Cows at Large
Oozlefinch Beers & Blending

 

This one pours a fairly dark black color, with a small head, and not much lacing.

This smells like chocolate syrup, marshmallow fluff, melted ice cream, and slight roast.

This is quite muddled, but there are some positive aspects here. The marshmallow is well done, but I unfortunately don’t get any almond. It does approximate ice cream decently well, but it’s definitely too sweet.

This is creamy, but thin, with a decent level of drinkability.

This is sloppy, but it was decently enjoyable.

I don't see a date at the bottom of the can.

Appearance: The beer is black with a frothy brown head. Good retention.

Aroma: It smells like chocolate, coffee, and a bit of burnt caramel. What really stands out in this aroma is how fresh it smells. There is a wonderful scent of mashed grains to this beer.

Taste: There is a big robust carbon flavor with notes of black coffee, toasted caramel, and bitter chocolate.

Mouthfeel: It is thick, full bodied, and smooth. It coats the palate and slips across the tongue. The beer leaves a stickiness on the mouth and it remains on the palate.

Overall: This beer has a paper label that advertises it as an "ICE CREAM STYLE STOUT ALE WITH ALMONDS, MARSHMALLOWS, VANILLA, LACTOSE AND OTHER NATURAL FLAVORS." The beer really didn't taste anything like almond, marshmallow, or vanilla. It really wasn't reminiscent of ice cream either. Towards the bottom of the can the beer also took on this odd consistency which made the beer look like it was clumping out of the can. With the darkness of the beer it's hard to tell if there are chunks or sediment but the flow did seem interrupted. Even though the beer had some negative elements, in the end there was a freshness to the beer that was rewarding. I would drink it again and I would recommend it to stout lovers, not to pastry stout lovers.

Growler, day of pour:
Pours a typical near black, with an indistinct clarity from said dark color. Head is not horribly deep - more beige, and of moderate height. A medium collar leaves some lacing, but not much.

Nose is roasted to slightly burnt malt, and takes some warmth to come out. There's a hint of very lightly sweetened coffee in the nose - but seems a pretty straightforward roasty stout.

A thin opening gives way to a thicker, slick liquid that has moderate but dull tickling carbonation. The burnt toast and bottom of the coffee carafe roasted notes grab me first. Then the fizz and a little lightening of the flavor evokes an ever brief lean towards cola. This somehow gets sideswiped by a little lactose-like sweetness that doesn't add to the cola impression. It somehow brings it back to a nice roasted stout, Bitter roast with a bit of nuttiness round out this beer, with a slightly slick ending feel.

The roast could be toned down just a little, letting a little more sweetness in, for my tastes. Ends up fairly dry. I appreciate the roasted notes, but want a little more to counter it in this beer to really take it to the next level.