Beer of the Weekend #205: Milk Stout
My second dessert beer of the week is Milk Stout, brewed by the Left Hand Brewing Company of Longmont, Colorado.
I drank a bottle of Milk Stout at Bobblehead’s place one time. At least I think I did. He also had some Left Hand 400lb Monkey at one time, so maybe I am confusing it with that.
Serving type: One 12-ounce bottle. The “BOTTLED ON” date printed on the shoulder is “01/12/11.” This stuff is pretty damn fresh.
Appearance: Straight pour into a pint glass. The color is black and just a shade away from opaque; just a little bit of light passed through when I held it to my lamp. Two fingers of creamy, tan head developed and dissipated slowly to leave a bubbly lacing, thin film, and ring around the edge.
Smell: I could smell cocoa as soon as I popped the cap. In the glass it has a delicious chocolate aroma, which is a blend of both roasted dark chocolate and sweet milk chocolate. It also has a nice roasted coffee presence, too. There is a little vanilla and toffee in there, as well, and it also has a bit of nuttiness.
Taste: The mouthfeel is very smooth and creamy, and the taste follows suit. It has a backbone of roasted chocolate and roasted coffee malts, which is balanced nicely with the sweetness of milk chocolate and milk. Other reviewers say it tastes like coffee with a lot of cream, and I will have to take their word for it; I don't drink coffee. The roasted bitterness I expect from a good stout is there, but it is kept at bay. As the pint warms, the bitterness diminishes and the lactose creaminess takes over; the vanilla from the smell emerges at this point to contribute to the smoothness. During one sip I caught a little bit of alcohol sharpness, but it was only once.
Drinkability: Color me impressed. I did not expect much, but Milk Stout has proven itself as a tasty and deserving treat. Though not spectacular, it is very well crafted and drinkable.
Fun facts about Milk Stout:
-Style: Left Hand calls it a Sweet Stout and BA classifies it as a Milk/Sweet Stout:
-Price: $1.99/bottle at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: 50-55ºF.
-Alcohol content: Left Hand pegs the ABV at 6 percent, but BA says 5.2 percent.
-Food pairings: The Left Hand website offers two recipes to use Milk Stout in: “Chocolate Milk Stout Cake” and “Milk Stout Barbecue Sauce on Beef Short Ribs.”
-Color: 47 SRM.
-IBU: 25.
-Gravity: 16º Plato.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+/A-.
I drank a bottle of Milk Stout at Bobblehead’s place one time. At least I think I did. He also had some Left Hand 400lb Monkey at one time, so maybe I am confusing it with that.
Serving type: One 12-ounce bottle. The “BOTTLED ON” date printed on the shoulder is “01/12/11.” This stuff is pretty damn fresh.
Appearance: Straight pour into a pint glass. The color is black and just a shade away from opaque; just a little bit of light passed through when I held it to my lamp. Two fingers of creamy, tan head developed and dissipated slowly to leave a bubbly lacing, thin film, and ring around the edge.
Smell: I could smell cocoa as soon as I popped the cap. In the glass it has a delicious chocolate aroma, which is a blend of both roasted dark chocolate and sweet milk chocolate. It also has a nice roasted coffee presence, too. There is a little vanilla and toffee in there, as well, and it also has a bit of nuttiness.
Taste: The mouthfeel is very smooth and creamy, and the taste follows suit. It has a backbone of roasted chocolate and roasted coffee malts, which is balanced nicely with the sweetness of milk chocolate and milk. Other reviewers say it tastes like coffee with a lot of cream, and I will have to take their word for it; I don't drink coffee. The roasted bitterness I expect from a good stout is there, but it is kept at bay. As the pint warms, the bitterness diminishes and the lactose creaminess takes over; the vanilla from the smell emerges at this point to contribute to the smoothness. During one sip I caught a little bit of alcohol sharpness, but it was only once.
Drinkability: Color me impressed. I did not expect much, but Milk Stout has proven itself as a tasty and deserving treat. Though not spectacular, it is very well crafted and drinkable.
Fun facts about Milk Stout:
-Style: Left Hand calls it a Sweet Stout and BA classifies it as a Milk/Sweet Stout:
Milk / Sweet Stouts are basically stouts that have a larger amount of residual dextrins and unfermented sugars that give the brew more body and a sweetness that counters the roasted character. Milk Stouts are very similar to Sweet Stouts, but brewers add unfermentable sugars, usually lactose, to the brew kettle to add body and some sweetness.
-Price: $1.99/bottle at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: 50-55ºF.
-Alcohol content: Left Hand pegs the ABV at 6 percent, but BA says 5.2 percent.
-Food pairings: The Left Hand website offers two recipes to use Milk Stout in: “Chocolate Milk Stout Cake” and “Milk Stout Barbecue Sauce on Beef Short Ribs.”
-Color: 47 SRM.
-IBU: 25.
-Gravity: 16º Plato.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+/A-.
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