The Stout
Dark Horse Too Cream Stout
Dark Horse Brewing Co.
Marshall, Michigan, USA
Abv not available from Dark Horse
Beeradvocate reports it as 8%
Fall & Winter Seasonal
Made with milk sugar (lactose)
Thick sediment sits at the bottom of this bottle. For me, I have to stir this up. Make sure to either roll the bottle before opening and/or save an inch of stout at the bottom of the bottle to swirl in the rest of the sediment.
Appearance: black body with a very thin dark roasted tan head (1/2 finger). Swirling the glass you can see the viscosity of this stout. It looks like maple syrup dripping down the glass with each swirl. This also kicks the head up a bit as well as the aroma.
Aroma: deep roasted malts and grains, roasted cocoa beans,
Flavors: delicious roasted malts, to me it has the right amount of sweetness from the milk sugar, 90% dark chocolate bitter bite at the finish
Mouthfeel: nice creamy texture, the sweetness hits my palate on the delivery and travels up the middle of the tongue and then the bitter notes fold around it from the side, not as syrupy as I thought it was going to be, dark chocolate bitterness on the finish and aftertaste, smooth texture
My Strength Rating: 7.5 – medium-full – the smooth style keeps me from calling it full
To the Point: a good to very good Cream Stout. I personally like the dark roasted notes. While, I personally don’t think of this as complex I do think of it as having a very good personality.
The Cigar
La Casita Criolla Corona Gorda
100% Connecticut Broadleaf Tobacco
An American Puro – Really
But, assembled in Nicaragua
Size: 5-5/8 x 46
HCBC Corano Gorda
I had another cigar planned for this stout but, after tasting and enjoy the stout I am going to go to this cigar. I think it should pair up very well. The other cigar I think would have been too spicy.
I am looking forward to smoking this stick. I had one the other night on a full palate and it was delicious. Nice coffee and dark chocolate tones, from what I remember. Well, let’s see what I remember.
Off the Light: burnt wood and leafs. Maybe I left the lighter flame on the foot a touch too long. I am use to bigger ring gauges than this little 46. After a few puffs and a sip or two of my stout the taste is returning. I don’t remember the last time I ever over torched my cigar on the light. Nice roasted coffee bean, a tasty sweet alder wood tone,
Late in the first half it has a bit of a nutty quality, almost walnut meat like or walnut shell, there is also a chocolate note showing up that reminds me of a semi-sweet chocolate.
Nice tight gray ash. The burn has been perfect. Ample smoke from this little baby. My strength rating for the first half: 5.5 – medium.
The Pairing: the roasted coffee bean, alder wood like note and semi-sweet chocolate of the cigar comingles with the stouts deep roasted tones, bitter chocolate and milk sugars for a wonderful medium-full pairing.
Second Half: the roasted coffee bean continues, the wood like tone is reminding me of a hardwood maybe a cedar tone, I am not picking up any nutty notes at this point, and the chocolate is more of a dark chocolate bite. The strength rating is right around a 5.5/6.
The Pairing: the Too Cream Stout is refreshing to drink after a few puffs of the cigar. I think it is that creamy mouthfeel of the stout that helps with that. It does leave a good bitter coffee note on the aftertaste.
Here are my football picks for today. New England over Baltimore in a tight game. I like both these teams so, if Baltimore wins I am alright with that. For the second game today; I hate both these teams but, I'll go with San Fran with an easy victory over New York Giants. Please no victory for New York.
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