Split Shot Espresso Milk Stout
Elysian Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

Appearance: Pours a very dark brown, near black body with a small-sized, light khaki-colored head.

Smell: A chocolate-coffee nose with a softened, sweetish roastiness, a perceived creamy accent and touches of brown sugar and fruit.

Taste: Sugar sweetened coffee that, with a touch of chocolate, gives a tone of mocha (also sugar sweetened) yet also has some cola qualities. A little dark fruitiness, a little tiny pour of cream. Finishes a bit sweet with that same chocolate-coffee-cream hint.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light body. Medium carbonation. Lightly creamy mouthfeel.

Overall: Simple though moderately pleasant.

 

I got a can of this beer from a Holiday 24pck that I picked up from my local Target store. It poured an opaque dark with ecru ring head that is not leaving any lace. The scent had mocha coffee notes. The taste was nicely balanced and easy to drink with chocolate, coffee and subtle vanilla. The mouthfeel was lighter in body with good carbonation. Overall it is a great beer.

smells almost like pbr coffee. was very nervous to try this beer. tastes like a very strong black coffee that’s a day old. definitely not my type of coffee beer

12oz can poured into a pint

A- pours black in color with a one-finger creamy khaki head that has good retention

S- a big mocha aroma on the nose gives notes of chocolate syrup, espresso and heavy cream. Undertones of roast, milk sugars, hazelnuts and a hint of caramel

T- sweet milk sugars up front gives notes of vanilla cream, quickly followed by a mocha note that adds chocolate and fresh espresso. The finish gives syrupy chocolate and espresso, that sticks around in the linger

M- medium body with medium carbonation leads to a creamy mouthfeel that continues into a silky finish

 

 

 

Perfect for breakfast!

 

A very poor tasting coffee stout. It’s rather weak for an espresso and it tastes like bad coffee. The redemption is the alcohol content, but I am not about to drink this again.

I get a nice, strong coffee smell. I didn’t get a milk flavor or taste. It’s not great but it’s not bad.

Pitch black with three fingers of tan head. Rings of lace appear as the head slowly recedes.
Smell is rich dark roast coffee with cocoa nibs.
Taste is dark roast coffee cocoa bitterness with good malt backing.
Mouthfeel is full with good carbonation. Finish is slightly bitter and mildly dry.
Overall a fine Stout. Experience by 6/16/2020.

 

 

 

12oz can

Haven’t had this since I brought it to a basement party in college years ago, not the best place to appreciate a beer.

Pours about a finger of fluffy light brown head into my can-style glass. Retention is very good so far. Initial lacing looks great as well. Body is pitch black, no hues of anything. Looks great so far

Nose smells great. Fresh coffee blends with a sweet but smooth backbone. Some bitter roasty notes come through as the nose opens up a bit more, balances the sweetness quite well. Perhaps not the most exotic coffee, but that’s fine, nothing wrong with strait forward.

Definitely a “classic” drip coffee flavor, not necessarily bad, just not as one of a kind as some coffee beers are. Not as much of the bitter roasty notes on the taste, more of an ice coffee esque sweetness comes through. Some might call this fake, but I think it’s fine, it’s a milk stout after all. Very nice flavor.

Mouthfeel is good. Definitely on the sweeter side overall, again, not a problem. Maybe a touch cloying though. Bitter coffee is on the lower end, but present. Carbonation is a little below medium. Body is pretty smooth, and somewhat light. Solid mouthfeel.

Drinkability is very high. Not too sweet that it’s gross, and not too bitter that you have to sip it. I wouldn’t say this is perfectly balanced, but it drinks well.

Appearance turned out very nice. Head mostly dissipated, but the lacing was thick all the way down.

Overall a solid beer. Decently balanced, and definitely tasty. Nothing fancy, but a good coffee beer go to.

12oz bottle "Experience By 07/04/20" poured into a tulip pint glass at fridge temp 6% ABV. The beer pours dark brown with chocolate milk colored head and medium brown highlights. The head recedes to a thin ring and single layer of bubbles leaving a few spots of lacing. The aroma is baker's chocolate, black coffee and dark roasted malt. The taste is bittersweet chocolate, mild coffee and some earthy, roast driven moderate bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Overall, ok. This bottle is several months old although well in its published drink by date. The coffee is ok and the beer is ok, but there's no richness, no length of flavor and nothing special.

Poured from a bottle into a tulip.

Pours opaque brown-tinged black with limited head but good webbed skein of foam on the surface of the brew and good lacing.

The aromas are decent and check the boxes, but are very subdued. Hints of caramel malt, coffee, cocoa, and a touch of earthy hops. As the brew warms, some roasted grain opens up, but still pretty restrained.

