Beer Review: Nooner Batch 5

Reviewing Nooner Batch 5, a rum barrel aged milk stout from Peg's Cantina & Brewpub out of Gulfport, Florida.

Score: 96

March 2014 vintage bottle served in a footed De Garde tulip and enjoyed on 06/05/14.

Appearance: Jet black in color, totally opaque. Pours about a finger of khaki head that settles to a thin layer. Great lacing and retention. 5/5

Smell: Sweet chocolate, burnt brown sugar, woody vanilla, molasses, and oak. A touch of dark fruit and a little alcohol heat. Excellent mix. 4.75/5

Taste: Woody vanilla, burnt chocolate, dark chocolate, oak, dates, and a little wine-reminisce acidity towards the finish. Finishes with oak and chocolate and a kiss of residual vanilla. More oak as the beer warms. 4.25/5

Mouthfeel: Full-medium bodied, appropriate carbonation. Creamy mouthfeel with a lightly dry finish. Good balance. 4.5/5

Overall: Doug makes some excellent stouts, and this brew is a prime example of his talent (if you ever get the chance to try Whiskey Hazelnut DDT, you run to the tap line). Fresh on the tap line, I felt as though there was a bit more vanilla and a little less acidity, but this growler has held up marvelously. Personally, I preferred my pour on the colder side because it masked the oak character a bit more without muting the other flavors. Seek this one out with delicious confidence.

Cost: $20 for a 500 ml growler.

Beer Review: 70K

Reviewing the 70K from Against The Grain Brewery out of Louisville, Kentucky. This is the imperial version of their 35K milk stout, aged for an extended period of time in Angel's Envy.

Score: 94
Tap pour served in a snifter glass and enjoyed on 05/24/13 while in Louisville for my best friend's bachelor party. Review is from iPhone notes.

Appearance: Deep brown, maybe black in color (it's 10pm and I'm outside, so color is hard to pin down). Served with a finger-plus of khaki head that settles to a ring around the glass. Good lacing, excellent retention. 4.5/5

Smell: Oak, maple sweetness, bourbon, caramel, hint of vanilla. Some coconut too! Hint of milk chocolate. Touch of booze. 4.25/5

Taste: Maple, vanilla and chocolate flavors primarily. Much less oak and more chocolate in taste than in nose. Caramel maltiness and bourbon flavor towards finish. Has a light coconut flavor in finish, substantially less than was in the nose. Tastes even better than it smells! 4.5/5

Mouthfeel: Medium-full bodied, low carbonation. Super creamy mouthfeel. Nice level of sweetness without being overly sweet for my tastes. Love the barrel character here, as its complexity-imparting without hitting you over the head with bourbon notes or totally overshadowing the base brew.

Overall: Another home run beer for Against The Grain. It's about on the same level of quality as the Pappy aged Bo & Luke.

Cost: $8 for a 12 oz pour.

Beer Review: Hardywood Gingerbread Stout

Reviewing the Gingerbread Stout from Hardywood Park Craft Brewery out of Richmond, Virginia.

Score: 88

2012 vintage bottle served in a Goose Island Chicago flag snifter and enjoyed on 04/02/13.

Appearance: Black in color, though it turns a slightly brownish soda color when held up to the light. Pours two fingers of fizzy tan head that settles to a thin fizzy ring around the glass. Has a surprisingly effervescent appearance even after the head settles. Poor lacing, below average retention. 3/5

Smell: Biscuity malt, grain, fizzy vanilla soda, brown sugar and faint cinnamon. There is also a gingerbread cookie dough smell present, but it is not nearly as pronounced as anticipated. 3.5/5

Taste: Has an unimpressive biscuity and fizzy stout flavor upfront, but before you can be too disappointed that flavor is immediately supplanted by a wonderful medley of spices, chocolate and gingerbread cookie flavor. Some sweet honey flavor too. This beer has a nice amount of sweetness, but is well-balanced. The spice finish is quite wonderful! If only the upfront flavor was not there. 4.25/5

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, medium carbonation. Mouthfeel falls somewhere between silky and creamy, with some fizziness. 3.5/5

Overall: Taste is what matters most in a beer, and this one has a really good flavor save for an initial disappointing flavor that hits the palate. This beer has a lot of potential, and I would loved to see what a little refining of the recipe could accomplish.

Pairing: Creamy vanilla bean ice cream. Trust me on this one!

Cost: $12 for a 750 ml bottle.

