LegenDairy
Brewsters Brewing Company & Restaurant - Eleventh Avenue

An industry pint at the Oliver location on a decidedly frosty evening.

This beer appears a deep, dark, almost black, with pervasive cola highlights, and two lean fingers of tight, finely foamy tan head, which leaves a solid wall of painted lace around the glass as it slowly ebbs away.

It smells of gritty milk chocolate powder, lightly roasted caramel/bready malt, a mild nuttiness, some neutered lactic notes, and earthy, musty hops. The taste is again big on the cocoa, but with a much subtler milkiness, more stale than actually soured. Some toasted, bready graininess emerges as it warms, along with a tame ashy character, and earthy, dead leaf hops.

The bubbles are quite laid back, and could possibly be accused of being inert, the body a wavering medium weight, and a tad too lacking in its smoothness, i.e. nothing exhibits any creamy qualities. It finishes still sweet, but in a duly moderated sense - no overly sugared mess here.

Not a bad milk stout, but kind of lacking in a few key areas - the milk in the flavour, and the associated affect on the mouthfeel. Anyways, still quite drinkable, and admittedly balanced, so grab some while it's available.