Dark Persuasion

Icicle Brewing Company — Leavenworth, WA

22 Dec 2022 · Stephen

Milk Stout Icicle Brewing Company

6.5% ABV

22 IBU

Near black Color

Contributing Factors

Presentation ✓

Character ✓

Experience ✓

Return ✓

4 / 4 I'd order another

Tasting Notes

Appearance Near-black to deep dark brown with ruby highlights when held to light. A creamy tan head that settles to a persistent ring. Looks rich, dark, and exactly as indulgent as the flavor description suggests.

Aroma The German chocolate cake concept announces itself immediately on the pour. Dark chocolate and cacao lead — real, roasted, slightly bitter chocolate rather than sweet milk chocolate. The coconut comes in right behind it, toasted and warm rather than tropical or candy-like. The vanilla adds a soft, creamy sweetness in the background that rounds the whole nose out. The milk sugar sits underneath all of it, giving the aroma a full, rich quality. This smells like dessert — specifically, like a slice of German chocolate cake cooling on a rack.

Palate Creamy, smooth, and medium-full bodied — the milk sugar does crucial work here, giving the mouthfeel a density and smoothness that sets milk stouts apart from dry stouts. The chocolate and cacao carry through the middle alongside the toasted coconut, with the vanilla sweetness coming through on the back half. At 22 IBU the Pahto hop bitterness is gentle — just enough to keep the milk sugar from going cloying — and it's doing exactly what Icicle says it's doing: balancing rather than asserting.

Finish Medium-long, chocolate-sweet, and clean. The coconut and vanilla linger together on the back palate with the roasted malt drying the finish just enough to invite the next sip. No harsh bitterness, no alcohol heat at 6.5%. The finish resolves completely and convincingly as dessert — a no-bake chocolate cake!

The Verdict

Dark Persuasion earns its name and its Silver Community Award. German chocolate cake in a can — coconut, vanilla, cacao, and dark roasted malts delivering exactly what Icicle promises, balanced by Pahto hops and milk sugar into something decadent and remarkably drinkable. A Pacific Northwest milk stout landmark.

— Stephen · Contributing Factor Brewing · 22 Dec 2022