Mad Cow Stout
Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery

 

 

Nitro tap (9/22/12), Waterfront in Pittsburgh. I'm not sure if this should be considered the same milk stout or a new one, but I'm reviewing it as the same beer.

Pours jet black with a yellowish head.

The aroma is of cocoa, coffee, and mildly bitter nuts.

The flavor is cocoa, milky sweetness, coffee, a slightly smokey element, and some oak.

Medium body with a subtle, smooth carbonation.

I tried several brews on my visit to Rock Bottom and this was my favorite, real nice lighter-strength stout. Great flavors. Would love to have this again.

 

on tap at the rock bottom brewpub in denver. from notes taken 7/9/11. served in a pint glass.

a - came to the table with a thick, dense, tan head that lasts forever. the beer itself is an opaque dark brown that leaves large swaths of lacing in the glass.

s - cocoa nibs, dark roast coffee.

t - lighter in flavor than expected. some lactose mixed with roasted and chocolate malts. slight hop bitterness for balance. gets better as it warms.

m - thick, creamy, and incredibly smooth.

o - very enjoyable, even in the middle of summer. not as sweet as some examples of the style, which is good. recommended.

Enjoyed with lunch at Rock Bottom in Denver.

A: Pours a very flat black hue with a very thin, yet solid head. The little head lasted for the duration but left not lace.

S: Rather light aromas. I could pick up some roasted malt, bitter coffee, and a bit of lactose.

T: Light as well. Coffee and roast malt mainly. No real lactose in taste.

M: Rather thin for the style and not as much carbonation as I hoped.

D: Not bad, but the lack of flavor would keep me from having more than one.

This pours a deep sable brown, almost black and almost opaque. Smoke dominates the strong aroma, which has hints of coffee and malt. Flavor is much like roast coffee, smoky and strong, with some malt and hop components. Texture is fairly thick, the way I like a stout.

I found this to be a very light and not very satisfying milk stout. However, it was very drinkable and fairly pleasing to have with a meal.

This beer was dark in color, but not viscous like many other milk stouts I've had. Aroma was virtually non-existent. Flavor was just a bit roasty and slightly sweet. It had the right flavors for a milk stout, but it needed the volume on those flavors turned way up. No off-notes or weirdness that I noticed. Mouthfeel was pretty thin for this style.

I had this at the Denver Rock Bottom where it was called "Brewmaster's Choice Milk Stout," and where it was served MUCH TOO COLD. All the taps were covered in condensation that was frozen solid...a sure sign that temps are far too low for artisanal beer.

A black pour. Soft off brown head. Looks promising compared to the other beers here.
Smell of slight coffee and caramel. Some malty sweetness, I guess.
Taste is very weak for a milk stout. Seems more sourness than sweet. Coffee is gone, caramel is old, and the sweetness turns tangy. Not too bad to drink, but will not have another.

Pours a dark brown/black topped with a two finger creamy tan head, left wide bands of lacing.
Creamy, sweet candy aroma.
Very sweet taste, with a floral aftertaste, a little coffee comes through but it's drowned in sweetness. With warming the sweetness does subdue a bit.
Medium-full bodied and smooth, I know milk stouts are supposed to be sweet from the lactose, but this was way too sweet even for the style.

Sampled at the brewery in Denver, CO. Clear, nearly opaque black with mahogany accents forming a creamy tan head of fine bubbles with excellent retention and ok lacing. Aroma is of espresso, cocoa, and vanilla. Smooth, creamy mouthfeel with a clean finish. Taste begins with deeply roasted grains, cocoa, followed by coffee, and oddly enough, sweet corn. There is an earthy hoppiness in the finish with a hint of alcohol. Somewhat dry for a milk stout.