Hatchery Series Release #4 Chocolate Milk Stout
SweetWater Brewing Company

I was a little dubious when I read chocolate powder, but the chocolate flavor really comes through -- strong like a 62% dark instead of sweet. -- so there is some some mild bitterness from this. Nice pillowy head when poured into a pint glass, about two fingers -- whispery lacing thereafter. Let this warm up in the glass, and don't just start chugging away at it. The creaminess that you're looking for takes about 5 minutes or so to develop with this warming. Straight off out of the bottle, it was a little tangy (and not in a pleasant way), so let it warm up. Nice rich flavors of coffee and dark chocolate, and then some maltiness. Very delicious.

 

 

12 oz bottle.

Deep brown color with a small light tan head. Chocolate aroma and flavor, leaning more towards milk chocolate than dark. Lightly roasted malt. Not much hop presence to speak of. Creamy feel with a sweet finish. A smooth, basic milk stout.

 

 

 

Opaque black body, tan full head. Big cocoa and milk chocolate aromas with roasted malt in the background. Taste is led by the roasted malts with a bitter dark cocoa trying to shine through. Feel though is spot on with roasty malt creating lush waves without being heavy

 

L- Pours an extremely dark brown colored, very thick stout with a minimal tan fizzy head.
S-Chocolate, molasses, slight toasted malt, a little biscuit as well.
T-Bitter black coffee with a sourness that follows. A little subdued sweetness that is pretty pleasant, as well as sum biscuit. Dark chocolate follows as the beer warms up a bit. Solid, subdued flavor.
F- A bit sticky, medium carbonation.
O- Good, not great, stout that is honest and a pleasure to drink. This is the release number four in "The Hatchery Series". Not completely sure if this is an annual brew that changes slightly with every year, or a once brewed bunch. Whatever the case, it is rare. If you can get your hands on it, try it.

 

 

 

Rich milk chocolate aroma, pours an opaque black with a thin tan head. The sweetness is mild on this milk stout (which I prefer to the overly sweet ones), with a mild chocolate note in the beginning, fading to a long roasted finish. The body is much thinner then I expected, almost watery. The thin body is really unexpected considering they say both lactose and oats were used. But overall, it's a solid Milk Stout.

A: opaque; deep brown in color; 3 finger dark brown head that receded to a wispy cap; nice lacing;

S: milk chocolate is predominant; deeply roasted grains are also present;

T: at the outset, deeply roasted grains are prevalent with milk chocolate in the background; from the middle through the finish, the balance is reversed; mild bitterness throughout;

M: medium bodied; moderate carbonation; lightly dry finish;

O: I would have liked a little more milk chocolate in the flavor;

 

Smells a lot more chocolatey than it tastes. Taste comes through more roasty and malty, and somehow thin. Fairly generic stout, would not drink it again.

 

 

Appearance: Black with a foamy head of khaki suds. Thin to no lace here.

Aroma: Chocolate but a bit light and underwhelming.

Taste: Bittersweet cocoa and some roastiness. Smooth and drinkable but somehow disappointingly thin and average. Not overly chocolatey or milky here, and this remains a thin and pretty forgettable stout.