Beer Review: Imperial Maple Milk Stout

Reviewing the Imperial Maple Milk Stout from Perennial Artisan Ales out of St. Louis, Missouri. Perennial is one of the best up-and-coming breweries in the craft beer world; their brewer used to work with both Goose Island and Half Acre before opening his own brewery. This one-off brew was specially brewed for the Northdown Cafe & Taproom for a Perennial-themed beer event. The ABV is listed as "??%."
Score: 91

Tap pour served in a mini (12 oz) nonic pint glass that was then poured into a generic snifter and enjoyed on 01/11/12. Review is from iPhone notes

Appearance: Pours a dark black color with a finger of mocha-colored head that slowly settles to a thin layer that then settles to a ring around the glass. Absolutely amazing lacing and retention. This is a gorgeous-looking dark beer. 5/5

Smell: Milk chocolate, barley malt, bananas and maple. Light alcohol esters and a faint hoppiness too. Some brownie-like chocolate notes also present. More banana as the brew warms. 4/5

Taste: Chocolate, molasses, a little banana and a little bit of booze too. Maple and creamy milk chocolate towards finish. Did this beer use a Belgian-style yeast strand? Modestly sweet, but not a "sweet" beer. Not bitter at all. 4/5

Mouthfeel: Not quite full bodied, mild carbonation. Creamy mouthfeel with a little prickly warmth from booze. 4/5

Overall: Not quite up to par with their Abraxas chili stout or Vermillion barleywine, but still a pretty delicious and worthy beer.  

Recommendation: Not a can't-miss beer, but worth ordering before the keg kicks and the beer disappears into obscurity...

Pairings: Northdown's signature grilled cheese.

Cost: $8 for a 10 oz pour.

Beer Review: Hansel And Gretel

Reviewing the Hansel And Gretel from Goose Island Brewing Company out of Chicago, Illinois. This beer was the highlight of the Thanksgiving-themed ales they brewed for the festival.
Score: 93

Tap pour served in a FOBAB taster glass and enjoyed at FOBAB on 11/17/12. Review is from iPhone notes.

Appearance: Deep mahogany in color with ruby transparencies. Served with a thin layer of tan head. Good lacing and retention. 4/5

Smell: Cinnamon, gingerbread and sugar cookies. Christmas spices and cocoa too. 4.5/5

Taste: Tastes just like it smells! Cinnamon and gingerbread cookies. Less cocoa on the palate than in the nose. Slight prickly Christmas spice kick in finish. 4.5/5

Mouthfeel: The mouthfeel is this beer's one weakness. Medium-light bodied, low carbonation. The beer is frankly "waterier" than desired. Slightly sweet, mildly sticky. 3.5/5

Overall: This was one of my favorite "new" beers at FOBAB, and it is one of the few beers that I went back for seconds (and thirds) of at the festival! It tasted just like a Gingerbread cookie, with added flavor complexities. Yum! Another hit from Goose Island's experimental brews.

Recommendation: If you ever see this on tap, pounce!

Pairings: Gingerbread cookies.

Cost: N/A

Beer Review: Three Hour Tour

Reviewing the coveted Three Hour Tour from the infamous Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery. This coconut milk stout is released once a year, and is rated as one of the top milk stouts in the world. 
Score: 94

"Pre-filled" growler from 10/27/12 (Darkness Day) kept in a fridge at 30 degrees to hold over for FOBAB-eve. Served Tyranena snifter and enjoyed on 11/16/12.

Appearance: Pours a black coffee color that's largely opaque with only a paper thin stripe of caramel brown highlight layering atop the top of the glass when held up to light. Poured a half-finger layer of dark tan, almost brownish head that settles to a ring around the glass. Really good lacing, average retention, some cling. 4.5/5

Smell: A huge wave of coconut hits you upfront. Then creamy milk chocolate, sweet milky lactose that reminds me of dulche de leche, light vanilla and a faint amount of coffee towards the end. There's something else really distinctive about the aroma that I cannot put my finger on at first, at until I glanced at prior reviews on Beer Advocate to try and figure out what it was. It's suntan lotion! Like a coconut butter suntan lotion. Not in a bad way at all. Very pleasant, in fact. Basically, this smells like a Mounds bar with a slight coffee and suntan lotion twist. Incredibly unique, incredibly appealing. 5/5

