D'Lovely
Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery

473 mL can from the LCBO, included in Flying Monkeys' Box O' Chocolates mixed pack. Dated Nov 19 2024 and served barely chilled.

Pours a deep, dark brown colour with brick red highlights; gathering at the surface is nearly two fingers of creamy, tan-coloured head that wilts within five minutes, give or take. A half-inch curtain of lace is draped across the glass as it recedes, with a thick, creamy collar and filmy cap remaining on the surface. Enticing, practically mouth-watering aroma of raspberry jam and milk chocolate, with added notes of cocoa, vanilla, raspberry juice and sweet cream.

Robust flavours; delicious from start to finish. Raspberry jam and cocoa come through initially, soon joined by dark chocolate, milk sugar, vanilla and roasted malts. Raspberry juice, dark chocolate and truffle on the back end, with sweet cream, milk chocolate and raspberry syrup fading into a sweet aftertaste. Medium-full in body, with low carbonation and a smooth, somewhat silky mouthfeel that suits this stout just fine. Fair drinkability, given its intense flavours and 7% - I finished my can very easily, but this isn't a brew I could drink all night.

Final Grade: 4.21, an impressive A-. This reminds me of Aurora Heart, a Flying Monkeys raspberry chocolate stout that I assume has been discontinued. That beer still holds one of the highest grades I've ever given to a product from this brewery, and while D'Lovely is not quite as well balanced as Aurora, it's otherwise comparable in terms of quality. Likely my favourite of the four stouts in this mixed pack: it's a dessert beer through and through, and thus not something I really feel the need to drink on a regular basis... but when the mood for a raspberry chocolate stout hits you, I highly recommend looking for this one.

16 ounce can, canned on date of NOV 27 2024 stamped on the bottom of the can. Part of the Box O' Chocolates stout sampler 4 pack. Served in a nonic pint glass, the beer pours dark brown/black with about an inch and a half frothy tan head that stayed around a long time. Good amount of lacing. I like the aroma, the brew smells mostly like raspberry syrup/candies, along with some milk chocolate, vanilla and a bit of roasted malt. Taste is similar to the aroma, but there's also the addition of a bit of tart raspberry and coffee noticeable too. Taste leans sweet as expected, but it's not overpowering. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's a little slick and creamy with a good amount of soft carbonation. I thought this was a good overall brew, worth picking up especially if you like sweeter tasting stouts!

 

At my lady Pamela's house; canned, from the Box O'Chocolates Stout Sampler at the University St. West LCBO in nearby Windsor. My 13th beer from the Barrie, ON brewery, and first for 2025.

473 mL can
Served in a snifter

This beer pours black and is topped with an inch of mocha head that leaves decent lacing.

This beer smells like a raspberry milk. You know, if there was raspberry Quick instead of strawberry. The raspberry aroma is intense and wonderful. The chocolate is secondary.

The raspberry flavor matches the aroma in intensity and deliciousness. Once again, the chocolate takes a back seat, but I can't complain when the raspberry flavor is so rich and enjoyable.

Thin bodied for a milk stout with and effervesce mouthfeel. If this was more viscous, that would have just about made this beer perfect.

Raspberry truffle in a glass.

From the Box 'O Chocolate Box.....

A- Ok this pours out of the super cool labelled can with a super dark brown, almost black coloration, and the head is the impressive part.....creamy in appearance, a couple of fingers thick and dark caramel in colour, with very decent retention, eventually settling down into a thick soft film that covers the brew entirely, even riding up the side of the glass slightly. The lacing is also quite impressive, with a solid layer of foamy picturesque cover along the inside of the vessel, showing a good amount of protein within the final product. Overall a nice looking Milk Stout!

S- As soon as I cracked this, I was transported to opening a box of Pot of Gold chocolates and my nose immediately goes to the strawberry creme chocolate (yes I know this is raspberry!). Plenty of sweet syrupy raspberry/strawberry sweetness, super fresh milk chocolate, a ton of vanilla base, a lesser hint of freshly ground dark roast coffee bean, and a slightly dry, almost burnt finish....ashy if you will. Again, this is superb in terms of aroma, and does for the nostrils what I would have expected from this brewery....my mouth is watering waiting to try it out!

T- Ok, I am again impressed with the amount of fruitiness vs beer character here! The raspberry and chocolate are the dominant flavours on the palate, yet as intense as they are, I don't personally find them to be cloying or overpowering by any means. The berry flavours show off tartness, and this is complimented well by sweeter milky/creamy chocolate....there is a charred chocolate/black malt bitterness, which really helps balance this one out. The finish lingers just slightly but not the way I would have thought....much cleaner and with less bite....a true dessert like taste.

M/O- The carbonation is very smooth and creamy....perhaps just a tad bit fizzy but not hindering, providing the palate with a flavourful and medium/full bodied experience. The alcohol is hidden well but that is almost a given for the style here, and the lactose and as I have read, the demerara sugar, provide a sweet yet rich base, that is well balanced overall. Drinkability.....I think I could have another pint of this after the initial review, however, I would likely move onto something different, so I give this area 'above average' marks. Overall, a fine Milk Stout and very nice start into the Box...well done Flying Monkeys!

Dec 28 2024

Served cold into a pint glass. Last of the Flying Monkeys winter pack. Canned November 19, 2024.

Appearance - Dark brown, topped with two fingers of tan head. Good staying power and not much in the way of lacing.

Smell - Huge raspberry presence from both the can and the glass. A little milk chocolate mixed in, but the raspberry note is very intense.

Taste - Lots of raspberry, some tartness, and then bitterness from chocolate. Back end is a bit more medicinal. Earthy finish. Less sweet than I'd thought it'd be.

Mouthfeel - Medium full bodied, quite fizzy, with a semi-dry finish.

Overall - Good beer with a great nose, and a nice addition to the mixed 4 pack of stouts.