Thumbprint Milk Chocolate Stout
New Glarus Brewing Company

 

poured from a 12oz can into a new glarus snifter. pours a medium brown with over a finger of wet sand colored foam. cocoa powder and roasted malts on the nose. a hint of vanilla-like sweetness. taste follows in exact order and consistency of the nose. not overly sweet at all. incredibly drinkable. smooth with a medium-full mouthfeel. very solid. chocolate, vanilla, roasted malts, even light coffee. a very well crafted chocolate milk stout.

12oz can served in a snifter. Stamp on bottom of can: F094 08:38.

Appearance: Brown ale, does let some light through. Thick light tan head with plenty of lacing.

Smell: Cocoa powder, vanilla.

Taste: Some definite chocolate notes (not dark, not quite milk chocolate either), sweet malt, lightly bitter finish that has hints of pine. A tiny metallic note as well.

Mouthfeel: Light carbonation, good thickness, a little sticky on the teeth, and a bit of a dry finish.

Overall / Drinkability: I feel like this needs to be paired with a dessert, like peanut butter cookies maybe. It was okay, but not as amazing as I thought it would be. Even when warmed up it was still a bit muted in its flavors and aroma.

A - Dark brown-black body, light tan head, small bubble lacing.

S - Very pungent chocolate nose, slightly acidic coffee undertones.

T - A blast of cocoa, milky notes with dark chocolate bitter highlights, bright acidity in the close.

M - Moderate weight, soft on the tongue, with a quiet dry close.

O - A very lovely, fully realized milk stout. Tasty.

 

Pours dark chocolate brown with a frothy two finger head of lingering foam and light bubbles. Aroma is malt grain, chocolate and vanilla. Taste is immediately chocolate. Mouthfeel is light and velvety. The style is spot on milk stout, with light ABV. It is not spectacular but it is drinkable.

 

 

12 oz can into a Becker.
L: SRM 37 Pours very dark brown with a little light showing at the bottom. Has a 1" creamy light beige head that fizzes down to froth & edge foam, good fine steady carbonation, med-light lacing with light banding.
S: Chocolate milk, molasses, chocolate covered malted milk balls.
T: Chocolate malts, chocolate milk, white chocolate, suggestions of coconut , vanilla, toasted grains, subtle dark fruits, dark berries, a hint of citrus zest, aftertaste is sweet milk.
F: Gently brisk then smooth & creamy medium to med-heavy mouthfeel with a medium long drying finish.
O: An excellent tasting beer that lives up to its name. Plenty of flavor with a wet feel and a sweet finish. Severely easy drinking at 6.9% ABV as the alcohol is hidden. Even though the can and packaging have neither mfgr or expiration date nor the ABV it is very good in its style.

Color is dark brown, cola-like. Notably creamy, fluffy, and prominent pale tan head with some lacing.

As I was hoping for, the aroma is incredibly milk chocolate forward with sweet malt and lactose. Some subtle roastiness.

Taste does not stray much from the aroma. Milk chocolatey, malty goodness. Some vanilla notes with extremely low to almost non-existent bitterness.

Mouthfeel was on the thinner side which, given the sweet, chocolate forward flavor, was not a bad thing in my opinion. If this was firmly in the medium mouthfeel range, I think it may have come off as a bit too heavy and cloying.

This one may not be for everyone but I dig it as a dessert beer; it is true treat. A great creation from New Glarus and would love for this to be elevated to a fall/winter seasonal release. This and Road Slush would be a killer combo for seasonal stouts. Pricing for a 4-pack of 12oz cans at local supermarket was $10.99. For under $3 a can, I think it's a slam dunk.

UPDATE: Had this for a second time and I gotta drop the score a little bit. Poured slightly warmer this time (at what the can recommends, 48F) and near the end it did start to become cloying. Still good, but a bit a sweeter than initially thought.

Appearance - The beer was inky black in appearance with tan bubbles clinging to the sides of the glass.

Smell - The nose was sweet chocolate, which overcame other potential notes.

