Got milk? - Left Hand Brewing Milk Stout

As I mentioned last week, while in Houston, I picked up several new beers from some regional breweries. In addition to ones in Texas such as St. Arnold from Houston, and Rahr & Sons from Fort Worth, I also got some from Colorado and Oregon. Both of these states are hotbeds for craft brewing.

The first of the loot from my trip to be profiled is the Milk Stout from the Left Hand Brewing Company of Longmont, Colorado. I can only recall having one other milk stout previously in a beer of the month package. Beeradvocate describes the style as: stouts that have a larger amount of residual dextrine and unfermented sugars that give the brew more body and a sweetness that counters the roasted character. This is usually accomplished by adding lactose to the brew kettle.

Appearance: This beer poured a pitch black color. As evidenced by the picture, no head was present and this lead to very little lacing as well. Minimal carbonation was present as well. Not knocking it out of the park appearance wise.

Smell: Like typical stouts this one has a roasted malt character to the aroma. I also noted some chocolate  aromas as well. Getting better.

Taste/Mouthfeel: The first few sips tasted very similar to regular stouts. Similar to the smell, malty and toffee flavors were present. The differences between this one and regular stouts appeared as it warmed. The usual bitterness with a regular stout was muted by a mild smoothness. The sweetness of the style was eventually more present when I got near the end of the pint. The mouthfeel was not heavy like a typical stout and it was silky.

Overall: This is a solid effort and a nice change from a more bitter stout. I was not too stoked about the appearance, but the flavor made up for it. This is a style that I will look to explore more in the future. For more on this beer, please see Left Hand Milk Stout

Cheers!