Left Hand Brewing Co.: Milk Stout

B+ / 3.95
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | drink: 3.5
Bottle to glass
Room temp

Appearance: Pours a smooth extremely dark amber brew that is not quite opaque, typically I like the look of a brew that is completely black with no light showing, but this one looks good. A ½ inch dark almond head built but quickly faded to a thin ring around the glass, the carbonation streams feed the foam ring throughout the drink. As most stouts are to me this one has a definite appeal and fits the category well. There is however no lacing on the glass at all as it slides off with the smooth thin syrup brew.

Smell: I was struck by just how heavy the dark rich malts are in this brew they smelled very good to me, and to balance there was also a medium intensity hop spice as well as another spice that I couldn't quite identify. There is also a sweet syrup smell that is released when the beer is swirled. I can catch hints of toffees, and caramel but there was no burnt or astringent smell.

Taste: As with the smell the rich malts take the lead and layered with them is the sweetness that floats evenly with the hop spice, I was surprised at just how rich the malts are in this brew and while there is a spice it almost comes as a follow up rather than the main show. I would say that the malts are 50%, while the sweetness and the spice make up 25% each which for me balances very well on the tongue and provides a nice complexity that keeps my tongue working. The creaminess of this brew was also pleasant and apparently in keeping with the milk stout style guide. In the end this brew is a full bodied stout with a very rich sweet malt flavor that sometimes reminds me of a cola drink finished as one would expect a stout to do with a bite of bitterness on the back of the tongue.

Mouthfeel: Thick and heavy are the rule here, this is one smooth and creamy brew that is offset well with the moderate carbonation that sharpens the feel up a bit. This stout left a buttery coating in my mouth that I would attribute to the lactose or some diacetyl. On the glass it looked like a thin syrup in the mouth it feels thinner than that but still plenty of body to this brew.

Drinkability: This is a well balanced beer and the malts are by far the most prominent feature, it is rich in flavor and has an appealing spice that seems to dissipate as the brew warms a bit. The carbonation fills you up a bit, but the way this beer slides down really make it a pleasure to drink. This is a nice evening brew around a filet mignon or while sitting with friends for an nice evening, very drinkable and a shame when the glass is empty.