Samuel Adams Cream Stout (4.69% ABV bottle)- Milk/Sweet Stout- Boston Beer Co. (Sam Adams), MA
Grade: B+
Poured from bottle into NERAX imperial pint glass.
Appearence: Nice dark brown, not quite black. 3/4 in. tan head which drops to a thin covering. Good lacing that sticks around to the bottom of the pint.
Smell: Coffee and some very faint chocolate and smoke. Not an overwhelming aroma, but not bad either.
Taste: Coffee and smoked malt are right up front. There’s a touch of chocolate and caramel sweetness in the undertone. A slightly bitter/metallic finish, but it’s not bothersome. Solid, enjoyable taste.
Mouthfeel: Generally good. Not as creamy/rich as many stouts out there, but still has a full enough body to let you know you are drinking a stout. Carbonation felt a little harsh.
Drinkability: With an ABV of under 5% this has session written all over it if you are a fan of the dark.
Notes: This is one of the better “Brewmaster Collection” brews I’ve had from SA. Seems like they do their version of good cop bad cop with that program and unfortunately bad cop tends to show up with a punch in the mouth more often than not. I wish the cream stout had better bar distribution as it would make a great alternative to the usual dry stout triumvirate of Guinness/Murphy’s/Beamish on offer at most places. One can dream, no?