The 2-4 Beers of Christmas 2019 Day: 19 Aurora Heart Chocolate Raspberry Stout

Beer # 519 Aurora Heart Chocolate Raspberry Stout

Brewery: Flying Monkeys Brewing Company


Type: Independent Microbrewery    Est.:  2004

Location: Barrie, Ontario, Canada

Beer Style: Flavoured Milk Stout

ABV: 7.1%      IBU: N/A

Forma: Brown Glass Bottle  Size: 473 ml

Cost: $4.95 CAD     Purchased At: LCBO

theflyingmonkeys

    @flyingmonkeys

I haven't done too many Flying Monkey's beers, and honestly, I don't know why that is. Their beers are more often than not quite good, and checking out the incredible boxes and stories on their packaging is as much as a treat as the beer itself.

Tonight's beer is Aurora Heart a Flavoured milk stout loaded with chocolate and raspberries.

Onto our beer...

Pours a translucent dark chocolate brown with an off-tan head made of small bubbles. The aroma is deep and rich chocolate with hints of sweet milk. Raspberries smell fresh and ripe. The first sip is dessert in a glass. Framboise truffles filled with unctuous ganache. Chocolate syrup and whisky round out the major flavours. Aeration brings out the super-ripe raspberries and cream.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


Cost: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Colour: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Beer Style: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Re-Order:  6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Experience: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Christmas Cheer 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL


Final Thoughts:


Fantastic beer! It really makes me think of a raspberry chocolate truffle. So much so I had to make some raspberry truffles for Christmas. Perfect for the holidays or Tuesdays... you should pick one up.

Cheers

CJT

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The 2-4 Beers of Christmas 2019 Day: 18 Peanut Butter Shake Stout

Beer # 518 Peanut Butter Shake Stout


Brewery: Whitewater Brewing Company


Type: Independent Microbrewery    Est.:  2015

Location: Forrester's Falls, Ontario, Canada

Beer Style: Flavoured Milk Stout

ABV: 4.5%      IBU: 30

Format: Aluminium Can  Size: 473 ml

Cost: $3.75 CAD     Purchased At: LCBO

whitewaterbrewingco

    @Whitewaterbrew

Another beer by Whitewater makes the list this year. This sweet milk stout is loaded with peanut butter extract and a hit of lactose to emulate a chocolaty peanut butter milkshake. Let's see how they did.

Onto our beer...

Pours a dark brown almost black with a tan head made up of small bubbles. The aroma is Frangelico or toasted hazelnuts, with some roasted peanuts in the background. The first sip is all peanut butter cookie. Peanut extract is used in this beer and it is quite evident, as the peanut taste is syrupy, sweet and almost chemical. Wheat and oat malts give the beer it's cookie flavour while some lactose adds in a creamy "milkshake" feel. Aeration ramps up the peanut extract and reminds me of Halloween candy kisses (Molasses caramels) that everyone leaves right till the end because you are afraid they are going to rip your teeth out.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


Cost: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Colour: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Beer Style: 5/6 PASS
Re-Order:  4/6 PASS
Experience: 5/6 PASS
Christmas Cheer 5/6 PASS


Final Thoughts:

It needed a bit more creaminess, and I wish there was a way they could have accomplished the flavour without extracts, but this beer is good. Takes a bit of a hit on the re-order scale because of the extract, but I certainly wouldn't turn this beer down if it was free. How do you feel about extracts? Are they cheating? or are you fine with them? I just don't appreciate the chemical taste. Try one and see for yourself.


Cheers

CJT

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The 2-4 Beers of Christmas Day 4: Raspberry Coco Lait

Beer # 394 Raspbeery Coco Lait
Moonlight Kettle Series

Brewery: Muskoka Brewery

Type: Independent MicroBrewery    Est.:  1996

Location: Bracebridge, Ontario, Canada

Beer Style: Flavoured Milk Stout

ABV: 4.5%      IBU: 25

Format: Aluminum Can  Size: 473 ml

Cost: $3.25 CAD     Purchased At: The Brewery

MuskokaBrewery

    @MuskokaBrewery

Back with another Moonlight Kettle series. This one was actually February's release, but I believe this was a re-issue for the holiday season. (I could be wrong). Milk stouts are wonderful. I keep forgetting how much I love them and I wish there were more on the market. For those of you who do not know what it is. A milk stout has had Lactose added to the brew for a hint of creamy sweetness. Tonight's beer has also has cocoa and raspberries added to it to give it a chocolaty-raspberry milkshake kind of feel. 

Ok... I'm sold. Let's try this

Pours a deep chestnut brown with a fluffy tan head made up of small bubbles. Aroma is chocolate raspberries a touch of smoke and dark caramel. Hints of earthy dark malts mingle with touches of wood. First sip is sweet and warming raspberry dripping in chocolate. Lips are left sticky from the lactose, hints of coffee and caramel and a nice earthy finish. Aeration brings out some caramelization, notes of toast and smoky malt.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 



Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 5/6 PASS
Re-Order:  5/6 PASS
Experience: 5/6 PASS
Christmas Cheer 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL


Final Thoughts:

Great beer. An excellent example of a well-rounded milk stout. very flavourful and very Christmassy. These are still available at the Brewery.

