6

Not overly sweet, smooth, basic, needs an adjunct or something.

8.1

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

Got in a trade from SawDog505. 16 ounce can into tulip glass, canned in 6/2019. Pours dense pitch black color with a 1 finger dense and rocky tan head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, cream, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark/brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of licorice, molasses, raisin, fig, date, smoke, charcoal, wood, herbal, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/black/roast/bready malts, lactose, and light-moderate earthy hop/fruity yeast notes; with big strength. Taste of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, cream, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark/brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of licorice, molasses, raisin, fig, date, smoke, charcoal, wood, herbal, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Light pine, herbal, woody, grassy, peppery, roast/charred bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, cream, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, dark/brown bread/crust, licorice, molasses, dark fruit, smoke, char, wood, herbal, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts, lactose, and light-moderate 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 hop/char bitterness. Medium carbonation and medium-full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/velvety/bready, and fairly sticky/chalky mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming alcohol for 6%. Overall this is an awesome English milk stout. All around awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts, lactose, and light-moderate earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the mellowly bitter/drying finish; nicely soft feel. Awesomely well rounded rich English malt/Lactose complexity; balancing earthy hops, and restrained fruity yeast. Light residual sweetness with lingering dryness. A really enjoyable offering, and spot on English style example. Very rich for the ABV.