Pastry Dreams
Captain Lawrence Brewing Co.

Captain Lawrence is pretty much just making a new series for every hyped-up weirdo beer style that comes around, but most of their stuff is decent (and, every now and then, amazing), so I figured I'd give this a shot. Sounds fun anyway. An 8.5% milk stout with lactose, chocolate, and coconut. Time to drink some cake!

The pour is a dense, thick, "scary stout"-like pour with a darker-than-black body and rather stately looking head. After about five minutes, the deep-mocha suds simmer down to a fine ring measuring about a quarter-finger. A small island of ashen bubbles congregates in the center of the tarry liquid, floating on the surface. Not much lace to speak of... kinda spotty and nondescript, but otherwise this looks quite nice.

The nose is pretty much like German chocolate cake... swaths of chocolate, hazelnut, coconut, coffee, and even some whipped frosting-like elements just jump out of my glass. Very tempting and decadent stuff here. Smells rich and sweet, but I can sense a little bit of roastiness and a hint of earthy notes (maybe hops for balance?) beckoning me to dig in and see if this is a bit more balanced than I assumed it would be. I have to say, this could definitely go either way... is it a diabetes-inducing sugar bomb? Or is it a rare example of an actually drinkable strong adjunct dessert stout?

My first few sips are surprisingly tame, but definitely still very flavorful. Sharp upfront with milk chocolate syrup and a defined creaminess that plays with nutty and roasty malt notes in the mid palate before the coconut and coffee flavors seep into the finish. This is actually a nice, smooth, and well-defined beer, luckily! I think the carbonation might be a bit too prickly, but at least this isn't so dense and overly-sweet as expected, so perhaps I should be thankful. I kind of wish the coconut were pushed a bit more, but I have no qualms with the lactose or cocoa treatment here. Perhaps they were trying to be a little conservative, as sometimes coconut can go a looong way towards making an otherwise-good beer taste like straight-up suntan lotion. Therefore, I should probably drink up and be happy this doesn't have that issue.

 

 

 

Poured into a glass looka a thick dark brown almost jet black. Smells a bit malty, a bit oaty, the subtle odor of farmland after a fresh rain. Flavor is robust, full with a nice sweet flavor that envelops each swig. Feels not overcarbonated, almost evokes a feeling of buttery texture coupled with the taste. A pretty interesting and recommended stout.

 

Pours very dark with dark foam. Mild malty sweet aroma. Big cocoa malt body. Deep bitter finish. Smooth. Not too syrupy. Heavy but a very flavorful milk stout.

 

A - Dark brown pour that's borderline black with dense toffee colored creamy lacing.

S - Sweet chocolate malt with light chocolate char.

T - Chocolate roast, chocolate roasted cream, any coconut is very delicate, and there's a small amount of alcohol.

M - Thick, dense, and silky on the palate.

O - A solid Imperial Stout.

 

Poured from a can. Very deep brown with a large, light brown head and bubbles sticking to the sides of the glass. Smells lightly of milk chocolate. Flavor is dominated by roasted coffee, with a slightly acrid finish -- fairly bitter for a "sweet stout." The malt sweetness and acrid coffee don't really blend all that well. Has more carbonation than I prefer, a bit sharp.

 

 

 

Black with a creamy light brown head. Great retention and lacing.

Smells of dark chocolate, toasted coconut, lightly roasted coffee, and brown bread.

Tastes of creamy dark chocolate, toasted coconut, coffee, cacao nib, and burnt toast. The coconut is restrained but still ever present. The bittersweet cocoa, dark chocolate, and coffee dominates. Mild dark chocolate sweetness with a firm lingering roasted bitterness.

Creamy feel, moderately carbonated, silky.

Dark black and mahogany pour with tannish red head. Creamy but dissipates fast. Nose is nutty, coconut cream pie and hazelnut. Mouthfeel is great. Flavor doesn’t rise to the level of the look or mouthfeel. Somewhat flat, one-note, and sweet. Get a little bit of coffee, but otherwise comes across syrupy. Better when slightly warm.