Faux Fur
Stillwater Artisanal Ales

 

 

I got a late start on NBS (Week 774) & I did not finish up my DelMarVa (+ DC) adventure as planned. 8=( Further, I promised that NBS (Week 775) would be dedicated to the wonderful beers sent to me by @jkblr who seems to have a real handle on my drinking habits. CANsparency is key in these things! As a result, I am going to CANcentrate over the next few days on eradicating everything that would have CANbined to form the finale of the DelMarVa (+ DC) adventure. Sit down, strap in & hang on. It's gonna be a wild ride!

From the CAN: "Double Oat Milk Stout"; "Ingredients: Malted Barley, Oats, Wheat, Hops, Water, Yeast and Milk Sugar."

Man, I am REALLY kinda excited as this opens the last act in this Stillwater play! I beCAN with Sours/Tarts/Wilds, moved on to IPAs of various stripes, but it is to be Stouts that will ring down the CANtain.

I beCAN by Crack!ing open the vent, which surprised me with a light spritz due to its being a brimful craft CAN. Not one to be easily daunted, I CANtinued with a slow, gentle C-Line Glug into the awaiting glass. I was surprised once aCAN when it evinced a pseudo-cascade, forcing me to back off and allow it to do its own thing. This included the creation of just under two fingers of fizzy, foamy, rocky, deep-brown head that quickly fell away to wisps. Color was Very Dark Brown to Opaque/Black (SRM => 34, < 44) with garnet highlights at the edges. Nose smelled like Hershey's chocolate syrup had been added to my morning coffee, stirred around & then lit on fire to imbue it with a light smokiness. 8=O What?!? Mouthfeel was medium. The taste was more chocolaty than coffee, but it still had a general smokiness. In sum, it tasted liquefied chocolate brownie! Yum!

Man, I have been diggin' on brownies for years, dating back to my budding interest in baking as a kid. Once I hit on "special" brownies, I was the baked baking baker in high school & I have been known to whip up brownies, space cakes & other assorted goodies since retiring from active duty. I am currently clean due to looking for new employment, but I retain my recipes.

Back to this beer. It was only moderately sweet, which made it all the better. I generally eschew sweets so this made it all the more appetizing. If it had been sweeter, I might not have enjoyed it as much. It had a pleasantly smoky chocolatiness throughout. Finish was semi-sweet, as I alluded to throughout. Do you really want/need a truly Sweet Stout? If so, this would not be your bag. As for me, I'm diggin' the action! Dig?

 

 

 

 

 

L: Poured from a tallboy can to a pint glass. Had a deep, dark, mahogany brown color and a thick, opaque consistency. There was a half inch of creamy, tan-colored, somewhat long-lasting head. Not much lacing, though.

S: A good, but not great, aroma of coffee, chocolate, malt, vanilla, oats, and a burnt quality.

T: Tasted of a fair amount of malt (present throughout), some chocolate notes, light oats, a bit of coffee (could've used more), a light char, and a hint of vanilla. Not a bad flavor, but one that needed to be pushed just a little bit further. It does get better as you go along, but it needed a bit more oomph.

F: A good amount of carbonation with a smooth finish. Medium-bodied.

O: An uneven beer, but it has some good qualities. Worth a look.

Deep deep dark brown with a solid coffee brown head with wonderful staying power.
Smell has notes of roasty char, coffee and raisins. Not super robust smell overall, also seems a bit more burnt/acrid than I expect from a milk stout.
Taste follows the smell with a cold brew coffee flavor and a slightly acrid char flavor that builds toward the middle with a sweetness creeping up toward the end. Also some odd notes reminiscent of barleywine or strong ales, shades of that dark stone fruit/leather nexus. Not near as much 'grain' as i expected with oats and wheat listed on the ingredients but there is a dark bread aspect lurking.
Mouthfeel is the biggest miss for me on this beer, it is surprisingly thin and much to much so for the style in my opinion. I usually expect a bit more body from milk stouts than regular but this comes across as thin even for a porter.
Overall, oddly, I like this beer more than my individual attribute perceptions would indicate. I don't like it as a milk stout I suppose, but it's a pleasant drinking experience. Deceptively smooth for a 10% beer and a well balanced flavor.

 

Moderate pour yields a 5/8 inch tan head over a black body with no lacing and head disappears almost instantly. Nose of dark roasted malt, chocolate, oats, and a bit of wheat (?) Taste of chocolate (unsweetened and bitter), roasted malt, and oats. Okay feel. Near zero carb as a result of the overzealous use of that damn lactose. Overall, a shame as this would have reaped a much higher rating if not for the milk sugar. Cheers?

 

 

Poured a black body with minimal khaki head and lace. Aroma is more woody and oakiness than anything else. Smooth, woody, medium-bodied, a little bit of crisp with a roasted maltiness with some sugary sweetness like hints of vanilla and clean, almost syrupy-sticky sweetness.