Holiday Cheer Milkshake Stout
Rochester Mills Beer Co.

 

Poured from pint can to nonic pint glass. Cola colored liquid with a sliver of mocha foam on top that doesn't last. Not much in the way of lacing. Typical Rochester Mills Milkshake Stout aroma: cocoa, char, sweet cream. Some fruity notes present, like a fruitcake across the room. Flavors are milk stouty upfront: roasted malt, coffee, char, dark cocoa, cream. Then on the finish there's a tart kick from cranberries and dried cherries that gets more apparent as it warms. Smooth, medium-thin\medium feel.

 

16 ounce can into pint glass, best before 4/6/2018. Pours crystal clear nearly opaque dark brown color with a 1 finger dense khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass. Aromas of slightly tart/tangy cherry, cranberry, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, cream, brown sugar, and toasted dark bread; with lighter notes of smoke, char, herbal, and roast/toasted earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malt, cocoa, lactose, and light-moderate berry notes; with solid strength. Taste of slightly tart/tangy cherry, cranberry, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, cream, brown sugar, and toasted dark bread; with lighter notes of smoke, char, herbal, and roast/toasted earthiness. Very mild herbal/roast/char bitterness and fruit tang/tartness on the finish. Lingering notes of cherry, cranberry, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, cream, brown sugar, toasted dark bread, smoke, char, herbal, and roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, cocoa, lactose, and light-moderate berry flavors; with a nice roasted bitter/sweet and fruit tang/tartness balance; with zero cloying/acrid flavors after the finish. Slightly increasing dryness from hop/roast/char bitterness and fruit tang/tartness. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, creamy/bready, and slightly sticky/chalky/tangy mouthfeel that is nice. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 5.2%. Overall this is a very nice fruited milk stout. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, cocoa, lactose, and light-moderate berry flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the very mildly tart/bitter finish. Was hoping for more berry presence, but it was solid. Nicely rich base beer as usual, feels a bit more roasty/charred this time. A very enjoyable offering.