Three Floyds Moloko Plus

Brewed by Three Floyds Brewing Company
Style: Sweet Stout
Munster, Indiana USA

Serve in English pint, Shaker

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Thanks to ajm for the bottle! Only the second sweet stout I’ve rated. Pours a glossy black with a very thin, tan head. Thick molasses dominates the nose, with some tootsie-roll chocolate, dulce de leche (that’s appropriate)... really good, creamy chocolate milk. This is interesting stuff. Really not sure what I think of it. I’m so used to Impys that it seems a bit dilute, but it’s certainly flavorful. The mouthfeel is silky smooth, but lacks the carbonation to keep it from feeling flat. Just a bit sour... but it’s the odd "this is a bit off" sour, not a crisp, tart sour. I realize it’s just lactose sugars, but I can’t get my mind off the idea that there’s been milk sitting in here for months, and it’s sort of weirding me out. Crazy brew to try, and I’ll certainly give anything from FFF a shot - but I probably wouldn’t seek out this style again.

My Bottom Line:
This super-sweet Milk Stout offers loads of vanilla, milk chocolate and coconut flavors for a creamy pint of dessert not for the faint of tongue.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A ring of foam tops the brown-tinged black.
-A certain fruitiness is apparent in the nose, akin to maraschino cherries.
-The light carbonation makes the sweetness overshoot its purpose and diminishes drinkability.
-The finish does offer some earthy, almost vegetal hop notes, but the prevalent sweetness tends to wash over them pretty quickly.

Bottle.

Date: February 06, 2009
Mode: Bottle
Source: Footset Foreplay Friday
Appearance: black, wispy tan head
Aroma: sweet and milky chocolate aroma
Body: creamy body
Flavor: sweet roasted malt flavor, bitter dark chocolate adds balance, finishes sweet
Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3.2/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: *4

A fairly solid pour into my 25cl tulip glass yields a two-finger thick, darkly browned, tan colored head that sits on top of a very black colored beer. The darkness is complete as this beer does not pass light even when held up directly to the light. The aroma is dominated by roasted grain character; aromas of French roast coffee beans, well toasted barley husk, blackened whole grain bread, crushed well browned (not quite burnt) crackers and some sweet, burnt caramel notes. Though amply roast focused, the nose keeps from being overly harsh.

This is quite sweet, the lactose really comes through quite strongly; it is a simple sweetness that is a touch too strong for the rest of the beer. Underneath the sweetness is an ample roasted malt character that provides both a touch of burnt acidity as well as a roast-grain bitterness. There is quite a bit of toasted, browned grain character to this beer as well, with notes of browned whole grain crackers and an almost burnt bread crust note. Concentrated, yet smooth, flavors of black coffee are found towards the finish. The body somehow seems lighter than it really is, I think this is a product of the lactose influence somehow as this beer does have some viscosity to it.

Somehow this beer is a bit simplistic. I expect a greater malt complexity in both the flavor and the aroma; in the case of the flavor that lactose seems to drown out a lot of notes that might otherwise be noticeable. Not bad, but a bit bland.

UPDATED: APR 3, 2012 From the 1/2012 3R6P tasting. I was really looking forward to this one, but sadly it really disappointed me - which has been a trend for this brewery of late. +++ Sampled from a 22 oz brown bottle this beer poured a black color with a small tan head that faded quickly and left no lacing. The aroma was toasty vanilla, licorice and sour lactic acid with a touch of wood underneath. The flavor was semi-sweet and very roasty with notes of vanilla, chocolate and lactic acid. The finish was long and lactic. Smooth and fairly full bodied. Disappinting.

UPDATED: AUG 30, 2009 22oz bottle. The last time I had this was the first day the FFF brewpub opened and I recalled liking it a lot. I just missed this on cask at the maproom so I thought I’d pay the ridiculous amount of $8 for a milk stout. I came home and had the place to myself a bit and thought it’d been a while since I’ve seen "A Clockwork Orange" and this was the geekiest time as ever. So I opened this bottled labeled "Moloko Milk Stout" with probably my favorite FFF label to get me sharp and ready for the old ultra-violence. This poured rather heavy, black with tan head that didn’t last long yet eventually formed again nicely. I thought it was a bit strange that no one at the Kovoko milk bar was drinking anything this dark but maybe this was a new brand or something, it smelled of lactose, chocolate, roast, and vanilla. tasted like sweet chocolate, lactose, mild roast, caramel, with a semi-sweet finish. a pretty heavy body with silky mouth feel. even though i felt a triple IPA would have worked a bit better with the film but hell i can’t complain this was Moloko milk (stout)! 3.6.

8/29/09, a full pour at the brewpub listed at 8%abv. this was very slick and sweet, cloyingly slick and sweet. really not very good at all unless you like slick and sweet. 3.2.

On tap at fff. Another treat as this is a limited release. Not my style but enjoyed it nonenthe less

22oz bottle sampled at the DC Local tasting. Pours a light absorbing, opaque black with a ringing tan head. Aroma is toasted breads, nuts, coffee. Flavor of brown sugar, chocolate, sweet cookie dough. Finishes really thick thanks to the lacto.

Bomber- appearance dark cola, thin chocolate milk head. Nose- black licorice, vanilla, stale coffee, bakers chocolate. Taste- very sweet- milk chocolate, brownies, light roast. More one dimensional then the nose let on. Body is not that heavy and has robust carbonation. Not picking up much booze heat, fairly easy drinking although the flavour profile does get tiring.

Bottle from StFun, thanks dude! Poured a deep brown color with a thin beige head that quickly faded to a ring. Aroma of dark chocolate, light coffee, lacto, and some oat. Smooth, lightly sweet entry leads into some chocolate malt and a bit of smooth oat with a moderate lacto/milk character. Finishes lightly hoppy. Low carbonation, smooth but a bit thin on the palate. This was very easy drinking, it just seemed a bit boring, and at the price, it isn’t a logical daily drinker. Thanks Josh.