Espresso Milk Stout
5 Seasons Westside

 

On tap at the brewpub.
Black and opaque with a decent head and some lacing. A good bit of expresso (high quality) but restrained enough to allow the dark malts to show. flavor follows and has very good balance, assuming you like coffee. Mildly bitter, especially considering the black coffee. Dark roasted grains with minimal char.

 

 

 

A: Black as night with just a ring of head on top, with very lively carbonation throughout.

S: Great coffee smell with faint roastiness in the background. None of the sweetness I was expecting.

T: This is about as dry of a milk stout as I've ever had. The espresso flavor is good, but there is really no sweetness at all.

M: The beer is a bit thin, but very overcarbonated. This distracts very much from the flavor.

O: I almost have a hard time believing this is a milk stout. It's quite roasty and dry for the style, but still tastes pretty good. It tastes more like a porter to me.

Appearance: Served up a dark brown body with a slim head the color of wet sand.

Smell: Dark malted barley backed by a watered down shot of cold espresso.

Taste: Dark dusky maltiness with a snap of roastiness and faint inclusions of chocolate and caramel. Modestly sweet. Hint of bitterness underneath. Roasty, thinning finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Low level of carbonation.

Overall: It's okay. Again, it was tried side-by-side with the Rosebud’s Milk Stout, and the Espresso version was thinner, both in terms of body and flavor, even though it had the coffee added to it. Go figure.

On-tap at the brewpub. A different beer from the Octane Stout due to the addition of lactose.

Pours black with a one-finger tan head. The head recedes into a thin layer on top leaving solid lacing.

Smells of lightly roasted malts with smooth coffee and slight lactose. Also present are hints of semi-sweet chocolate that intensify as the beer warms.

Tastes similar to how it smells. Equal parts roasted and sweet dark malt flavors kick things off and are joined quickly by moderate amounts of roasted espresso beans. Midway through the sip the sweetness subsides a bit as the coffee takes over further and hints of dark chocolate flavors work their way into things. The chocolate fades quickly, allowing coffee and roasted flavors to carry through to a mildly bitter ending.

Mouthfeel is good. It's got a nice thickness with smooth carbonation.

Drinkability is very good. I finished my glass quickly and could easily have a few more.

Overall I thought this was an improvement over the regular Octane stout. The sweetness added an extra layer of complexity and the body was improved. Worth a shot.