Aloha fellow beerists! 'Tis Ben again, this time with a super stout to shout about.
As with most of my reviews, they have a little backstory to give you a flavour of the wild things that happen in my life, be it gardening, napping, repairing things, or napping! But today's review came about because I am feeling sorry for myself. In my first Man Vs Fat football match (pre-season match as well), the first football I've played properly for probably 5-10 years, I have managed to pop some ribs, or bruise everything around my lungs, meaning I could not go to this weeks pre season matches as breathing is hard. Fortunately, drinking does not hurt! So I did that instead.
Today's beer is A Chocolate Story by Brew York in colab. with York Chocolate Story. This is the first brew I've had where the colab hasn't been between two breweries. What next? Brew Dog and Malpass for a meat stout? Maybe.
This review takes place over two parts: part 1 where the beer is quite warm. Part 2 the can has cooled in the fridge- keep that in mind.
Smell: Up me hooter there is an overpowering coffee smell, mixed with a metallic twang. Chocolate does try and push through, but it is coffee and tin that are first detected here.
To taste this is a REALLY sweet stout - it is super creamy tasting with hardly any bitterness. The chocolate that comes through is different to any other chocolate stout I've had before as it is more milk chocolatey than the bitter chocolate that is often associated with chocolate stouts, and can really unpick the chocolate here - obviously the real chocolate that was put in is doing its job, as mentioned on the can!
(part 2) As it is only a 4.8% it doesn't quite have the reach of other, slightly stronger stouts, and there are some 'dead spots' where it is fairly watery - odd as the middle experience of this beer is full and creamy - again lactose doing its job. Another stout I have had recently, Barneys Marshmallow Milk Stout does the full mouthfeel perfectly, and I now use this as a benchmark for mouthfeelyness. Even though it may sound like I am whinging about the strength and wateriness, actually it makes for a really easy to drink stout - a session stout? Is there such a thing?! Anyway, 10 minutes in the fridge has helped the carbonation somehow, which has allowed my mouth to wake up and find some bitterness to balance this mega sweet beer.
This is an odd beer to review, as I could drink it all day, but it isn't very memorable. It doesn't have the range of the other stouts I've had recently, but also doesn't have any off flavours, just lack of mouthfeel and a metallic smell.
A good job, but 0.5% more alcohol could help this beer I think.
6/10.
Cheers,
-Ben.