“Shapeshifter Breakfast of Champions Milk Stout is a mischievous morning-inspired brew, dreamt up during a brewer’s breakfast and packed with nostalgic cereal energy. With a base of rich Munich and Vienna malts, silky oats, and a touch of roast, it pours velvety smooth with hints of chocolate and creamy sweetness. A splash of lactose ties it all together for a dessert-like finish, while CTZ hops keep things balanced. Brewed with actual cereal tossed into the mash, this one’s equal parts fun and flavour.”

Glassware: Snifter.

Appearance: Presenting a bold black pour with a fizzy two finger head over the top. It quickly reduces and settles to a collar. Minimal lacing as we go.

Aroma: Pretty cool idea. Something that could’ve only been dreamed about during covid. A cohort of breweries including Big Shed, Bridge Rd, King River, Pikes, Range, Suburban and Uraidla (plus many more lesser known breweries) collaborated on this stout and the idea was for every representative of the brewery to bring a box of their favourite cereal to pour into the mash. The result is pretty ambiguous to be honest so we’ll move straight to the flavour profile.

Flavour: Straight away an old saying popped into (one of) our heads – too many cooks spoil the broth. It’s a nice stout to drink but we literally can’t taste any of the cereals used in the brew. Uncertain whether that was the plan or not (it’s not like one box of cereal will materialise in a whole tank of beer) but considering that was the whole idea behind the collaboration it’s a little confusing. There’s just nothing noteworthy to touch on.

Mouthfeel: Well rounded, gelatinous, low-ish Co2. Medium body. The 5.4% ABV is neither here nor there as well.

Overall: For such a fun idea it created a pretty boring beer. Expect nothing more than a generic milk stout and nothing less than mediocrity.