Moove On Up
Upper Pass Beer Company

 

 

Can from the Packie
Inky black with a frothy tan head that persists. Creamed coffee with hints of chocolate and caramel and a solid earthy hop to counter. Really nice brew!

 

Love milk stouts, but this one fell kinda short for me. Just too thin and watery - otherwise the flavor profile seemed decent. Was looking to find a milk stout go-to at this abv, but this isn't it. Also failed to notice the coffee aspect, which was my bad. That's just too played out for me to enjoy in my beer any longer.

 

A: opaque; very dark brown in color; 2 finger finely pored light brown head that receded to a thin cap; nice lacing;

S: deeply roasted grain for a moment, then coffee with cream;

T: coffee with cream but a watered down version; moderate bitterness on the finish;

M: medium bodied; moderate carbonation; moderately dry finish;

O: OK, but the flavor was weak;

Want to add milk solids into a brew? Like extra flavors, stouts and porters are so much more agreeable than IPAs. So, let's try this one. The pour of a pint can into a clear Imperial pint glass divulges a murky dark brown liquid with an enduring biege head. Interestingly, there's sparse glass lacing. The aroma is solidly roasted malt, on the sweet side, thanks in no doubt, to the lactose. The mouthfeel isn't as rich, nor as soft as might be expected from a milk stout. That is a good thing, because the flavor has a biting roasted hop character, that. were it not there, would make this below average. Instead, this is a milk stout with little hop bit, rather than one from the alcohol or roast. Just a tad too sweet, likely from the lactose, but very drinkable and tasty. Probably not the most richly bodied stouts to be had, but other than than that, this is real good.

 

Head on the thin side but dense with an orange tint to the dark brown base, good length to the lacing streaks. Pure black liquid with a few thin beads of tiny bubbles visible. Powerful roasty punch to the nose, chicory and coffee bean, clear shot of vanilla, you get the oats mostly because you are looking for them, fruity but no fruit type jumps out, maybe plum, good stiffness in the nostrils, on the dry side, augurs the same for the palate. Medium-bodied and, yes, it is dry. Not enough to create an excessively tacky mouth feel but it does seem to shorten the flavors’ shelf life. Toasty unto tarry, burnt butterscotch and molasses, suggestion of cola bean. Nutty at turns. Getting even less direct fruit presence here. Sort of mineral water flavor infused finish. Would have liked a rounder feel with more plushness but reading between the lines I doubt that was the goal at the outset here. Certainly doesn’t weigh you down so high marks for drinkability. (Canned 12/15/20)

 

 

(16 oz can, 12/15/2020 pkg date; gifted from cold 4-pack... poured into a British pint glass)

L: dark brown liquid, fairly med-dark brown foam, suds with tight, moussy structure, jiggling as it builds two-finger high... the foam initially holds but, once collapsing, thins out into broken cap

S: dark-roasted grain hits hardest out front, subtle shades of nutty coffee and dark cocoa slowly emerge; mellow underlying breadiness; perhaps an earthy hop undertone as well?... delicate hint of medicinal alcohol; overall smells dry and inviting

T: subtle note of non-caramel sweetness (lactose) up front, swelling later in the finish, with a toasty-roasty caramel malt soon following the initial milky touch... everything seems curiously balanced, with no one additive flavoring sticking out, their elements more so accenting the character of the roasted and biscuity malts... near-smoky, lingering roastiness, as well as subtle notes of menthol(?) and chocolate-covered caramel... the 'milk' element of this is arguably buried in the background beneath the roast (most prominent in the aftertaste); moderately dry (roast effecting that)

F: smooth, silky, medium-full-bodied flow; roasted grain etc provides a moderate-to-sharp peppery sting upon the palate, which throws off the expected sweet stout textures... lovely to drink

O: well-balanced, quite enjoyable robust stout with a humming, near-peppery lingering roast at its forefront... would have another, but probably wouldn't buy a 4-pack myself... but my mind could change, as it did remind me a bit of Sinebrychoff porter by the end (1723)

 

 

Opaque black with khaki head which leaves half finger throughout. Smells of brown sugar, heavy cream, whipped cream, fresh coffee is minimal. Toasty malts. Chestnut, brown bread. Taste is like a black Kona coffee with a spoon of sugar and dark chocolate. Not a bad thing at all. Perfect balance between sweet, roast, and char. Lactose is not heavy. This is the texture of lightly fizzy carbonated half and half milk creamer and is in no way sticky. I enjoy stouts on the thin side. Thin but remains full if you smell me. Anything that cloys is broken apart by the acidity of the black malts and coffee. It stays light so you can session. Then you pick up nuance like blueberry and saltiness from a good session back to back with these beers.

I’m lactose intolerant. Severely. If I drink whole milk I can count to 10 before I get sick. I will vomit at the smell of cows milk. Truly. Sour and funky and foul that wretched shit. I LOATHE milk. And lactose makes me ill. So coming from me. This is a big deal. Milk Stout is my favorite beer style for beers like this and I’m willing to deal with the nausea and stomach ache gladly. It simply works for me in beer.

Absolutely stunning.

 

Checked the reviews on this one and was looking forward to a good milk stout from an up and coming brewery.

At 16.99 four pack I was very disappointed that the body was too thin for my preference. I tend to like silky smooth milk stouts that pack a punch with taste and solid mouthfeel. The mouthfeel was quite good but the body was nowhere to be found.

Unfortunately this one drinks more like an brown ale with coffee and was just too thin to be what I was expecting. I think at a lower price I would have been more accepting of the results but this one just didn’t impress much.