The flavor redeems a bit, and also does a yeoman-like job of hitting the required notes for the style, but is still very restrained. Generally sweet caramel malt on the tip of the tongue is followed by bitter cocoa and coffee blended with ash in mid-stream. Roasted grains manifest along the way but remain faint and vague. All of that said, the lactose definitely arrives at the end of the mid-palate and firms up at the close along with some herbal/anise notes to provide some welcome blooming flavor. Hints of earthy hops are there as well. Ultimately, the flavor profile is somewhat inverted, with the initial impression begging for something--anything--to deliver something of note, but the overall presentation getting better at the very finish.

The brew is very drinkable. Despite being objectively medium-full in body, it feels lighter than that subjectively, with good carbonation, and a nice drying finish. The oats shine here, with some creamy smoothness.

A decent take on the style, but very limited. It has nice aromas, but they are restrained. It has solid flavors, but they are vague and muddled until the very end.

12-oz bottle into Guinness pint glass

A - 2 fingers of medium/dark tan under a body of beautiful pitch black; nice web of lace

S - coffee, chocolate milk, dark fruits

T - rich coffee, lactic character, caramel sweetness, burnt malts, dark fruits

M - smooth medium body, medium carbonation

O - a decent coffee/milk stout

 

 

Appearance: Pours a dark, black color with a small, light-tan head. SRM of 23-24. (3.50)

Aroma: Strong aromas of smooth chooclate covered biscotti with a prominant roasty and espresso finish to wash it down. Mixes into a chocolate pudding type of aroma. I would have expected more espresso, but it's definitely there as the beer warms. (4.00)

Flavor: Flavor follows the nose of biscotti briefly, but then evolves into a roasted cocoa, chocolate, and espresso to clean it off. Then some cream (even a little smokey tobacco), but finishes with a cocoa & cream flavor and finishes relatively clean due to the dry body. (3.75)

Feel: Lighter-bodied. Moderate carbonation, but finishes flat and watery on the mouthfeel. The body didn't impress me. (3.50)

Compared w/ Castle Danger's George Hunter Stout: Similar in appearance. Aromas of more roasty chooclate. Flavor too. More roasty cocoa and bitter. Less fruity. Finishes more bitter, but similar body.

Compared with Deschutes' Black Butte Porter: Pours a similar color, slightly darker with a larger and heavier, darker head. Stronger aromas. More chocolate, cream, and espresso all around. A bit more chocolate pudding (& smoke?) and espresso to define it as a style. Less roasty. I prefer this one.

Overall: It sort of fits the profile here, but a little wishy washy in terms of is it sweet or is it roasty? It's like a girl that's giving you mixed messages. Sometimes I drink it and get delicious malty flavors, and then others I get a strong roasty espresso. Seems to change on me. More like 80% cocoa and less than 20% espresso. Then the body is watery, flat, and a disappointment. Maybe I'm being too harsh. It's not a bad beer, just didn't quite meet my expectations. Drinks like a dry milk stout. (Final Rating: 3.82)

 

Six pack of bottles picked up at Fred Meyer in Bothell, Washington.
EXPERIENCE BY 07/01/20. Aggressively poured in to a Samuel Smith pint glass.

Look- Dark opaque coffee/almost black color, solid khaki head with great retention, light spotty lacing. Light carbonation streaming as it sits.

Smell- Fresh ground coffee, milk chocolate, dark bready malt, burnt sugar/caramel, dark fruits (raisins and figs), vanilla and slight licorice.

Taste- Coffee, rich roasted bready malt, sweet chocolate, burnt sugar/caramel a little raisin/cherry and vanilla. Light coffee like bitterness that doesn't linger on the finish.

Feel- Medium bodied with a smooth, creamy texture. Really well balanced. Very light carbonation on the tongue.

O- Definitely one of the better milk stouts I have had. A very solid offering from Elysian.

 

Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has a black color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is strong of black coffee. Taste is of coffee, roasted malts, light notes of chocolate. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is a pretty good beer, especially if you like your coffee strong.

 

A - Solid brown-black body, short tan head and minimal lacing, quick to fade.

S - Strong coffee nose and the smell of toasted bread.

T - Strong and pungent hit of chocolate and coffee, moderate bread notes in the middle, and a finish of light, dry bitterness.

M - Very light and easy on the tongue, soft and quite drinkable, but with just a bit of weight suggested by the finish. Surprisingly clean that makes this a great one for stout flavor without getting burdened.

O - Really enjoyed this one, and found it surprisingly satisfying and easy to quaff.

 

 

Beer with a hefty shot of strong coffee, solid enough...

I picked this purely due to the bottle art. What I discovered was a beer strong in coffee flavor with a distinctive malty background, and a slight creaminess to the tongue. It looked good coming out and the head was appealing for the short while it lasted, with a scent that was all coffee (the Cuban variety though it really wasn't). Anyway, this was a very solid offering from Elysian's and one that I will be glad to partake again and again.

 

Love it! Cup of good iced coffee and good dark beer in one!

Nice find in my local distributor's $1/bottle bin. Glad to try another Elysian brew. Good coffee up front finishes on the sides with bitter. Reminds me of Edmund's Fitzgerald although Edmund's is a Porter. Anyway good choice!