The very, very dark brown beer is so dark that it's where photons go to die. There isn't much of a head right out of the growler, and it went away so fast that there isn't any in this picture. There are probably a couple dozen minuscule bubbles floating on top or clinging to the sides, but this basically doesn't have any bubbles. The aroma is chocolate, vanilla, and very lightly toasted oatmeal. It smells pretty good.First sip is very good. It's not a ham-fisted attempt at shoving chocolate deep into the bowels of a Stout, but it rather teases out to the chocolate inside an already sweet milk stout. The bitter chocolate is canceled out by the sweetness of the milk sugars, and the result is a very well-balanced and rich beer. The earth tones and light grains are a good background that gives the rich flavors a solid backbone. What I'm trying to say is - I very much enjoyed the sip. This is probably best as a desert beer, and I would definitely have one for dessert.
Tip-in is coffee beans with bitter chocolate and very light vanilla on them; I don't know why I didn't taste coffee in the sip, as they are about the first thing that hits in the swig. The middle rolls with a veneer of coffee over the chocolate, vanilla, earth, and grains that seem to be getting a little heavier. The finish is where the chocolate covered coffee beans trail off in a mist.
Bottom line: I normally don't like most coffee beers, but this one might be hitting a sweet spot.
3.75/5
