Prairie No Chill
Prairie Artisan Ales

 

 

 

 

A milk stout aged on coffee which tastes like a dark roast regular coffee with half and half and a splash of club soda for carbonation, I'm really digging this. The nose is like a cup of coffee. The coffee flavor is strong and full of char, sharp bitterness, roasted grains and then a chocolate milk sweetness that tames the bitterness a bit and calms it down. Some minor fruity notes jump in and then quickly fade as this is more like a cold pressed coffee than a beer. Coffee grinds and roasted espresso beans show up late with a dash of vanilla. The mouthfeel is slick like most milk stouts, with very mild carbonation and the lingering burnt coffee bitterness as it trails off with some cocoa nibs. I'm a sucker for good coffee beer and I found this highly enjoyable.

 

 

Full disclosure - I am a huge Prairie Artisan fan, but not so much of this offering...

They say there's a first time for everything, well, even the best of brewers put out something that makes you pause and scratch their head. In the case of Prairie Artisan there hasn't been a thing I have tasted from them that I don't like - until now. This wasn't horrible - far, far from the fact. It was just way too strong of a flavor of coffee for my taste - and I like coffee - but damn this tasted like a way too large shot of Cuban coffee (and I'm Cuban! There's a reason we serve our coffee in little paper shot cups...)

The look is black as Cuban coffee and with little foam and no lacing like the same. The smell was muted coffee with a mouthfeel that was creamy, thick, and full-bodied. Overall, it's not a bad beer - it is definitely unique. But if you're not a coffee lover? You've been warned.

 

 

 

Pours black. The head is off white, 1 finger, and the retention was poor when poured from the can.
The nose has coffee notes to it. There's also a bit of a lactose smell.
Taste - Nice coffee flavor. Combined with lactose really works well together. Minimal hops. There's almost a pepper flavor to this beer.
The body is quite decent. not watery at all.
A good coffee/mik stout. Well put together, and the flavor profile works well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

L - 1 finger mocha head rapidly recedes to nothing. Body is dark brown and opaque.

S - coffee, lactose, chocolate, roast.

T - follows the nose. Quite roasty and not too sweet. Mildly bitter, not boozy.

F - medium-light body and high carb. A bit too light, but good for outside drinking.

O - a very fitting stout for an 80 degree sunny day.

 

 

Had this on 2018-04-04 in Columbia, PA from a 12oz can with no date. I think this is about 6 months old.

A - Opaque dark brown with a short light brown head that fades immediately leaving no lace.

S - Espresso and a hint of dark chocolate. Mild.

T - Espresso, semi-sweet chocolate, medium roasted grain, touch of lactose. Mild roasted bitterness.

M - Light body and carbonation. Watery.

O - It's fine but not exciting. Would have liked a more substantial mouthfeel.

12oz can poured into a snifter. No canning date visible anywhere on the can. Pours a fizzy dark black color with a light tan head that quickly fizzles away. The nose is espresso and sweetened cream. Light bodied and prickly carbonation on the tongue leads into a sweetened coffee taste that leaves a lasting roastiness into the finish. I would have prefered a thicker/smoother mouthfeel, this was more like a light lager or pilsner on the tongue. Not bad, not great, an average coffee stout.

 

Murky dark brown to black in appearance. No discernible head whatsoever. The aroma is bitter black coffee and not much else. I'm tasting muddled dark black coffee and a touch of lactose. The mouth is a tad watery and very quaffable.

 

 

Kind of boring, but a good taste. Poured from a can into a tulip glass. Dark brown, almost no head, lacing. It does smell like coffee, and the coffe flavor is strong. The flavor includes dark chocolate. Not unpleasant, but not something I will seek out.