BonBonerie
Platform Beer Co.

 

 

Frenching up the dark beer aisle, Platform Beer Company borrows a few java and cocoa tricks of the trade from French pastries and applies them to a loosely interpreted British Cream Stout. The results are classically American craft beer.

Very dark brown but not quite black, the pale haze within has the eyes seeing chocolate even before its scent. But hovering over the light tan froth and a host of coffee, chocolate, caramelized scents start to grow. Bold sweetness splashes the early palate with those deeply caramelized sweetnesses that take on toffee, brown sugar and chocolate proportions.

With a toasty, lightly roasty overlay, the sweetness gravitates toward the middle palate and opens up with a firmer coffee and bittersweet chocolate tone. With the creaminess of milk sugars assisting in balance, a light taste of burnt cream are suggestive of roasted marshmallows before the taste turns woodsy, spicy and coffee-like late in taste.

Full bodied but with a sense of relaxation on the finish, the dark ale trails into a long finale of toast, cocoa and coffee. With the strength and chewy character of most beers of this style on the market, this more somber one seems relatively porter or brown ale-like in comparison. To its credit, its a highly drinkable version of dark ale that's missing on the shelves.