Chaka Latte
Alewerks Brewing Company

Had this at the brewery from a snifter. Nitro tap.

4.0 A: Black color. Creamy nitro head.

4.25 S: Super big coffee. The barrel hides under the coffee. Vanilla, oak, roast, caramel, molasses.

4.25 T: Tastes like it smells. Plenty of roasty with a heavy sweetness.

4.0 M: Medium-heavy body. Good moderate carbonation. Good creaminess.

4.0 D: Solid all around brew.

 

 

 

 

Firkin at Devil's Den in Philadelphia, PA.

Pours pitch black and opaque with a two finger beige head that has great retention, slowly fading into a lasting cap. Steaks of lacing coat the glass on the way down.

Complex aroma with a really nice balance of sweet malt, subtle roast, earthy oak and spicy bourbon. Lots of silky chocolate along with caramel, toffee and coffee bean with a nicely integrated bourbon barrel character. Sweet, spicy bourbon notes that compliment the chocolate and dark malts rather than overpowering them along with earthy oak and vanilla.

On the fuller end of medium bodied with soft carbonation and an almost perfectly integrated barrel character that compliments the cocoa, vanilla and dark malts. Excellent spicy bourbon flavor that doesn't give off any heat or outshine the other characteristics of the beer. There's also a decent amount of toasted oak, vanilla and coconut flavor followed by silky chocolate, caramel, toffee, toast and coffee bean. Really well balanced and deceptively drinkable. Tastes kind of like bourbon chocolate milk. Awesome beer!

Pours a deep black color with an off white head. The head was firm and maintained a one finger width.

The aroma offers a nice chocolate note with a secondary hit of oak. The flavor is sweet (maybe a bit sweeter than I would prefer.) Notes of chocolate and a bit of roastiness come through clearly, but there was no real alcohol. The mouthfeel was good and balanced with no detection of the alcohol.

Over all a nice try but not a beer that I feel a need to make a return trip to .

firkin at devils den

Pours a clouded chestnut brown with some darkened hues. Thick, feathery tanned head rests on top. Retention is lasting, leaving plenty of webbed lacing on the glass.

Plenty of chocolate and vanilla in the nose, followed by a slightly sweet bourbon tone. Cocoa and milky tones - this basically smells like a spiked chocolate milk...but in a good way.

A swirling mix of milky sweetness with chocolate and vanilla beans. Roasted dark malts with some cocoa tones and oaky bourbon. Residual vanilla flavor creeps in from the barrel, adding another layer. Finishes a little sweet and boozy.

Fuller medium body, milder carbonation, super creamy and velvety on the tongue. This was almost like a barrel aged chocolate milk inspired beer - which is actually pretty awesome, especially since the barrel didn't get out of control.

 

On Firkin at Devil's Den

Chaka Latte goes into the glass easy like, with a black color and a nice firm off white, burnt sugar cap that has nice legs, leaving nice glides of lace.

Smell is of sweet chocolate, lactose, milk duds.The oak from the barrel is there but not breaking the lactose in the scent, traces of bourbon, perhaps this did not spend to much time in the barrel

Chaka Latte is sweet and rich with vanilla and milk, lactose tastes, with some chocolate malts. Oak and roast and Don't really pick up any alcohol here, but it is unknown what strength it is. Bourbon plays the underdog in this one. Sweet and nearing being overbearing like the blackwater series, but not up to that level.

Feel is pretty slick, this goes down pretty easy with no off putting alcohol burn. The lactose could linger a bit, yet I've had much sweeter milk stouts. Im liking the balance on this. The body is a bit thinner than medium.

All in all, a good offering that I may go back to from time to time if it comes out again. I think one glass in a sitting is plenty though.

 

Firkin, served in a tulip

This particular firkin was aged in Gentleman's Reserve Bourbon Barrels with dutch chocolate and vanilla beans added to the firkin. This was part of the Devil's Den/Bella Vista Tap Takeover for Philly Beer Week.

The beer sits a pretty dark brown, near black, in the tulip, with a two+ finger tan cap. Good staying power and retention. Some spider web lacing inside the glass.

The nose is rich, but a little subdued. Sweet notes of vanilla and chocolate rise to the front with coffee grounds, whiskey, dry oak, and some lactose sugar.

This hits the milk stout on the nose. I have never had a barrel aged milk stout before, but the whiskey flavor really complements the base sweet notes of the coffehouse stout. The addition of chocolate and vanilla beans to the firkin only enhance the sweet, lactose sugar notes of the base beer.

Full body with low carbonation as expected. Smooth and creamy with fresh vanilla and whiskey blending nicely in the finish with a touch of lactose sugar.

This is a success. The chocolate and vanilla additions are welcome to the base beer and then throw a solid blanket of whiskey barrels over top and we have a winner. Well done on all fronts.