CJT

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The 2-4 Beers of Christmas Day 3: Midnight Kissed My Cow Big Rig Brewery and Kitchen

Beer # 302 Midnight Kissed my cow

Brewery: Big Rig Brewery and Kitchen

Type: Independent Microbrewery and Brewpub     Est.: 2012

Location: Ottawa/Kanata, Ontario, Canada

Beer Style: Flavoured Milk Stout

ABV: 5.6%      IBU: 14

Format: Aluminium Can  Size: 473 ml

Cost: $2.95 CAD     Purchased At: LCBO

Twitter: @BigRigBrewery


Haven't had a Big Rig beer for quite some time and this one looked like a lot of fun in the store. I really do enjoy good labelling and beer is supposed to be about fun, so why have boring packaging? I love stouts especially complex ones. I really do enjoy sitting and letting a deep flavourful beer wash over my tongue and tell me a story through its flavours. Milk stouts a wonderful in the fact that they add another dimension to the brew. By the addition of lactose or milk sugar the brewer can achieve a roundness, a creaminess, a subtle sweetness, that complements the darker malts, roasted coffee, and chocolate notes. Needless to say I drink all of these I can while they are around.

Let's try one now...

Pours an inky dark brown with a fluffy tan head made up of small bubbles. Aroma is fresh roasted coffee and chocolate and some minute hints of wood. First sip is very creamy, tastes like a milk chocolate bar. Body is quite light even with the creamy mouthfeel. Hints of fruity hops and some dried berries underlie the main coffee/chocolate extravaganza. The texture is soft and inviting like a good milk stout should be. Finish is coffee and chocolate with lingering notes of milk sugars and cream. Aeration brings out some raisin, some whiskey, tangy hops and touches of sour cream. The lips are left a little sticky. The final notes remind me of Vietnamese coffee with sweetened condensed milk.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


Cost: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Colour: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Beer Style: 5/6 PASS
Re-Order:  5/6  PASS
Experience: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Christmas Cheer: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL

Final Thoughts:

This beer was almost a perfect score. I loved this beer. there was only one thing I felt detracted from the final tally. As the beer warmed I got a touch of sour cream, it snapped me out of my reverie and took away from the flavours. Other than that this beer is amazing, lovely mix of flavours, judicious use of cocoa and lactose. A good all around product that is perfect for a winter's night. Definitely a must have for this Christmas season, put one in your stocking while you still can.
Cheers

CJT

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Beer # 194 The Chocolate Manifesto Flying Monkeys

The Chocolate Manifesto Triple Chocolate Milk Stout

Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery

Barrie, Ontario, Canada
Independent
Flavoured Milk Stout 10.0% ABV Brown Glass Bottle 750 ml.
$10.40 (Canadian) At the Brewery

Twitter: @FlyingMonkeys

Ever entertaining, The Flying Monkeys are always good for some quirky humour especially when it comes to their packaging. Sadly it will be hard to read in the above pictures (Dammit Jim I'm a farm boy... not a photographer...) But suffice it to say there is some interesting reading on the box. Chock full of sage advice, off-beat humour, good tasting notes and a pretty intensive description of the making of this beer, the box has a lot to offer... And we haven't even made it into the beer yet! 

The chocolate for this beer was provided by Chocosol Traders Twitter here. They are a fascinating chocolate trader and purveyor who just made my list of places to visit on my next trip to Toronto. The chocolate that went into this brew was shade grown cocoa nibs, whole roasted cocoa powder, and chocolate malt. Hence the triple chocolate. What we are left with is an intense celebration of chocolate and beer.

Well I'm excited... Let's taste...

Pours very dark brown almost black with a good sized chocolate brown head made up of small bubbles. Aroma is chocolate liquor, sweetness, and a hint of cocoa powder. First sip makes me think I'm drinking an alcoholic chocolate bar. When they said triple chocolate they were not joking. Sweet and creamy gives way to dark chocolate, a roasty, toasty, boozy, chocolate sauce. Finish is very milky with that lingering sweetness of a cold glass of chocolate milk. Aeration gives us dark bitter chocolate and tobacco.

 Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 

Cost: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Colour: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Beer Style: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Re-Order:  6/6 EXCEPTIONAL 
Experience:  6/6 EXCEPTIONAL


Final Thoughts:

This is the best example of a chocolate milk stout I have tried. Period. The Chocolate flavour is well rounded and all encompassing. Strong but supple. The alcohol is very present... I was aware of the full 10 % but it seemed to be mitigated by the creamy chocolate deliciousness. At points in the beer I felt like it was a chocolate cocktail, reminiscent of creme de cocoa. There are a few of these left around... if you can find them grab them and drink them. I do believe they have stopped production of this beer. Hopefully not for long...


