Chocolate & Vanilla Milk Stout
Vail Brewing Co.

i like the concept here, but it seems like a beer that really shouldnt be all that hard to pull off with good ingredients and some attention to detail. i was surprised i found this to be so underwhelming, especially considering the quality of their hoppy stuff across the board. almost black in color, dense to look at, and after the initial pour, there is basically no head at all. like a thicker cup of drip coffee. it smells better than it looks, the vanilla is right out in front. i dont get the chocolate at all outside of the chocolate malt, and there is a weird astringency, maybe from the dark grain, but it definitely doesnt belong here. fortunately there is great depth to the roast in the flavor, and the vanilla is nice too, it covers up some of that, but it still seems almost like they infused vodka with vanilla beans and added that to the beer, it is harsh like that, not boozy but sharp for sure, and it doesnt work in a beer the palate wants to be smooth. its not way off, a few tweaks away from being a whole lot better, but i was let down by this one on the whole. maybe a little conservative on the chocolate too, lets boost it up a bit and see where we are at. also lacking carbonation. taste is best up front and fades fast towards the finish.