The somewhat intimidating face on the front of the can would probably be more befitting an Imperial Stout then the sweet and smooth goodness of a milk stout. I don't know; maybe this will be very different than other milk stout I've had, but it would be worse for it. I enjoy a good milk stout, and the depths of winter coldness, the sweet embrace of a 6.7% ABV, creamy smokiness, and a satisfying filling is what I'm looking for my beer tonight and would typically find in the best of milk stouts.
First sip has a bit more coffee in the malt than I expected, but the chocolate and roasted grains are trying to balance things out as best they can. The expected sweetness of the lactose sugars is cut down in its prime by the bitterness of both the chocolate and the unwanted coffee. If it weren't for the coffee, I may very well like this beer, but that's not the world we live in. Instead, coffee is sullying my beverage tonight. And it puts me in a more foul mood than I was already in.
Tip-in is furious carbonation sizzle with espresso and charred grains filling the mouth. The middle takes flight in a different direction with the chocolate entering the fold, and the lactose sugars bringing a sweetness to the roasted malts; the middle hides the creamy smoothness that I longed for when I simply sipped the beer. The finish is an unfortunate fall of dry and bitterness as the coffee resurges and the tongue is left with a mild burning from the remnants of the carbonation.
Bottom Line: There is a jewel in the center, but it might not be worth the dig.
2.25/5
