Vanilla Milk Stout
Thirsty Crow

 

Pours black with a small tan head.
Nose shows cocoa, roasted malt, vanilla and a little coffee. Very roasty.
Some lactose sweetness and vanilla as flavours but its mainly just the dry roast that pervades throughout. Gets a bit too sweet in the finish.
Nice soft carbonation.

Pours a nice black with a tanned head.

Nose is markedly roasty, little bit of sulfur. Definite vanilla but it's well integrated, contributing cookie dough aromas and a general sort of sweet lactic note.

Taste is roasty and presents more vanilla. Lots of caramel.

Mouthfeel does have a lot of presence and sweetness from the vanilla. Marshmallow-y.

Perhaps a bit cloying in larger doses, this nevertheless lives up to the hype. There is a decent roasty base there, but the vanilla is still very present. Like an anti-imperialised version of Victory At Sea really. If I had any suggestions it would be to up the bitterness a bit to offset the sweetness and counteract the slightly watery body.

 

Inky black. Smooth, creamy, tan head. Great head retention.

Not much aroma. Touches of chocolate and fruitiness. No real roast.

Sweet yet thin. Milk chocolate. Touches of vanilla. Little bits of ester. Caramel. I like the flavours but it's as if the base beer isn't big enough to support it all.

Medium body but it feels thinner than that. Low carbonation. Doesn't really work.

For me this needs a lot more oomph. The flavour is good but it doesn't quite have the backbone that a stout needs. I get that it is supposed to be a drinkable stout but I can't help but feel that this particular one would be better as an Imperial.

On tap at the brewpub.

A: Served a virtual black color with a tan head that fades to some lacing.

S: Aroma of vanila, chocolate and some dark fruit.

T: Taste of chocolate, some coffee and dark fruit with a bit of roasted malt in the background. Mild bitterness and a dry finish.

F: Body is quite full, smooth with a creamy texture.

O: Nice balance. Enjoyable beer.

Pours a black with tan head, unfiltered - can not see through.
Smells of Vanilla, Kahlua, Chocolate, with similar flavours that are complimented with the residual sweetness - slight roasty/coffee character also.
Feels slightly thinner than it should - served a tad too cold.
For the style - it is definitely appropriate.

Pours a very dark colour, mostly black with mahogany tinge when held up to the light. Head is dark ochre, dissipates to a thin film of small bubbles. Lace is OK. Nice.

Smell is stouty, but sweet. Plenty of espresso, coffee and cocoa, but a nice vanilla sweetness to it as well. Touch of nutmeg towards the back. Yeah, quite nice. Could be sweeter actually, for a vanilla milk stout, but it's still pretty simple.

Taste is nicely sweet, yeah. Nice roasty espresso notes underneath that never rise to the surface, in full bitter mood anyway. Lots of sweet desserty characters vie for supremacy, with vanilla, creme anglaise and some bitter chocolate behind. Not insanely sweet though, actually quite dry on the back. Well-rounded palate overall.

Yeah, dry feel, but a little bit sticky midway through. Actually don't love it, but it's stylistically appropriate.

Nice, sweet beer, but still dark and stouty. Good beer.