Hey, careful man, there's a beverage here!

I was really looking forward to this Pipeworks release for a few reasons, not the least of which is the origin behind the name (if I have to explain that one to you, you're out of your element).  It is, as you can see below, a "White Russian imperial milk stout," which is to say an imperial stout based on the classic cocktail.  To that end it is brewed with lactose, coffee, chocolate and vanilla.  If I had known how loosely they used the term "stout" here I might have had a better opinion of it; as it is, while this beer is decent, it does not taste like either a stout or a White Russian, making this otherwise-worthy brew my first disappointment from Pipeworks.

You could be forgiven for thinking this was a stout just by looking at it, provided you consumed it in a very dimly lit room.  Once you see it back-lit, any pretense that this is actually a stout or a porter goes away.  It is, as Pipeworks says, a "white stout;" a bright stout, not the inky-black typically associated with stouts and porters.  On the plus side, the brighter color allows one to note the carbonation, which is finely-bubbled and generous for a "stout."

The last time I had a beer smell this strongly of coffee was Goose Island Bourbon County Coffee, but this beer actually most reminds me of Dark Horse Perkulator doppelbock.  It smells like cold-pressed coffee and not much else.  The vanilla, lactose, chocolate, and anything resembling beer are nowhere to be smelled.

The flavor follows a similar profile.  I taste a near-comical amount of cold coffee.  The malt bill comes across like a delicious blend of cherries and toffee---which is abruptly drowned in more coffee.  There is semblance of stout flavor here, and none of the other added ingredients (vanilla, chocolate, lactose) stand out in any way either.  I used to drink White Russians quite a lot, and I don't ever recall having one that tasted remotely like this.  The only aspect of this beer that resembles a proper White Russian is the sweetness and full texture.

While by no means a bad beer, it doesn't live up to its name.  I must give Pipeworks credit though, the bottle art really ties the room together.