Style: Stout
Pairs well with a story driven game to get heavily invested in.
Welcome to another craft beer review for Games And A Glass! This week I am reviewing a beer from Southern Tier Brewing Company, located in Lakewood, New York. The beer for this week will be their Nitro Chocolate Milkshake Stout, an imperial milk stout that’s part of their Blackwater Series. But of course, before going into the review, let’s talk about Southern Tier Brewing Company.
Their site details the history of two friends looking to revive small-batch brewing. The full excerpt is there, but I’ll keep it short and sweet.
“Founders Phineas DeMink and Allen “Skip” Yahn started the brewery with the vision of reviving the practice of small-batch brewing to a region rich in brewing tradition. In 2002, with equipment gained from the purchase of the Old Saddleback Brewing Co. in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, the Southern Tier Brewing Company began production in the woods just outside of Lakewood, New York.
In 2016, we opened our distillery, broke ground on our first satellite brewing facility, and announced our partnership with Victory Brewing Company. Two new 30BBL fermenters arrived, along with our 2-barrel nano-brewhouse. We began testing batches of new and exciting brews late in the year, and you can usually find one of our latest small-batch brews on tap at our Empty Pint or the Brewhouse Tasting Room. Speaking of the bar, we raised the bar when we installed a state-of-the-art canning line & began canning some of our most popular ales & lagers. 2016 also saw the evolution of our brand in the form of updated product packaging (including the launch of a new can series), as well as updated logo for the brewery. We rounded out a busy year by improving our Quality Assurance with a new automatic fill-level check from Filtec and implemented new programs in Safety as well as Food Safety. Last, but not least, we updated our computer tech in our cellar and we installed a new automatic palletizer to keep packaging running smoothly.”
Southern Tier’s mainstays include their Nu Juice IPA, Old Man Winter Ale and 8 Days A Week blonde ale. Their more limited releases include the Pumking imperial ale, 3X IPA and the Cinnamon Roll ale.
Their description for the chocolate milkshake reads, “Ale brewed with chocolate, sea salt, vanilla beans and with chocolate & vanilla flavors added.”
And now onto my thoughts!
Nose: Right on the nose, I get an intense whiff of chocolate. It smells just like a chocolate milkshake. On top of that, there’s a hint of vanilla underneath that provides a nice nuance to this beer’s aroma. It’s sweet, and I’m incredibly excited for what this beer will taste like. That chocolate helps the beer’s pleasant aroma and it’s a good start for what this beer could be.
Palate: The beer is very creamy and sweet. While more subtle than I expected, I can definitely get the chocolate on the tongue. It’s rich and tasty when it’s there, but again it’s not as present as I’d hoped. The vanilla sneaks its way into the taste as well and I like the combination of flavors going on here. The sweetness of the beer and its creaminess help present a tasty beer that, as advertised, tastes like a chocolate milkshake.
Overall: I really like this beer! Like a milkshake, this beer is rich, creamy and sweet. You definitely notice the chocolate in its aroma and flavor, and the vanilla is more faint but provides a nice feature. For me, it would be a really nice dessert beer, especially in the winter. At 10 percent ABV one is plenty enough for an evening. If you’re a fan of stouts, I’d happily recommend this beer!
I’d like to thank you for reading my craft beer review. If there’s ever a craft beer you’d recommend I try and/or review, please let me know and I will try, to the best of my ability, to acquire it! And remember, like a fine alcoholic beverage or a memorable video game, please enjoy in moderation.
While you’re here, feel free to check out The Spirit Shop NJ on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! Located in Cherry Hill, New Jersey and where I currently work, we have dozens of craft beers with new ones coming in weekly! Check us out!
Video Games | Craft Beer | Liquor 