Southern Tier Warlock Cream Stout.

A brand new beer from Southern Tier, Warlock Cream Stout was on tap for fills at the local beer shop, currently only available on draft. Sweet beers are something of ST's signature so I had high hopes for this one. Cracked open on Thanksgiving, it gave a nice, opaque nearly black pour with a rich mocha head. The aroma is very pleasant, rich chocolatey coffee aromas with hints of the dark roasted barley around the edges. This is the kind of beer that really needs the mouthfeel and taste to be in sync, and ST did a pretty good job here. The lactose gives it that silky smooth mouthfeel that well-contains the slightly prickly carbonation. The coffee aroma carries into the taste as well with a decidedly sweet surround.

I definitely enjoyed this beer, but somehow I don't anticipate this carrying over well into the bottle, unfortunately. However, if I see it on tap, it's a definite bet.

• Appearance: Very dark brown, nearly black, opaque. Tan, finger-deep head.
• Smell: Predominantly coffee, slightly wort-y malted barley.
• Taste: Sweet, dark chocolate, coffee, barley.
• Mouthfeel: Silky, light to medium weight. Carb is slightly too acidic but still ok.
• Drinkability and Overall: At aroudn 7%, it's a bit much for a session beer, but it gets along pretty well. It's a nice finishing beer for cooler weather.