Royal McPoyle
Mile Wide Beer Co.

 

 

 

 

750 ml red wax capped bottle, no dating that I noticed on the bottle or label. Purchased at the taproom about a month ago. Served in a Mile Wide snifter, the beer pours dark brown/black with almost an inch tan head that stayed around for a long time. There's also a lot of lacing. Aroma is nice, the brew smells like roasted malt, milk and bittersweet chocolate, cream, nuts and a bit of dark fruitiness. For the most part I think the taste is similar to the aroma, but with the addition of some caramel, wood and earthiness. Nice balance between the sweet and bitter flavors. Mouthfeel/body is full, it's coating and creamy with a moderate amount of carbonation. I like this brew a lot, hopefully there will be some bottles still around the next time I'm in Louisville!

With much acclaim, the McPoyle milk stout is the beer that put the Mild Wide Beer Company on the map. So it was only a matter of time that they imperialized the beer because bigger is always better, right?

An expected black sheen pushes against the glass as a creamy light mocha froth begins to build upon the rim. Dark chocolate, coffee and roasted nuttiness fills the nose while a backdrop of grilled fruits and chicory spice adds a pep of complexity. Rich on the tongue, the early introduction of Royal McPoyle is deeply caramelized with suggestions of burnt cream, vanilla and toffee.

Gentle espresso, bittersweet chocolate and candied walnuts begin to take over as the dark ale crosses the middle palate. Trending less sweet and more earthy, the roasted flavors invite a slight campfire character that opens the door for a charred ester collection of grape and cherry before a late palate of whisky spice and hints of fennel. A broad woodsiness brings a moderately bitter finish that easily translates as coffee or cocoa bite.

Full bodied and spicy, the finish is heated with impressions of fresh whisky numbing the palate and offering a slight medicinal character to close the session long and lush. This imperial milk stout is a fine beer but it looses the sense of authenticity and charm that is so prized about the standard McPoyle milk stout.

Enjoyed on draft back in December 2018, which enticed me to pick up the bottle I'm rating now. Pours moderately thin in appearance for an 11% ABV stout, but the mouthfeel ends up being fuller than expected based on this. Very little head, most of which dissipates quickly. Roasted grains, dark chocolate, and malt balls on the nose, accompanied by light hop character. Modest sweetness on the palate, well-balanced without any booziness. Really pleasant.