Samuel Adams Cream Stout - Boston Beer Company, Boston

Sam Adams Cream Stout is one of those beers I've passed by a thousand times and never thought to pick up. I finally grabbed a bottle to give a formal review. For some reason it never occurred to me that this is a Milk Stout... I mean, it doesn't say Milk Stout on the label but I never put much thought into what a Cream Stout really is, but it made sense as soon as I took a sip of this beer. Though Sam Adams' Cream Stout doesn't taste quite as creamy as I like my Milk Stouts to be, it's still a solid beer. Maybe that's why they decided to call this beer a Cream Stout and not a Milk Stout... either way, it's definitely more Stout than cream.

Sam Adams Cream Stout doesn't have a very strong aroma, but it's pleasing nonetheless. There are subtle hints of sweet cream and roasted malt, but neither will be noticeable if you've got anything pungent in the vicinity of your glass. The flavor of this beer is much more obvious, though everything is pretty well balanced. The most noticeable flavor here is the malt which tastes lightly roasted and not too dark. Any bitterness in this beer is mellowed out by the creamy milk component.

I liked this beer, but only as a standard Stout. I don't think there is quite enough of that milky, creamy sweetness to justify pushing this beer as anything other than a slightly milder Stout. If you like Stouts then you'll like this beer. If you want a good Milk Stout though, you should look elsewhere.