Cocow Chocolate & Milk Stout (The Wee Beer Shop @WeeBeerShop) By @SpectreUK

I fancy treating myself tonight. Described as a "rich decadent stout", and with flavours of bitter chocolate, milk sugars, caramel, coffee as well as having a dark chocolate finish, this Cocow Chocolate & Milk Stout sounds like the perfect pudding stout to finish my week after work. I'm also feeling a little better now after three weeks of having the most rotten flu. So I'm hoping I'm finally on the up, and will be back to just the old aches and pains in no time.

At 4.8% in volume this Cocow Chocolate & Milk Stout was produced by Ampersand Brew Company, in Norwich, East of England. Golden Promise, Chocolate, Crystal Light, Crystal Dark and Roasted Barley malts, and also Oat Malt were used in the brewing, as well as Pilgrim hops, cocoa nibs, and lactose. So I'm hoping for a smooth creamy chocolaty pudding stout, a little bitter, and some roasted coffee all to wash down my Chinese takeaway.

I have mentioned a few times in previous blogs that it's the Chinese New Year on the 22nd of January, so what better way to have a good Chinese takeaway, followed by a hearty chocolate pudding stout to finish. On opening the can there was aromas of a deep mix of sweet malts, a little herbal bitterness, and quite a punch of dark chocolate with a touch of roasted coffee. This was quite a difficult stout to pour, even for an ex-barman. The head on this Cocow Chocolate & Milk Stout was super frothy. Once this dark almost black brew had calmed down a bit, I took a sip minding my nose.

There was an intense jumble of sweet malts of so many different varieties washing around my mouth at once, it was like a cacophony of flavours all battling for position on the tip of my tongue. The herbal almost sour bitterness from the hops stopped them all in their malty tracks with a sharp rap on the lectern for their full attention. Then the dark chocolate malt and cocoa nibs, and also added lactose mixed together swirling light roasted coffee, lending sweet and creamy goodness which lulled my senses off into the aftertaste.

This stout reflected my busy week to start with, and cushioned me on velvety pillows into my weekend. Ah, lovely. Happy hoppy New Year of the Rabbit to you all, gong hei fat choy :-)