Cheers


CJT

P.S. I feel like I need to say chocolate a few more times... 


chocolate chocolate chocolate...

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Beer # 193 Mackeson Milk Stout

Mackeson XXX Milk Stout

Carib Brewery

Champs Fleurs, Trinidad and Tobago
Licensed by Carib Brewery
Milk Stout 4.9% Brown Glass Bottle 330ml.
$2.22 (Canadian) At the LCBO

Twitter: @MackesonStout


Mackeson has a long history. It has its origins at a brewery in Hythe, Kent... well I can't say it any better than Wikipeadia...

The beer was originally brewed in Hythe, Kent, by Mackeson's Brewery in 1907. Whitbread acquired the brand in the 1929 and gave it national distribution, eventually turning it into the market leader for milk stout.[2] Brewing discontinued after 1968 at the Hythe plant.[3] The beer was then brewed at the Exchange Brewery in Sheffield. When that was closed in 1993, Whitbread moved production to their Castle Eden and Samlesbury plants. From May 1999, production was contracted out to Young's Brewery of Wandsworth.[2] Whitbread was purchased in 2001 by InBev. Production was then moved toCameron's Brewery of Hartlepool before moving to Hydes Brewery in Manchester until March 2012.

-- Wikipeadia : Mackeson Stout

So you can see the beer has got around a bit. And actually a bit more. The version I'm tasting tonight... is brewed in Trinidad. There it is brewed by the Carib Brewery and is quite popular. They also export it to Hong Kong and the USA. Their slogan there is "Take it to the max."

So let's take it to the max... Onto the tasting...


Pours a deep dark black/brown With a large fluffy milk chocolate coloured head made up of small bubbles. Sweet malted grain and molasses are on the nose with a light hint of coffee, yeast and spent grain. First sip is sweet and creamy, heady malts, turbinado sugar and some light molasses. There is a light nuttiness to the beer as well as a creaminess that coats the lips and tongue. Slight burnt coffee bitterness to the finish with some bruleed sugars. Aeration brings out some of the milk flavours and accentuates the bitter finish.


Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 

Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS 
Beer Style: 4/6 PASS 
Re-Order:  4/6 PASS 
Experience:  4/6 PASS


Final Thoughts:

An average milk stout, good  enough to try for yourself. Just not a stand out in my books.


Cheers


CJT



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Beer # 123 The Tom Green Beer! Beau's All Natural Brewing Company

The Tom Green Beer! Milk Stout

Beau's All Natural Brewing Company

Vankleek Hill, Ontario, Canada
Independent
Milk Stout 5.0 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 600 ml
$4.85 (Canadian) At LCBO 
Twitter: @Beausallnatural

Back to one of the hardest working breweries in all of Ontario. Beau's All Natural's brewing stable looks like a catalogue. They produce so many seasonals, one offs, and collaborations, I believe they must stay up nights trying to figure out how to stay up more nights so they can brew more beer. Tonight's beer is a type of collaboration, one that has gained a lot of popularity lately: The Celebrity Collab. Barrie's Flying Monkey's did it with the Bare Naked Ladies (Band) and City and Colour (Dallas Green's Band). Muskoka Brewery has an upcoming Collab with Dara Howell (Canadian Gold medal winning freestyle skier from Huntsville, Ontario) (P.S. it's called Snowy Howell and I will be tasting it as soon as I can get one in my hot little hands!! Stay tuned in June!) Anyway for my readers outside of Ontario who may be unfamiliar with Mr. Tom Green he is a stand up comedian, actor, director, and rap star most notable for his own TV show on MTV "the Tom Green Show," his short marriage to star Drew Barrymore, and a bout with testicular cancer which he had documented and shown on TV. He is also starring in the upcoming "Trailer Park Boys" movie sequel "Don't Legalize it." Which may or may not have something to do with Marijuana. For more information on his work go here.

Enough shock comedy already... onto the tasting:

Pours very dark brown with a slight hint of copper around the edges. The ample dark tan head is made up of small to large bubbles and is short lived. Aroma is is smoke, charcoal, wood, and chocolate malt.Initially sweet on the palate, notes of smoky chocolate rise up in the attack. Mouthfeel is creamy like chocolate milk. Sweetness gives way to smouldering chocolate, and dark malts with the tiniest hint of bitterness. Aeration is milky and sweet, finish is woody and slightly toasted.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 5/6 PASS
Re-Order:  5/6 PASS
Experience:  5/6 PASS


Final Thoughts:

I have never been a Tom Green fan, or a fan of the Shock-Comedy Genre that he helped to create. In fact, the only way Freddie got Fingered, would ever be slipped into my Blu-ray player is if Tom Green himself was holding me at gunpoint, and even then it would require serious thought. However, I am, now, a fan of his namesake beer. The milk stout is an underutilised style in North America. It is sweet, refreshing, sustaining, satiating, an all around delicious beer. And this beer delivers on all points. I may never watch his movies, but I will drink this beer again... and so should you.

CJT


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