Lancaster Brewing Company's Milk Stout

Well it appears that I need to change the name of this blog to Stout of the Day. I haven't intended for it to turn out this way, but the beers I read about and most want to spend the extra money on having shipped to me are the bigger stouts, which are generally my favorite. Lancaster Brewing Company's Milk Stout may cure me of that for a bit.

It pours an opaque black, a bit brownish as it pours, with a good medium tan head that looks like it wants to cascade, but never does. One of the few stouts where I could see carbonation rising, despite the apparent opacity.

No real roasted smell, more just a straight grain with a slight sugary sweetness from the lactose.

The lactose doesn't really add to the taste, just makes it a little smoother. The grain switches back to a roasted flavor again, as it should, but there's no real sweetness up front. There is a fairly mild and indistinct bitterness that may come from the roasted grain as much as any amount of hops. The carbonation is too heavy, which makes it feel a bit like a soft drink and fizzy at the end. Because of the mild flavors the last real impression you have of this beer is the fizzy feel, kind of like Pop-Rocks fading away.

All in all this one's just a safe, non-spectacular milk stout. Unimpressive, and finished off with too much carbonation. There are better milk stouts out there, and far better stouts of just about any other type.