Speakeasy Black Hand Milk Stout

Sorry for the long stretch without a new post. We spent the last 2 weeks in Spain on vacation, and then spent the 2 weeks after that drying out.  I'll post something later about our drinking adventures on vacation. For now, I want to talk about my first drink in 2 weeks (and when was the last time I went that long without a drink?  I think it was probably in 2009 when I was preparing for a martial arts test). I broke my fast with a Speakeasy Black Hand, a milk chocolate stout I picked up at Costco for $4 last weekend.

It pours a very dark, opaque black with just a touch of red at the bottom of the glass. Thin head, just about 1 finger and it disappeared quickly. The nose is dark chocolate with some hard to guess spices in the background. It doesn't really smell like beer. Then the taste is super dark chocolatey. It's pretty good, very smooth. The finish is like a bittersweet chocolate bar. It's a little thinner than I expected with the mouthfeel.

I like sweeter stouts better than dryer ones, but I'm not sure this is an example that really floats my boat. Last year we went to the Speakeasy tap room and tried all 15 beers they had on tap in a sample size, and this was one of them. I think it must be a seasonal release. Speakeasy Prohibition red ale, and Big Daddy and Double Daddy IPAs are easy to find (at least in the Bay Area), and their seasonal Scarlett red rye is one of my husband's favorite beers of all time. They're a great local brewery to visit if you get a chance.