- Mike Riedel
Offset - Drawn To The Dark (Coffee Milk Stout): It pours an opaque black-brown color, including some ruby-red tinges around the edge when held to a light. The head is appropriate, even though I made no attempt to be gentle when pouring—about two-and-a-half fingers thick and beige in color, with little capacity for retention. A collar of bubbly froth survives, along with some scant lace; I like the look of the bronze lacing. Hints of toffee and milk sugar come through on the nose, with prominent notes of roasted malt, cappuccino, cocoa, vanilla, woodsmoke and coffee grounds. As a coffee-lover, I'm really looking forward to getting into this.
It's well-balanced, featuring a moderately rich flavor with very slight notes of treacle and lactose sweetness, soon giving way to the roasted malt and coffee. There's kind of a mocha vibe to it—black, dark-roasted coffee beans and some subtle cocoa bean flavors, with the roastiness increasing as you approach the finish. Light chocolate and roasted coffee bean bitterness appears on the back end, hanging on for a bittersweet aftertaste that persists. This milk stout's strongest attribute is probably the great use of coffee from Idle Hands Roasting Company—medium-bodied, with a silky-smooth, luxurious feel on the palate. Carbonation levels are fairly low, emphasizing its softness and giving it excellent drinkability.
Verdict: Offset's Coffee Milk Stout is pretty good, and the balance between its milk sugar sweetness, roasted malts and coffee flavors is actually quite admirable. I'd chalk up my enthusiasm for this beer to personal taste, though. If you like milk stouts or coffee beers, this one should be up your alley. I found the 6.0 percent ABV to be spot-on, tying it all together nicely.
Beer Zombies - Hazeoleum: This new Hazy IPA has an outstanding appearance for the style. The beer poured a hazy, glowing straw-yellow color, not quite as turbid as your typical Beer Zombies IPA. The body was topped by a fluffy, frothy, two-finger tall, bright white crown that slowly fell to a thin collar. A blanket of craggy lacing coated the glass and lasted until the drink's end.
The aroma was fantastic. Tropical fruits dominated, including loads of ripe guava and mango, plus a big peach candy presence—super-punchy and bold. As the beer sat, dry yeasty notes took over. Later, however, the fruitiness reappeared, with andied orange and tangerine quite noticeable. Some dank, Mosaic hop-like notes appeared toward the drink's end.
The flavor profile was also terrific. Citrus notes dominated, with a huge pithy orange and tangerine presence, medium-sweet but also somewhat pithy and bitter. Pineapple was noticeable in the center, while ruby red grapefruit and yellow grapefruit peel came through on the back end and the finish. The result is a nice balance of fruity sweetness and oily, resiny bitterness.
You also get an amazingly smooth, fluffy mouthfeel, medium-to-light-bodied for the style. The liquid contained a soft, moderate effervescence that blanketed my tongue after every sip, typical for a Zombie brew.
Verdict: Potently hoppy yet incredibly well-balanced, with a lighter body and an impossibly soft and creamy mouthfeel, bright with citrus—it's everything I love most about hoppy ales. I could drink this for days.
In Salt Lake City, you can only snag this hazy at Beer Zombies bar in the Gateway's Hall Pass court. Since it's a bar, you can only enjoy this 7.0 percent beer on-site; you'll have to make a slightly longer trip to Vegas, if you want some for your home fridge. You can find Drawn To The Dark (Coffee Milk Stout) at the source in Park City. I enjoyed a 16-ounce can of it at the Beerhive in SLC. As always, cheers!
