanilla, lactose, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; with a great roast/hop bitter/sweet balance; and no cloying/acrid/astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/silky/bready/grainy, and lightly sticky/chalky mouthfeel that is great. A hair thin for the ABV. Zero warming alcohol for 7%. Overall this is an excellent flavored milk stout. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, coffee, cocoa, vanilla, lactose, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the mellowly bitter/drying finish; great soft feel. Awesome balanced rich malts, lactose, cocoa, vanilla, and fruity/nutty coffee complexity; with mild earthy hops and fruity yeast. Light residual sweetness with lingering dryness. A very enjoyable offering, and impressive spot on English style example.