Taste - It was as though New Glarus added chocolate syrup to a milk stout. It was sweet, covering any remnants of a base beer. It was a gross, overly sweet chocolate profile. The sweetness clung to the inside of the mouth for quite some time.

Mouthfeel - The body was slick, which added to the cloying sweetness.

Overall - This was not for me.

12oz can. Bottom stamp reads 'F 104 07:09'.
Clear, cola brown colored body. Brief lasting beige colored head. No lacing.
Aroma of sweet fudge chocolate, crystal malt, and vanilla.
Taste is chocolate fudge, sweet crystal malt, and honey.
Thinner mouth feel. Remains sweet in the mouth. Okay carbonation.
True to style with sweet milk sugar and fudge chocolate. Has vanilla cola influences.

I got a can of this beer off the single shelf from the Festival Store in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. It poured an opaque dark with khaki head that is leaving a spotty lace. The scent had milk chocolate notes. The taste was nicely balanced and easy to drink with sweet milk chocolate malt base with subtle vanilla extract presence. The mouthfeel was lighter in body with good carbonation. Overall it is a solid beer.

Coming out of a 12 ounce can, on to the beer:

When sunshine is in the background, the beer is nearly all black in color with faint ruby brown hues at the edges of the glass, so you know indoors it's going to look all black. Beige colored head drops to a whispy lace and leaves a few spots of itself sticking to the glass. I smell cocoa. I smell milk chocolate. Chocolate syrup. It's intoxicating, and I desire to take a first sip.

I must admit that I like the taste of most Milk Chocolate labeled stouts. This version by New Glarus still finds a way to elevate itself over the crowd. Something about New Glarus getting the balance of flavors just right. Lactose sugar upfront, followed by cocoa and a brush of astringent malt. The "milk chocolate" dries out in the aftertaste, leaving a dash of faint bitterness. It's medium bodied, bubbly, and potentially dangerous to drink considering its size and approach.

This is a slice of chocolate heaven. Makes for a perfect dessert beer, or heck, anytime.

12oz can
L: cola colored ale is capped by a fluffy tan head that holds incredible retention
S: milk chocolate, lactose, grain, creamed coffee
T: fudgy milk chocolate, cacao nib, mild roast, toasty grain, caramel, creamy lactose, vanilla, light roast coffee, cola
F: fuller body, very smooth and rich, ample carbonation, sweeter finish
O: I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one, but it’s good. I’ll look forward to drinking the others!

I missed the Thumbprint Milk Stout released eight years back, but I suspect this Chocolate learned from its older brother. Chocolate is well-integrated, like it was bred from the same parents (I meant, recipe!)

Anyhow, Chocolate is a fine substitute for dessert. (And I'm glad my beer-runner to Kenosha bought two 4-packs instead of just 1 as I asked.)

Chocolate Looks respectable, although the really rich ones have more foam and lace stick around. Smells are mostly malt and chocolate. Tastes are balanced. Sweet malts and lactose can easily flip into syrup, but not here.... balanced by adroit use of hops and knowing how to blend these malts. In my mouth, light-to-medium. Not rich. Consider it a diet dessert.

I'm a big fan of NGBC and Chocolate is a good enough example why. World-class lagers and fruit beers are not targeted training for blending malts in a stout; but that skill shows here. NGBC's founders also look out for their employees; and that also shows here.

2/17/24 Had a second can and docked the rating a bit, considering a bit longer the competition in this style (that I drink rarely.) But, I will still have this Chocolate over candy chocolates any evening.

 

Near black, but slightly transulcent with a coffee-colored hue, good initial head that leaves some lacing.

Malt, and dark chocolate in the nose

Mostly malt flavors, a bit of chocolate aftertaste, muted for me.

It's been awhile since I've had a milk stout, but I feel like this mouthfeel is not on target. It's like I'm drinking a lager here, and it's incongruent with the smoothness I was expecting.

A rare miss on this, for me. Not unpleasant to drink, but the mouthfeel and milk chocolate feel of it aren't delivering.