All The Chocolate Cows
The Bruery

Review: 2048
Beer Name: All The Chocolate Cows
Brewery: The Bruery
Location: Placentia, CA
Style: Bourbon Barrel Aged Milk Stout
ABV: 13.7%
Date: 06/23/2021

I served All the Chocolate Cows in a Tulip glass at 50 degrees. The pour created an airy, dark brown, two-fingered head with average retention. The beer is dark brown, nearly black, and opaque, measuring around 38 on the color chart. The dissipation left some lacing on the glass. The beer's appearance is average for its style.
When I sniff the glass, I initially smell roasted malts, Chocolate, bourbon, and vanilla. Nosing the glass again, I detect coffee, wood, and caramel. I tried to pick out other aromas, but they were fruitless. I can decipher more from the glass. The Chocolate was stronger than All the cows; it was more of a dark chocolate with bitterness.
The flavors are more pronounced than the aromas. I taste lots of bourbon, vanilla, Chocolate, and oak. Sipping the glass again, I notice dark roasted malts, coffee, wood, caramel, light molasses, a milky creaminess, and some earthiness. The chocolate flavors were on the darker side and had bitterness.
The mouthfeel is warm, and the finish is creamy and smooth. The body is full and has medium carbonation.
Comparing this to All the Cows, this is a much beer version. The Warming is less pronounced. The bourbon barrel aging gave the beer some harmony and depth. I immensely enjoyed this beer - great beer to finish the night with.

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing nearly opaque black in the glass with a two finger dark khaki head that dissipates to to a thick cap with solid lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt with light char, bourbon, cocoa and vanilla. Flavor is dark toasted malt with mild char, bourbon, bakers chocolate and vanilla. Somewhat astringent, boozy finish. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess. A quite bourbon forward barreled stout. The body is clearly a pleasant milk stout with good lactose, cocoa and vanilla, but it is dominated by the bourbon with vanilla as a secondary major flavor. The aroma has some smoky char notes, but the taste has only a hint of it, which is appropriate for a milk stout. Enjoyable and hits the spot for a bourbon stout, but the lighter milk stout profile may not stand up to the aggressive barrel as well as it could. This is a two year old (cooler stored) can and perhaps the base has thinned out a bit over time. Good but not great at this point in its life.

 

L- Very good head formation esp considering the socking ABV. Dark tan 2Cm foam cap over black body. Even held to a halogen not a photon gets through.
S- Straight off liquor notes and timber barrel notes. Not much else TBH.
T- Deep cocoa, a seeming brief twist of sour cherry that morphs into a major whisky note, a wood-smoke note and charring.
F- It's clearly quite pungent but it's never OTT or suggesting it's headed that way. [For the record my can is marked 13.7% ABV].
O- This was bought for me as a gift. Most kind as it's travelled a long way. Hence I approached it with some apprehension. A thumping Milk Stout can go two ways, waaay to sweet and basicly OTT, or rare undertstatement and balance. This avoided the former, it becomes slightly rich as it warms but that's fine. It's carefully balanced, and retains subtle aspects despite being 13.7%. It is unusual in pulling all of this off and doing it so well.
Bought from Beer Force, Holland Village, Singapore. Enjoyed in the UK. '2021 Edition'. Canned: '06/23/21'
Canned: 06/03/21

16oz can poured into a snifter
2021 Vintage

A- pours jet black in color with a one-finger creamy khaki head that has great retention

S- bitter dark chocolate and charred malt are mostly present initially, followed by some oaky bourbon barrel that adds some caramel. Vanilla bean and creamy milk sugars give a marshmallow note. Dark chocolate, roast and a hint of coffee close it out

T- rich and creamy up front with notes of milky dark chocolate, vanilla cream and caramel. Mid-palate brings out some dark fruit notes of raisin and prune, followed by the barrel coming through with wet oak, barrel juice and more caramel and vanilla. The finish gives more oaky barrel, with chocolate and roast on the linger

M- heavy body with moderate carbonation leads to a creamy mouthfeel that continues into a velvety, silky warming finish

O- rich, creamy and full flavored. Well done

 

 

Chocolatey goodness

 

Exactly as advertised: Cocoa, vanilla and bourbon barrel goodness. I like that the bourbon barrel isn’t too aggressive, and the chocolate flavor is excellent. Pretty easy drinking for a 14 percenter. Overall it is quite nice.

 

Look: very dark. Some ruby highlights when to light. Plush mocha head on the pour that mostly subsides. Messy, clingy lacing.
Smell: as advertised, chocolate, vanilla, and hints of bourbon.
Taste: like the nose. Very easy drinker. Mellow but rich.

 

 

Brew: The Bruery- All The Chocolate Cows

Intro: 12 oz. poured into a tulip glass. Had on tap. Shared with a friend.

Appearance: Pitch black, Moderate head maybe 1 inch. Moderate lacing as I drank

Smell: Barrel is upfront followed by chocolate and finally vanilla.

Taste: Followed the smell. Heavy on the chocolate which is fine. Smooth, milky aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: Smooth to medium full mouthfeel, medium carbonation.

Drink: Smooth and creamy, almost like drinking chocolate milk with a little alcohol

Conclusion: This was enjoyable, however, we had 2 drinks this night and this came up second. Still enjoyable though.

 

Sweet milk chocolate malty and vanilla bourbon barrel nose on this one! Taste follows with smooth and creamy milk chocolate upfront...and then a vanilla, slightly boozy barrel finish. This is well-balanced and they nailed what they were going for here! Tasty!