Graeter's Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip Milk Stout
Braxton Brewing Company - Braxton Covington

 

 

At the Barrel House
3/17/2022 single can from Party Town at home.
Deep brown color with finger thick mocha head. Fair retention.
Nose does not pick up much but flavor is very much raspberry with chocolate undertones, slightly bitter finish.
Medium body with moderate carbonation.

Has deep brown, cola like appearance with a finger of rocky brown head.
Aroma of raspberry with some roast and chocolate.
The berry really comes through in the flavor but is well balanced. Slightly sweet milk chocolate and dark roast coffee. Slight bitterness in the finish.
Overall I was pleasantly surprised by this one. This tastes very much like the ice cream they we’re trying to replicate. I probably won’t drink this all the time but is great for an occasional treat. Kind of like ice cream itself.

 

 

Poured cold from 12-ounce can into a snifter. Appearance leaves nothing to be desired: deep blackish-brown body with stunning amethyst highlights, topped by a thick lilac-tinged light tan head. This hits its stride at just above cellar temperature. At that point you get a great balance of the raspberry, chocolate, and dark roasted malt flavors. Not overly sweet, not much char, and no over-the-top fruitiness. Medium bodied, with a mostly dry finish and a little fruity tartness lingering on the palate. This could easily have been a hot mess, but it's actually quite well restrained and a pleasure to drink.

Pouring clear purple-red, it fills darker to dull black, yet held up to the light it still has purple-ish black hues. The khaki head is tall and fluffy, settling to a persistent blanket.

Taste starts roasty, nutty and toasty, like a brown ale, as hints of tart blackberry surface in the frothy but light and fluid body that finishes semi-wet, bringing hints of chocolate chip in the aftertaste.

 

 

12 ounce can into pint glass, canned on 1/18/2019. Pours clear very dark ruby red/purple/brown color with a 2 finger dense and rocky khaki head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Thick foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big juicy, lightly tart/tangy black raspberries, fruit skin/seeds, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark/brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of vanilla, cream, molasses, smoke, charcoal, herbal, wood, floral, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malts, raspberries, and light-moderate lactose/earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste of big juicy, lightly tart/tangy black raspberries, fruit skin/seeds, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark/brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of vanilla, cream, molasses, smoke, charcoal, herbal, wood, floral, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Light herbal, floral, woody, grassy, spicy, roast, char bitterness; and fruit tang/tartness on the finish. Lingering notes of juicy/tart/tangy black raspberries, fruit skin/seeds, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, dark/brown bread/crust, vanilla, cream, molasses, smoke, charcoal, herbal, wood, floral, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, raspberries, and light-moderate lactose/earthy hop flavors; with a great roast/hop bitter/sweet, and tart/tangy fruit balance; with nice cloying, acrid, astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering hop/char bitterness and fruit tang/tartness. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/bready, fairly sticky/chalky, and lightly acidic/tangy balanced mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming alcohol for 7%. Overall this is an excellent fruited milk stout. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, raspberries, and light-moderate lactose/earthy hop flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the mellowly bitter/tart/drying finish, great soft feel. Awesome balance of rich malts, authentic raspberries, and cocoa flavors; with balancing earthy hops against sweetness. Solid lactose presence, was expecting a bit more for the ABV. A very enjoyable offering, and spot on style example. Not overwhelming on fruit, perfectly blended and complementing to the base style.

 

Coke color with slight purple tint.Nice Carmel head ( two finger)kept small head entire time.Did not have the feel of a milk stout.More of a porter style beer. The bitterness seems to hide the raspberry flavor .Nice roast taste that lingers in the mouth . With the name I expected more sweetness but still a quality beer .

 

Thanks to Drew for sending a couple of these cans! Reviewed from (long-standing) notes. Poured from a 12 oz. can into an El Catador Barrel-Aged glass.

A: Very dark brown and nearly opaque. A two-finger tan head forms and lasts surprisingly well. Low amount of visible carbonation. An attractive beer.

S: Roasted malts, cacao nibs, and sweet chocolate. Lactose and and a berry cordial sweetness. Notes of vanilla, tobacco, and a bit of char in the roasted malts. Nice bouquet, but nothing overtly raspberry here.

T: Cacao nibs, roasted malts, and vanilla. Some raspberry fruitiness. Again, some lactose sweetness balanced by a fair amount of roasty bitterness. Right at the swallow, the raspberries swell up a little more, and end up coming across like overripe raspberry freezer jam. Malt sweetness with residual semisweet chocolate chip dryness in the hang.

M: The body is a bit lighter than I'd hoped - not watery, but thin enough to detract some. The carbonation sensation is on the low side. The alcohol is well-hidden.

O: A tasty beer, and certainly one ripe with nostalgic memories for this ex-Buckeye. The raspberries could have been turned up a bit, but overall this was a hit for me. I guess I’m just looking for more of everything here. When they turn it up to 11 and make an Imperial version of this, I’ll be first in line with my carryout from Camp Washington or Blue Ash Chili in my hand.

 

 

I got a 4pck of this from the Kroger near Metro South Sports in Dayton. It poured an opaque dark with no head and no lace. The scent had hints of Graeter's black raspberry chocolate chip ice cream. The taste was nicely balanced and easy to drink with chocolate and dark fruit presence. The mouthfeel is lighter in body with good carbonation. Overall it's a solid beer.