I am a huge fan of chocolate milk and milk shakes. When I was young mammy pig used to go to the same café all the time. I think her dedication to what always seemed like an outdated café was due to a combination of there being no decent cafes in the town and the fact that some of her sisters worked there. Some families have an unwavering support for a particular political party or sports team, mine however was the Sherwood Inn Café. On occasion as a treat we would be allowed to get a Knickerbocker Glory. Looking online at some recipes for this ridiculously sounding dessert I notice that a lot of fresh fruit is called for. However, I have no memory of any fruit. What we got was basically a load of ice-cream and syrup sauces in a tall glass with maybe a few chopped nuts with a cherry on top. My god it was heaven. My favourite part was always the last third which had melted into a drinkable milkshake. As a teenager it was McDonald’s milkshakes and Eddie Rocket’s malts but never the fake tasting Yazoo. In our early twenties Miss Piggy and myself, very originally, spent a few months in Australia which to my joyful surprise is the land of all things milky chocolatey goodness. Everywhere you go there is milkshakes, iced chocolates and chocolate milk. My breakfast every morning included a carton of Big M and then throughout the day many other litres of milky goodness was consumed. These months left me with a paunch that I have yet to conquer.

So when I saw a chocolate milk stout called Buried at Sea from Galway Bay Brewery I had no choice. Galway Bay to my mind is one of the most ambitious breweries in Ireland. Not only are their beers, or at least the ones I have tried, very tasty they have also gone from owning one pub in Galway to have two in Galway and six in Dublin! If I lived in either place I might not be as positive because it could feel like they were the Irish Brewdog trying to take over craft beer for themselves. I am wary of big business even ones that start off small. But I don’t live in either place and their ambition is not so strong that they have opened a bar in the real capital, the people’s republic of Cork. So, as it stands I am a fan. I like their ambition, I like their beer and I like their labels. A Well designed label goes a long way in gaining new drinkers particularly as the craft beer sector grows.

Anyways, the beer! It pours black with a decent tanned head. The head almost instantly vanishes without a trace. The aroma is rich and sweet with chocolate, coffee and roasted malt. It is both smooth and full bodied with plenty of dark chocolate. There is a lingering long finish. This is a wonderfully drinkable beer that is smooth, comforting and familiar while still being a bit different. Could I drink a number of these in a row? Probably not but that shouldn’t take away anything from this beer.

1 (Yazoo), 2 (Nestle), 3 (Iced Chocolate), 4(Big M), 5 (chocolate malted)

Aroma: 4/5

Taste: 4/5

Originality: 5/5

Overall: 4/5