Psychocandy
Notch Brewing

 

 

 

 

Scottish sweet stout, can date smudged
Pours a large frothy 1.5 finger brownish head that fades slowly, great retention, sticky lacing, dark basically black color

Nose brings dark roasted malts, a little cocoa, smokey, sweet milk chocolate, biscuity toffee, and a hint of butterscotch

Taste creamy smooth milk chocolate, dark roasted malts with a a bit of smoke again, light charred smoke, little cocoa, biscuity wafer cookie and toffee notes, light bitterness, finishes fairly dry, semi sweet overall, lighter to med bitterness with coffee lingering

Mouth is med to lighter bod, med prickly carb, creamy

Overall pretty nice, for that sweet stout although not too sweet, and plenty of Scottish style characters

 

16oz can poured into a flared pint glass.

A: Pitch black pour with lighter brown hues and apparent clarity at its edges. Pillowy light brown head has excellent retention. Webby and sticky lacing abound.

S: A soft and even level of roastiness and roasted barley. Very slight woodiness and hints of cola and molasses. Little bit of chocolate syrup too, perhaps. Malted milk ball sort of impression with the lactose playing off of the malt. Subtle whiffs of new spring grass from the hops.

T: Opens with cola, molasses, and mild woody barley roast. Slight coffee-like roasty acidity. Bit of hazelnut, toffee, and homemade fudge. Lactose sweetness is more apparent middle to end after the palate adjusts to the mild acidity, but keeps to a good and even keel. That hoppy fresh and floral grassiness peeks out a bit too, and meshes so damn well with the layered and complex maltiness. Sweet finish of cola, lactose, and cocoa nibs.

M: What a feel! It is simultaneously lithe and easy, yet full, robust, silky, and chewy. There is absolutely no indication that this is the body of a 3.3% ABV beer. You'd think double that. Super mild brush of roasted malt tannin that is in no way distracting.

O: This is a mind-blowing beer. It's robust and sweet with awesome layered malt complexity and a truly epic body, all in a low ABV package that is sweet but eminently drinkable. This is the sort of beer that every brewer will reverently appreciate, and most stout-lovers would also enjoy if we could get half of them to put down the pastry-hype beers for like ten damn seconds. Absolutely world-class, instant-favorite stuff. I'm gonna tell everybody.

Canned 11.5, opened 9.2.20...gotta check those beer dates at the Fort Point market

16 oz can poured into will becher glass, one finger taupe fizzy foam cap, quickly recedes to a thin layer over a dark brown cola liquid

Aroma of roasted malts, coffee,

Taste is coffee, roast malts,

Fizzy mouthfeel, light,

Good beer, sessionable

 

Pours a deep brown with tan head. Coffee and oats emanate aromatically. It's dry and crisp, with touches of coffee and unsweetened dark chocolate, some burnt toast. It is light and very sessionable, living up to the Notch name. At a 3.4% clip, this is ridiculously flavorful while retaining lightness.

 

 

Poured from a 32 oz crowler into a mug.

Pours a dark brown color with 3 solid fingers of khaki head. The head sticks around for a while, eventually settling into a thick puck of foam. Leaves some splotchy lacing.

The aroma is loaded with dark roasted malts, chocolate, vanilla, and coffee beans. It's subtle but extremely pleasant.

The flavor is ridiculous, all things considered. There are notes of sweet milk chocolate, vanilla, caramel, toffee, roasted malts and faint coffee. This beer is 3.3% and drinks like a 7% milk stout.

The feel is on point. Soft and creamy. Medium bodied with soft carbonation.

Overall, a great milk stout that is just bursting with flavor. The fact that this is 3.3% ABV is just absurd. Proves you don't need a ton of alcohol to make a bold, flavorful stout.