Hibernal Fluxus 2017
Allagash Brewing Company

 

 

Saison Milk Stout?! Thanks for experimenting and taking my money. Yuck.

 

 

Pours black with a huge brown head that was well retained and left some blotchy lacing. Smells of sweet malts, chocolate, coffee and a hint of yeast. Tastes of dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, lactose, roasted malts, Belgian yeast and as the beer warms mild tropical fruit flavors appear. Very interesting and different. Light bodied for the style, softly carbonated, slightly watery mouth feel, lingering dry finish.

 

 

 

 

 

L: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a dark brown / black color and a thick, opaque consistency. There was a two inch, foamy / rocky, long-lasting, off white head. Below average lacing.

S: A very solid aroma of Belgian-style yeast, chocolate, lactose, coffee, and light tropical fruit.

T: Tasted of a small amount of roasted malt (barely there), some chocolate notes, some lactose (not my favorite), tropical fruit (mango?), a bit of Belgian-style yeast, and light spices. The melding of styles sometimes leads to disaster, but this one works for the most part. That being said, it seems like the stout half was more powerful than the saison. Still, pretty tasty.

F: A decent amount of carbonation with a dry, smooth finish. Medium-bodied.

O: A solidly made experiment of a beer. Worth a look for something different.

 

 

Pours espresso black with a pretty generous tan head that falls to a persistent ring with a few rafts in the middle of the glass. Held up to the light, there is gorgeous ruby red tinting to the beer.

The smell is initially malty and typical stout, some coffee and some cocoa. With warming, there are mild, vaguely fruity esters wafting over the malts. Interesting.

The taste is pretty much sweet stout intially, but definitely lighter in intensity. Pretty heavy bitterness underneath and lingering in the aftertatse. Lactose sweetness. Then there is this whole ester thing going on that is not strong and plays along as a complimentary flavor component. Thinner on the mouthfeel than a stout ought to be, but pleasantly so. It is a bright sweet stout.

Overall, I find the combination interesting and really enjoy the flavors playing off each other. If you are looking for a typical stout, seek elsewhere. This beer really combines the base flavors of a stout with the brighter characteristics of a saison. Worthy.

 

 

Really enjoyed this beer. Was quite intrigued by the mixture of saison and milk stout and was pleasantly surprised by how they came together. Color and foam were classic stout. Aroma wasn't as big as I would have hoped. The stout is definitely the dominant beer in the compilation and goes down smooth and easy. Has just a little funk behind it but could use a little more but, as is, is quite tasty. Glad I was able to get a bottle of it. Hope I can try another in the years to come.

I had tried some home brewed saison-milk stouts before, so I kind of knew what to expect. Yeasty for a milk stout, heavy for a saison. This one features dark, dark flavors that meld nicely with the saison graininess. Part of my rating is I am not sure how to compare this to other beers out there, but I like the sense of adventure.