Cthulhu's Finest Hour
The North Brewery

 

 

 

A: A burst of carbonation at first, and with an ear close to the glass, the mocha-colored head fizzles out maybe a bit too quickly. Always nervous that may mean there's low carbonation, but thankfully that's not the case. Color is as dark as can be, as expected.

S: A huge beer with a lot of complex flavors going on. Dark berries. Leather. Tobacco. A lot of chocolate. Roasted / burned / charred malts. A little sourness / woodiness / minor funk. The alcohol is strong but warranted and pleasant.

T: As with many high ABV stouts, I get a lot of initial jammy, dark berry flavors that are prominent and that I always like a lot. Then there's a mix of many things going on. The huge charred and burnt malts are counterbalanced by the sourness and woodiness flavors I'm getting, along with some slight bitterness from the hops. I think the lactose is contributing to the sourness and woodiness of everything, as it's mixing with the malt and hops and providing some really nuanced and flavorful stuff happening. Hints of that leather and tobacco are there also. I wonder if many would call this a milk stout without knowing the presence of the lactose -- I may not have even known in a blind style test. It's there, yes, but it's not overly sweet, and it's much more complementary than anything. Finish is long, initially slightly sweet to bitter to dry to lingering dark berries.

M: Thick and creamy, and as I said initially, thankfully this wasn't under-carbonated, which I was slightly worried about with the quickly-dissipating head at first. Never becomes overbearing or cloying in any way, and the carbonation that's not out-of-control ends up contributing positively to helping the flavors make themselves known at their own pace.

O: This is wonderful brew that I hope North does again. Sipped on mine for nearly two hours and was thrilled with the interesting changes and flavors that kept happening. Great artwork on the label as always too. Grab one if you can.