Imperial Maple Milkshake Stout
Rochester Mills Beer Co.

 

 

 

 

 

"Best by 6/20/20"; drank 12/26/19 @ the Yarchives.

Black appearance.

A violent pour yielded a nice tan head; nice, frothy lace.

STRONG maple syrup, mild milk chocolate & faint cream notes in the nose.

Creamy medium mouthfeel.

Maple syrup flavor up front, with hints of milk chocolate & cream on the finish.

Just a maple bomb; a bit blunt for me, but it's not awful.

A- Pours a dark cola color with only a speck of clarity, which will make seeing the carbonation too hard. The head is creamy and has a dark tan color.....starts out about one finger in thickness and settles fairly fast into a ring but totally disappears in short time....something that seems to be a bit of pattern with this brewery I'm finding. Lacing is relatively non existent too, leaving only behind an oily film around the inside of my glass.....an underwhelming looking Stout.

S- Yup this has big time maple syrup aromas that speak of freshly tapped maple, dark chocolate caramilk bar, hints of holiday spiced latte, bitter unsweetened bakers chocolate, creamy maple infused cream cheese icing, smoked candied maple bits, woodsy notes, balancing charred black and chocolate malts, along with burnt brown sugar/toffee/blackstrap molasses richness and the finish that is oh so much of subtle Earthy dryness and leafy hop bitterness....hope the flavors follow suit!

T- Yes they do! I get beautiful flavors of deep dark chocolate with hints of fresh, robust pure maple syrup (Even Michigan syrup is wonderful!) that dominate from the start through to the finish and afterwards....great lingering rich sweetness! Secondary notes of dark caramel, burnt toffee, molasses, Starbucks Caramel Macchiato, vanilla caramel swirl full cream Ice cream. all balanced by drying English crackers, black malt charred ashy bitterness, and some vague leafy hop cones/pure cocoa powder. I dont find the increased alcohol to be a factor on the overall taste, as the robustness overrides any boozy zest. Quite nice overall!

M/O- Solid medium-full body with smooth velvet like carbonation, provides a succulent full flavored offering that I would say is quite drinkable.....there isn't anything that overpowers and gets better as it warms. Like the others I've tried from Rochester Mills, everything from the aroma to the flavor to the mouthfeel is done well and I cant wait to try more fare from these guys!

 

 

 

16 ounce can into tulip glass, best before 6/20/2020. Pours dense opaque pitch black color with a 1 finger fairly dense and rocky tan head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a light amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, maple syrup, brown sugar, wood, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark bread/crust; with lighter notes of licorice, molasses, raisin, fig, date, smoke, charcoal, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/black/roast/bready malts, maple syrup, cocoa, lactose, and light-moderate earthy hops/fruity yeast notes; with big strength. Taste of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, maple syrup, brown sugar, wood, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark bread/crust; with lighter notes of licorice, molasses, raisin, fig, date, smoke, charcoal, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate herbal, woody, grassy, peppery, roast, charred bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, maple syrup, brown sugar, wood, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, dark bread/crust, licorice, molasses, dark fruit, smoke, charcoal, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts, maple syrup, cocoa, lactose, and light-moderate earthy hops/fruity yeast flavors; with an awesome hop/char bitter/sweet balance; and no cloying, acrid, astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering hop/char bitterness. Light-medium carbonation and medium-full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/velvety/bready, and fairly sticky/chalky mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming alcohol for 8.25%. Overall this is an awesome flavored imperial milk stout. All around awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts, maple syrup, cocoa, lactose, and light-moderate earthy hops/fruity yeast flavors; very smooth and easy to drink for the ABV, with the mellowly bitter/charred/drying finish. Great soft/silky feel, not overly bitter/charred. Awesomely rich/well rounded malts, maple syrup, lactose, and cocoa nib flavor complexity; with nice earthy hop presence/balance, and restrained fruity yeast. Light residual sweetness with lingering dryness. A really enjoyable offering, and impressive English style example as expected.