Sastrugi
Freethought

 

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing nearly opaque black in the glass with a half finger dark khaki head with good retention and slippery lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt, cocoa, coffee and mild dark dried fruit. Flavor is dark toasted malt, milk chocolate, lactose, a touch of plum and light coffee. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess. A very pleasant high octane milk stout with excellent chocolate and lactose/milk character, but with milder than expected coffee flavor. I realized too late that this was not a fresh can (about 5 months old), so the coffee may have faded with time. There is a clear, but subdued coffee note in the finish. The base milk stout is well done and frankly I didn't even miss the coffee. Nicely done.

Picked this up last week at the Bottle King in Livingston, having never had anything from Freethought before as I hadn't even heard of them before seeing this beer on the single can rack. I enjoy this style and on an unusually cold night such as this, it was nice to kick back with a dark brew as this wasn't heavy or overly sweet as it was about the most relaxed 10% beer that I've ever had!

Not surprisingly, this poured like coffee as it had a thick, mocha head that topped it off with a lot of big bubbles rising to the surface. Very little lacing remained as I worked my way through this, with just a few dots of suds remaining on the near side of my pint glass. Lots of coffee, milk sugar, milk chocolate, and oats in the muted nose as the taste was quite thin, sweet, and a bit bitter underneath everything. Cloying because of the sugar and oats, this felt like fresh-brewed coffee with the creamer thrown in for good measure. A bit of dark fruit, vanilla, and wheat rounded things out as this grew on me nicely and finished smooth in the back, with just the right amount of carbonation present to keep things light.

Hard to pick up the alcohol in this as this felt like a Breakfast Stout from Flying Fish or Magnify, but with a bit more depth to it. Canned on 12/23, this didn't have any sediment in it as it was a fresh as a three month old beer could be. Lots going on here but in the end, this was a nicely crafted brew that could easily win anyone new over to the style!

Canned on 12/23/20. 16oz can poured into a tulip. Pours almost black; small dark khaki head that fades leaving decent retention and lacing. The aromas are malt forward. Hints of cocoa and milk. The coffee is pretty mild in the aroma department and almost goes unnoticed. The flavors are slightly rich. It's sweet, but not cloyingly sweet or over the top. The coffee is much more noticeable in the flavor department. Lots of milk and milk sugars. Some vanilla and chocolate. There's a nice amount of raisins and dark fruits in the mix as well. Moderate to low bitterness. Strong malt backbone. Alcohol basically goes unnoticed. Mouthfeel is full-bodied with moderate carbonation. It's fluffy, slightly creamy and velvety, smooth and ultimately drinkable.

This is a solid imperial milk stout. The coffee doesn't seem to shine or dominate, but it does its thing. The milk stout characteristics are nice. It might not be mind blowing or anything like that, but it's enjoyable and fun to drink.

Pretty sure this is my first Freethought brew; I've heard good things. 16oz canned recently and poured into a snifter.

A: Opaque, jet-black pour with a mocha-colored head that doesn't lace all that well.

S: Robust, fresh coffee, with a lactose-like sweetness. Chicory and mild cinnamon, cocoa and faint vanilla; roasted malt behind.

T: Creamy milk stout character with a moderate dose of robust, semi-earthy coffee with mild bitterness; roasty, semi-sweet, lactose, low-to-medium sweetness.

MF: Great body at 10%; feels like a bigger brew but isn't boozy; creamy, smooth, and sweet.

O: Pretty delicous. I like coffee stouts and this is no exception. Smooth, velvety even, roasty fresh coffee with a nice milky body.

From the tall boy can in a snifter. This powerhouse of a brew
pours a coal black with a fantastic head of light brown foam
that settles to a thick ring, this layer, and shows exceptional lacing.
Nose of dark chocolate, dark coffee, sweet cream, and dark roasted
caramel malts. Flavors nail it out of the park with dark sweet chocolate,
dark coffee without bitterness, dark roasted malts, marshmallow cream,
and subtle spicy notes akin to rye with faint char notes. Exceptional
mouth feel; full body, smoothest oatmeal imperial I have had almost
ever, creamy, light carbonation, slick, coating, and did I mention
smooth (!?!?!) with a coffee and chocolate finish.

Overall-----WOW, best brew of this new year, and one
I will grab ahold of for a friend!

Cheers!