Beer Tasting - Mill St Cobblestone Stout (13A Dry Stout)

[AngeSponge]

Decided with less than a month before the BJCP exam I should start putting some of these up here, seeing how they compare with others' perceptions. Any/all feedback is appreciated.

Mill St Cobblestone Stout (13A Dry Stout)

Aroma (as appropriate for style) Points out of 12 = 8
Comment on malt, hops, esters, and other aromatics.

-Dark roasted malt aroma, roasty, coffee-like with hints of cocoa. Moderately low notes of diacetyl, butter. No perceivable hop aroma. Slight ester aroma, dried dark fruit (dates, figs).

Appearance (as appropriate for style) Points out of 3 = 3
Comment on color, clarity, and head (retention, color, and texture).

-Dark brown in colour, opaque when light shone through has ruby highlights, persistant light brown head, small tight bubbles from nitro.

Flavor (as appropriate for style) Points out of 20 = 14
Comment on malt, hops, fermentation characteristics, balance, finish/aftertaste, and other flavor characteristics.

-Follows nose, Dark roasted malts, coffee flavour, slight chocolate flavour. Slight dried fruit flavour of dates, molasses. Moderate hop bitterness, no hop flavour, malt-balanced. Slightly dry finish. Moderately low buttery diacetyl flavour.

Mouthfeel (as appropriate for style) Points out of 5 = 4
Comment on body, carbonation, warmth, creaminess, astringency, and other palate sensations.

-Moderately-full body, moderately high carbonation, very smooth and creamy from nitro dispense.

Overall Impression Points out of 10 = 6
Comment on overall drinking pleasure associated with entry, give suggestions for improvement.

-Nice, easy drinking stout. Too much diacetyl for style, ensure healthy and adequate amount of yeast used, could try fermenting at a higher temperature and allowing to ferment completely, or using a different yeast strain if previous attempted. Can increase dry finish by increasing amount of roasted unmalted barley.