Morlock
Hourglass Brewing

Reviewed from notes. Poured from a 16 oz. can into a J. Wakefield Brewing OG teku glass.

A: Very dark brown and nearly opaque. Minimal visible carbonation and no real head formation - and barely any foamy stuff on top at all. Not pretty - this looks dead inside.

S: Roasted malts and cacao nibs and milk chocolate. Notes of drying tobacco, burnt coffee (in a good way) and char. Just a bit of lactose sugar. Very roasty forward, which is a bit different for the style, but I’m kinda digging it.

T: Roasted malts with cacao nibs and bitter baker’s chocolate. Tobacco again, and some bitterness from the roast. A restrained amount of lactose creamy sweetness. More dry chocolate - like that 99% cacao - and a mild hop bitterness in the hang.

M: The body is probably average, but it seems thinner with the low carbonation. Minimal alcohol flavors.

O: I'm uncertain how to rate this one. I would probably be a bit disappointed if I was looking for a creamy sweet milk stout (which is what it was described as). But just as a nice roasty porter-type beer with some lactose sweetness, I’m really digging it. Rated to the Milk/Sweet Stout style, I'll likely give this 3.5/5 or so. But a bump given for enjoyment on my end with the scores here.

 

On tap at WoB in Melbourne FL.
Pours with a black opaque body topped with a fine, creamy beige head with disappointing retention and lacing.
Mild aroma. In contrast, the flavor is rich and strong for style. It's also relatively bitter, being mildly bitter rather than sweet.
Smooth, full body with light carbonation.

 

Look: It pours black with a dark brown head. It has excellent head retention.

Smell: The initial aroma is full of roast. There are background notes of slight vanilla, a slight hint of dark fruit, and some sweetness.

Taste: The roast is up front with the flavors. There are also citrus notes. slight wood, and hints of dark fruits.

Feel: It has a creamy texture and a moderate feel. It is sweet in the finish with only a slight degree of bitterness.

Overall, this is a beer that is highlighted by the roasted malts with most of the other flavors and aromas in the background for support.

Very average milk stout. The main thing it lacks is carbonation. A hard pour gives you a small dark brown head but retention is poor and there is no lacing. Good dense brown color. Aroma is mild malty and some lactose. Taste is about the best part. It includes the main elements: sweet malt and lactose. Not bad at all. Mouthfeel is silky smooth like a good milk stout, but it could use some carbonation. It is pretty flat. I bought two of these one trip to Florida, otherwise I would not have this one again.

 

16oz tallboy, sample form the brewery.

Pours with a bit of a crackle in the lace which eventually subsides to a thin ring, near pitch black liquid. Smells of dark sugars, cocoa nibs, and mild charcoal. Creamy with a struggling smoothness, full bodied. On the sweet side with a prick of warming alcohol and fruity esters. Stout flavors of roasted grain and suggestions of dark sugar hit in the middle. Finishes sweet and sort of one-sided. A good stab at the style, a bit more clean and balanced is what I hoped for. Worth a go.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Hourglass Brewery just put this back on draft recently. It's a very good representation of an "everyday" milk stout. This latest batch offers a nice balance of flavor, roastiness and creaminess. Good stuff. I gave this 4 stars on Untappd, but also think that it could fall slightly short of that. 3.75, perhaps. Definitely am not opposed to trying this again, or regularly.