Stone Brewing Company Stone Coffee Milk Stout

__Aroma:__ “The sweet chocolate and strong mint aromas remind me of a Girl Scout Thin Mint cookie with light-to-moderate coffee in the background. Moderate roast sits behind the sweet aroma, with some raisin and plum esters and a touch of bacony phenolics.” __Flavor:__ “So much mint in this. It starts up front with some light sweetness and carries through to the finish, leaving a lingering aftertaste. The bitterness is strong, with some burnt notes, then transitions into a roast character, and finally, light coffee with some nice astringency on the finish.” __Overall:__ “The coffee is decent, but it could use a touch more sweetness or a tad less roast to really balance. Coffee with the mint created a flavor akin to brushing your teeth before taking a swig of coffee.”

**Aroma:** “Pronounced sweetness up front with a touch of roasted malt character. A subtle earthy hops aroma comes through a bit. No fruity esters in the nose. Creamy, roasty, sweet, and dry. Chocolate and hints of coffee.” **Flavor:** “The lactose adds some extra creaminess to the malt sweetness. Lots of coffee in the finish, almost latte-like. A hint of hops spiciness keeps it interesting without overwhelming the lactose. Caramel with a subtle roasted malt character, mostly reminiscent of chocolate. Sweetness is well balanced with enough bitterness from both hops and roast to avoid it becoming cloying.” **Overall:** “A tasty, sweet milk stout that seems to favor hops a bit more than roasted malt character for balancing sweetness. Very tasty and drinkable. This beer manages to keep the focus on the lactose while maintaining a nice complexity.”

**Aroma:** “Strong bold notes espresso roast character up front with a nice creamy-like lactose sweetness and some nice dry chocolate character and coffee. Clean, with very little fruitiness from esters. Some mild earthiness and murkiness as the coffee fades. Some dark chocolate notes.” **Flavor:** “The coffee character continues into the taste with milky lactose sweetness that is nicely balanced with caramel sweetness and roasted character, reminiscent of dark chocolate and espresso. Light tannic astringency in the finish, which helps cut some of the sweet. Aftertaste is chocolaty and smooth. Light earthy hops with just enough bitterness to keep the sweetness in check.” **Overall:** “A very well balanced and very complex, full-bodied stout that is reminiscent of chocolate milk mixed with cold-brewed coffee. I love the rounded lactose character offset by the dark malt bitterness. Roasted malt character is excellent, and sweetness is perfect for the style. I could see myself drinking a lot of this through the fall and winter months.”