I feel like I'm tempting fate to point out, but Panther Creek is pretty much hitting it out of the park. I really would like to get down there to look at their brewery, but I'm pretty sure they aren't open to the public. I remember buying a rug from the warehouse that is attached to that brewery, and that process seemed a bit sketchy, but I got a good rug at a very competitive price. I'm not sure that any of this should reflect positively or negatively on the brewery. After all, the County Educational Association is also connected. Does that mean I get smarter from drinking? I like to think so.
The beer pours jet black. I normally hedge and comment about what colors are around the edges, but I chose the larger of my two stout glasses, and it isn't giving me any hints of any other colors. The tan head is quite fetching, but it boils away pretty swiftly. It doesn't go away as fast as a soda or the like, but it isn't that far behind. For some reason, the head doesn't strike me like that of a normal beer. There isn't much to the aroma, but I get a vague notion of peanut dust on the floor of a Texas roadhouse where someone had recently spilled a bit of Hershey's syrup.First sip is very, very nice. The dark chocolate does not bring bitterness, and it doesn't hit you over the head with too much chocolate while the smooth nature of the milk stout brings a certain sweetness that the chocolate needs. Over all, that is the suggestion rather than assault of peanut butter. If anything, I would say this could probably use some cinnamon or similar spices to do something for the finish. It seems like it's not quite as complex as it could be.
Tip-in is sweet dark chocolate with smoked malt and minimal carbonation tingle. The middle of the beer is as smooth as beer can get: the chocolate mist is joined by light peanuts as carbonation moves its tingle to the roof of the mouth and the rest of the flavor is... uneventful. The middle is almost so anticlimactic that I would call it watery if it weren't for the thick mouth feel. The finish has a tinge of bitterness moving in with slightly more peanuts as the chocolate gives way to smoke for the trail off.
Bottom Line: Calm, sublime, and very drinkable.
4.0/5