McKenzie Black Lab Stout

Brewed by McKenzie Brew House
Style: Sweet Stout
Glen Mills, Pennsylvania USA

Blackish color with medium head. Coffee-chocolate aroma. Roasty, coffee-licorice taste that seems just a bit unbalanced and doesn’t finish all that well. Could have been much better.

Draft at the brewpub, July 2006. A black beer with a brown shine under a brown head. The aroma is sweet malty with strong notes of chocolate, and a light roastd note. The flavor is sweet roasted and very malty with notes of chocolate, leading to a very dry roasted end. A bit thin for the style, but OK.

Stopped by the 2nd brewhouse up in Malvern for the first time as I was passing through for lunch. I had this and another unlisted pale ale (I can’t remember the name or I would add it) and I would say that the two were average craft fare. The stout was nice and easy to drink. Not much in the way of hops and a mild sweet maltiness to it. Definitely made me yurn for the Siberian Night back in the fridge.

Pour is almost black with some ruby highlights and a thin tan head...smell is subtley roasty with cocoa...taste is roasty with cocoa and finishes with a slight coffee flavor...

Another nice and easy to drink stout. This one poured a dark brown color with a nice initial chocolatey tan head that dissipated quickly for a stout. The aroma was mostly chocolate, but not without some coffee. I didn’t get any of the licorice in the flavor, and the chocolate was again stronger than the coffee. Rather sweet and no hops (both of which I kinda like). Mouthfeel was moderate but not as heavy as some stouts. A very drinkable beer, but not outstanding.

Appears a dark black with a mild red tint when held to the light. A fluffy, off white head floats on top and slowly fades out into a a mild collar. Scattered spots of lacing are left around the glass. Smell is of coffee, black patent malts, roasted malts, bitter cocoa, and anise seeds. Taste is of the same aromas without much of else jumping out at me. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, slightly fizzy, and bitter. Not really a knock-your-socks off brew but it’s not bad. It was my drink of choice while hanging out in the Underground Pub nightclub.

Pours a deep black with amber highlihgts and a thin film of a head and some lace. Lightly fruity esters along with roasted barley and chocolate malts, coffee, toffee, and lightly nutty. Moderately sweet flavor backed up by lots of roast and a smooth chocolate finish, but the body is a bit weak and leaves you with a boring aftertaste.

(Draught) Pours a dark brown body with a small off-white head. Aroma of roasted malt and sweet chocolate. Falvor of chocolate, coffee, and licorice.