Mercurial Silk
Levante Brewing Company

Review: 2142
Name: Mercurial Silk
Brewery: Levante Brewing
Location: West Chester, PA
Style: Milk Stout
ABV: 12%
Date: 01/14/2020
Received as a gift from a friend, this beer, whose sender I regrettably can't recall, has piqued my interest. Served in a pint glass at 46 degrees, the pour produced a frothy and creamy one-fingered tan head with average retention. The somewhat slow dissipation left a lacing on the glass. Charting the beer at SRM 34, a dark, inky black with used motor oil hues, and is primarily opaque, the appearance is above average for a milk stout, promising a unique tasting experience.
As I take in the initial aromas, I'm greeted by the comforting notes of milk chocolate, lightly roasted coffee, malty sweetness, caramel, and toffee. Swirling the glass again, I detect the deeper, more complex scents of molasses, raisins, vanilla, and some alcohol, inviting me to fully engage my senses in this beer.
The chocolate flavors stand out; it has this baker chocolate with cocoa powder, yet with a milk chocolate essence. Sipping the beer again, I taste molasses, wood, leather, char, caramel, espresso, roasty, toasted bread, vanilla, and slight oxidation. Another flavor for me that keeps popping up is a mineral-like flavor.
The mouthfeel is velvety smooth with alcohol warming. The body of the beer is medium-plus and has medium carbonation.
I am intrigued by the aromas, which are different from what I tasted. The beer is sweet and held up to age for the most part. I was not a fan of the alcohol warming that I get when the beer finishes. The beer displays the chocolate flavor well, but overall, it is meh. It is a sweet beer with bittersweet chocolate notes, which is an interesting combination.

Poured from a 16oz can into pint glass in April 2023. I bought the can at their West Chester brewpub, and drank within 1 week of purchase. The label on the bottom of the can was:
"10:11 #1324"

Appearance: Dark black with dark tan/brown head. The head is about 1-finger thick with thick bubbles, lasts for a minute, and ended with almost no head. There is very little lacing sticking to the glass.

Smell: Strong aroma of alcohol and chocolate. Also, some vanilla roasted malt and a hint of coffee. Overall, the chocolate and alcohol dominate the others.

Taste: There is a nice balance between the sweetness from the chocolate versus the coffee. Also some roasted malts and vanilla flavors. There is a little hop bitterness to add to the taste and add some complexity. There is a strong alcohol presence, as with other Imperial Stouts, which matches the 12% on the label. Great aftertaste, which is also dominated by the chocolate and coffee.

Mouth-feel: Thick, but with an extremely smooth and creamy body. More smooth than many other imperial stouts. The high alcohol is well-balanced and not overpowering.

This is a good imperial stout, and it has a variety of flavors that adds an impressive complexity to the beer. Although this is a big beer, it is smooth and very enjoyable to drink. The smoothness adds to the overall enjoyment. I bought a second can, and will buy more when available.

Nice dark tan head at first, then it gets all weird and airy as it recedes. There is a nice ring of lace around the high-water mark, though. Weird looking beer. Smells like it has an alcohol bite. Or maybe I'm sticking my big fat nose too far into the glass. Smells like an imperial stout once you get past that. Nothing terribly special about it. It's frankly a little tame on the nose. Tastes good enough; sweet and chocolate-y with an almost milkshake-like thickness. Thank you lactose, I'm sure. Awful, awful sweet finish, though. Good lord. I don't even want to know how calorie dense this is. This is one for sharing if you're not crazy about sweet stouts. I almost want to cut this with something - Guinness, maybe. Whatever. Some will like this a lot more than me, I'm certain.

Poured from a crowler.

A - Pitch black pour with thin toffee colored brown lacing. Carbonation is very low.

S - Light / delicate chocolate char with some lactose. The aroma is pretty weak for a beer of this ABV magnitude.

T - Light char, lactose, toasted cocoa, and some chocolate acidity.

M - Thick, silky, and leaves a sugary residue on the lips. There's a slight bit of warming in the back of the throat but is minimal.

O - The 12% in this beer is extremely well hidden making it a dangerous sipper.

Nice looking beer, obsidian black with an ample mocha head. Good lacing.

Smell is lacking the chocolate I was expecting. Dark malts with anise is what I get.

Taste is bitter, dark roasted malt, licorice, bitter coffee and maybe a touch of cocoa powder.

A little thinner than I prefer for a big stout with some moderate carbonation.

Overall good but not great. Lacking the chocolate flavor expected and a little thin for the style.

Solid black appearance with at least a medium body. Carbonation is around medium light.
Aroma is roasted malt,bakers chocolate, earthy/licorice. Some black coffee follows
Taste doesn't stray too far from the aroma. Bitterness that seems to accompany dark chocolate and dark roasted coffee. There is a very mild sweetness but bitterness,in a pleasant way takes the lead.
Really well done beer thats totally worth trying

 

 

 

A: The beer is jet black in color. It poured with a short tan head that has good retention properties and consistently left a thin head covering the surface and a narrow collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Moderate aromas of dark chocolate, raw cocoa and licorice are present in the nose.
T: The taste has flavors of dark chocolate along with notes of licorice and a light to moderate amount of bitterness.
M: It feels medium-bodied and smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation. There is a bit of dryness in the mouthfeel.
O: With the notes of licorice in the smell and taste of this beer, it tastes somewhat like a hybrid between an English Milk Stout and a Russian Imperial Stout. It wasn't sweet like most other beers in the style.

Serving type: can

My favorite Levante stout. Taste best when properly poured into a glass and allowed to sit for a couple a minutes to allow the flavors to come out.