Taste: More milk chocolate and vanilla, but less coconut, on the palate than in the nose. Still very balanced, with an excellent medley of flavor. Upfront is a milk chocolate "brown ale" like flavor, though the "brown ale"-like flavors are pretty subtle and complementary. Hint of hazelnut, sweet caramel, a little coffee and a touch of toffee. Then smooth, milky coconut flavor coats the midpalate with a light vanilla creamer twist. Finishes with a coffee and coconut flavor with a faint touch of hoppiness towards the finish. The nose was better, but the taste is still delicious. I have frankly never had a beer like this before. It's like a milk stout/brown ale hybrid with coconut added. 4/5

Mouthfeel: Medium-light bodied, low carbonation. In terms of viscosity, this is frankly waterier and substantially less creamy than hoped for or expected. The mouthfeel and viscosity reminds me a lot of Stone's vanilla porter. As it warms up and layers, the beer seemingly gets a little "thicker," but still does not come close to the level of viscosity this beer should otherwise demand. Finishes moderately dry, slightly sweet. 3/5

Overall: An amazing beer that is slightly marred by what I believe to be too thin a mouthfeel for it's bold and innovative flavors. This growler held up surprisingly well; my pour was just as good as the sample I had at the brewpub following Darkness Day. This is a beer that was well worth seeking out.

Recommendation: Hunt this one down if you get the chance. This is a limited tap-only beer that is sold in limited quantities of "pre-filled" growlers once a year, so you'll likely have to wait until late 2013 to get a shot at this one if you live outside Minneapolis.

Pairings: Mounds bars. Seriously.

Cost: $18 for a 64 oz growler.

Beer Review: Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout

Reviewing the Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout from The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery out of North Carolina. I have been wanting to try some of their brews for a long time. In particular, I am still seeking a bottle of their Duck-Rabbit Rabbit Duck Russian Imperial Stout.
Score: 82

This beer was recently received as an extra in a trade. The "enjoy by" tab is notched for February 2012. Served in a Dogfish Head snifter and enjoyed on 03/02/12.

Appearance: Pours a jet black color. Totally opaque save for a super thin brown highlight atop the glass. Three full fingers of foamy mocha head at pour gradually settles into a third of a finger of creamy "whipped cream-like" mocha head. Average lacing, above average retention. 4/5

Smell: Chocolate malt, pear roasted barley, toasted oats, creamy oatmeal, used coffee filter, and a little bit of whole milk. Smells primarily like a dark Munich lager mixed with creamy oatmeal stout characteristics. Very grain-forward; too much so for a stout. 3/5

Taste: Super creamy milk chocolate throughout, which decreases in relative presence as the beer warms and layers. Bitter grain, a touch of spice, and barley malt upfront and on the midpalate. A subtle bitterness lingers throughout the whole beer. Roasted chocolate malt and a hint of oat towards the back half. The barley grain and roasted chocolate malt flavors seem to grow as the beer layers. Tastes better than it smells, but this beer is still nothing special on the palate. Milk stouts tend to be a weaker style of beer in my experience. This is not a bad brew for the style, however. Certainly a huge upgrade over the Left Hand Milk Stout. 3.5/5

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, low-plus carbonation. Creamy mouthfeel. Dry, slightly bitter finish. 3.5/5

Overall: A solid beer for the style that is certainly well brewed with a certain mass-appeal quality with respect to its flavors, but Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout is nothing stand out overall. I would drink this again if offered a bottle, but I would not buy it again on my own initiative unless it was the best available beer at the bar.

Recommendation: Fans of lighter stouts, Guinness and milk stouts generally should seek this beer out. Worth trying if given the opportunity, but definitely not worth seeking out.

Pairings: Reuben sandwich on rye bread.

Cost: $8.99 for a six pack.

Beer Review: Left Hand Milk Stout

Reviewing the Left Hand Milk Stout from Left Hand Brewing Company.
Score: 71

2011 vintage bottle poured in a wine goblet.

Appearance: Pours a dark black color. Opaque with some ruby highlights. Finger of foamy head that completely disappears. Below average lacing. 2.5/5

Smell: Creamy milk chocolate and roasted cocoa beans. Carrots (thought that may be an environmental aroma). Some booziness. 3/5

Taste: Very creamy. Diluted unsweetened chocolate. A little acidic. Guinness-like. Some faint coffee bean finish. 2.5/5

Mouthfeel: Light-medium bodied, medium carbonation. Very watery. Finishes dry and a little bitter. 2/5

Overall: A step up from Guinness, but not a good beer. Too watery and too little flavor.

Recommendation: Casual beer drinkers will enjoy, but seasoned beer lovers can skip this brew.

Pairings: Whatever Guinness pairs with.

Cost: $2.50 for a single 12 oz beer, or $10.99 for a six pack.