Dad's Cream Stout
Parker's Hilltop Brewery

32 ounce crowler into pint glass, filled on 8/18/2019. Pours crystal clear dark reddish brown color with a 2 finger dense/creamy/rocky khaki head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a large cap that lasts. Thick foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, cream, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of dark fruit, smoke, char, wood, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malts, lactose, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast notes; with big strength. Taste of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, cream, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of dark fruit, smoke, char, wood, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Light herbal, woody, grassy, peppery, roast, charred bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, cream, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, brown bread/crust, dark fruit, smoke, char, wood, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, lactose, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; with an awesome roast/hop bitter/sweet balance; and no cloying, acrid, astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering hop/char bitterness. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/bready/grainy, and lightly sticky/chalky mouthfeel that is great. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 5%. Overall this is an outstanding cream stout. All around awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, lactose, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the mellowly bitter/drying finish. Awesome soft/silky feel for the ABV. Awesome rich English malt/lactose complexity; balancing earthy hops, and mild fruity yeast. Light residual sweetness with lingering dryness. A highly enjoyable offering, and spot on English style example.