Madagascar
4 Hands Brewing Co.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12oz can poured into a snifter. Strong bourbon, vanilla, and sweet marshmallows on the nose. The taste is oh so big, sweet, and boozy. Overall, really good stuff!

Rating based on 2020 can.

 

 

Appearance - The beer poured a milky black color with just a smidge of tan bubbles clinging to the sides of the glass.

Smell - Vanilla marshmallow sweetness led the way in the nose. There were some roasty notes from the stout, but not much bourbon.

Taste - Before the sweetness hits, the bitter coffee notes led the way. Thereafter, vanilla marshmallows soaked in bourbon were the prominent taste notes. The bourbon was a bit light and largely canceled by the sweetness. Toward the back, the alcohol had a bit of bite to it. I imagine this would cancel the bite.

Mouthfeel - Smooth vanilla and the lactose from the milk stout create a creamy profile with low carbonation.

Overall - This was once a top 250 beer. Perhaps it should be again.

Very minimal fuss and fizz from an aggressive pour; not super carbonated but it does the job on the palate. As thin as you'd expect from a 9.3% ABV milk stout competing against big bruisers these days, but that's fine. Very rich and smooth, with some prominent barrel character. Vanilla is luxurious but not overwhelming. I'd say this is one of the best BBA vanilla stouts I've had with respect to balancing the various flavors while still overall being an intensely flavorful experience.

 

 

Pours a clear dark reddish-brown, small light tan head that doesn't last long, not much lacing either, aroma of dark chocolate. Medium bodied with a creamy mouthfeel. Smokey coffee, Vanilla and chocolate flavors, finishes a bit sweet, damn good!

Look - Pours a jet black color with absolutely no head on a rather aggressive pour. Small bubbles of carbonation meander to the surface, but don't collect.
Smell - In order of intensity: bourbon, vanilla, chocolate, roast.
Taste - The bourbon is very forward in this beer. While sweet, it is not cloyingly so. Intense vanilla is present throughout. More subtle notes lean towards chocolate and roast with maybe a touch of marshmallow(as indicated in the description).
Feel - Madagascar is rather thin, but nicely carbonated. It's slick and smooth going down, but doesn't really compare to the body of many other BBA stouts.
Overall - This was a delicious BBA stout that did not lack in the promised vanilla. The bourbon barrel took center stage to accompany that sweet vanilla flavor, but was balanced by some deeper notes of chocolate and roasted barley. Nice to check this classic off the list, and I'd happily have another.

 

 

 

 

From the fridge comes a 22 oz. bottle that, I swear, has been ducking in & out of the bottom of the top 250 for years. Split with my wife as we begin to ration our stash.

Quarantine diary day six: the chosen beer is dark, which is confusing, since it’s titled a milk stout. Nice nose: vanilla, roasted malt, bourbon, chocolate, perhaps in that order, perhaps in another.

Madagascar must have been soaked with chocolate beans as well as vanilla beans. Chocolate ascending with a moderate shot of vanilla, followed mid-palate by light roast, a touch of char, wrapped by the promised flecks of marshmallow. No bourbon; disappointing. Creamy, smooth, which makes for a nice drinkability.

Interesting beer: the two primary advertised components are missing & secondary, but the chocolate covers for them. Very good beer that would rise in esteem if there were evident bourbon. Now, where is my last roll of TP…

 

 

 

 

Wonderful vanilla character: spring flowers, milky sweetness, sauteed figs, pie crust. Unfortunately, however, the big vanilla presence up-front suggest a more decadent, roasty base than this beer ultimately provides. Smell and vanilla character are top-notch, but feel/body and base malt flavor leave a little bit to be desired.