Night Shift Bennington

The Stats
Style: Oatmeal Stout
ABV: 7%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.16/5
- Untappd: 4.04/5
- RateBeer: 3.77/5

"Oatmeal stout with Dutch-processed cocoa and maple syrup."

Sits black in the glass with just the slightest hue of ruby red on the edges and a less than a finger of almond-colored head.

Cocoa powder is big on the aroma as is Hershey's syrup and dark coffee. A kick of sugary sweetness represents the maple syrup and this finishes up with chocolate milk.

A solid coffee ground base sets up the taste and then I am hit with lots of milk chocolate and dark chocolate. Some bits of vanilla strengthen the dessert aspects of this beer and I'm getting a tasty iced coffee flavor complete with cream. Much like the aroma, a genuine maple syrup taste isn't exactly present, but it is represented by confectionery sweetness without being too sugary. The finish is all bitter, dark, iced coffee with a residual stickiness from the maple syrup.

Mouthfeel is thick, but not viscous. It has the full body of a stout with minimal carbonation and no trace of alcohol.

Bennington is an excellent dessert beer with enough coffee and chocolate to make your head spin. There's plenty of sugar from the maple syrup, but a bit more genuine maple flavor would have been welcomed. Minor gripe aside, this is a delicious offering from Night Shift perfect for these upcoming colder nights.

Rating
8.6/10