On tap at Ambulance, smooth cask version of frothy full body benefits greatly from toned-down dark-roasted mocha malting and soft-focus charred hop singe. Delicately creamed black chocolate, burnt caramel, dark cocoa and espresso illusions elegantly flutter above molasses-sweetened black cherry, blackberry and boysenberry undertones.

Thin “Southern stout” needs deeper sweet potato penetration for lactic milk-sugared dark chocolate malting. Wood-charred nuttiness, raw molasses bittering, Baker’s chocolate chalking, candied yam hesitance and dark-roasted ground coffee snip lose out to ashen chicory acridity. Sour-creamed mocha finish dissolves quickly.

Reliable dark chocolate creaming and molasses-sapped cookie dough sinew anchor full-bodied mocha dessert treat. Chocolate truffle, chocolate cake, dark toffee and vanilla sweetness contrasts moderated oats-charred hop bittering. Butternut, pecan and praline nuttiness stays far below.

Baffling full-bodied cream stout never fully defined. Oily hop-charred bittering ransacks dark-roasted brown chocolate sweetness and lactic milk sugaring. Muddled stove-burnt coffee, Baker’s chocolate, cocoa powder, bruised black cherry, bourbon and anise undertones never penetrate the dirty mocha surface.

Composed mahogany-hued dank-scented cream stout consumed by soft-watered chocolate-roasted barleymalts. Though not as creamy as outstanding high-level competition, bitter cocoa and rich hazelnut fulfill desired milder template.

All St. Peter’s brews bought in unusual small-neck flask-shaped green pint bottles. As best of the bunch, this robust midnight black stout juxtaposes smoked peat, charred oats, burnt toast, and soy milk against lactic sweet chocolate thrust. Silken cappuccino finish picks up roasted coffee bean souring and curt chicory penetration as molasses, vanilla, cookie dough, tobacco chew, and anise illusions gain luster alongside cola-walnut coarsening. Tertiary taffy-cocoa twinge bide time. St. Peter himself sips these at the pearly gates of heaven.

Moderately rich mahogany-marooned lactose stout issues creamy coffee froth to chocolate-roasted burnt caramel malting, settling into ashen black tar, charcoal and wood charred bitterness as lacey tan engulfs glass. But foamy carbolic fizz and harsh nutty dryness dissolve mocha banter by irresolute coffee bean finish.

Boisterous coffee bean bitterness overwhelms affable hazelnut-walnut surroundings and ashy cocoa scurry of reliable mahogany body. Maple oats enrich black cherry nuance. Astoundingly thicker and more hop-roasted than greater Rogue Hazelnut Brown Ale.

Polite maple sap scent, rich burgundy palate, brown-sugared cocoa chalking, oncoming prune sourness, and roasted barley thickness consume savory lactose-aided deep brown-hued sipping stout. Some addictive characteristics reminiscent of Watney’s Red Barrel persist: blood-thickened mouthfeel; exquisite hop bouquet; and lusty caramel malts. Sweet milk chocolate creaminess soothes rather than dominates for an exceptional stout so heavily yeast-fermented and viscously full-bodied only the keg version could beat.

Middling dry medium body lacks charisma, determination, and froth of robust category. Bittersweet cola nut, dank chocolate, and raw molasses lose potency by drab roasted coffee finish. Orange peel stint falters.

Frothy jet-black cream stout with scattered bronze lace merges slick chocolate-milked sweetness with vanilla hazelnut coffee romp as hop-toasted charred oats thicken molasses-tarred resolve. Slight astringency blocks resinous raisin-prune subsidy and wispy cherry tartness. Mild black chocolate finish picks up ethereal creaminess. 2017 re-tasting: Creamy dairy-free full body offers ten specialty malts to create caramel-burnt chocolate syruping, maple molasses sugaring and vanilla-spiced nuttiness above ashen dark-roast hop bittering.