Lancaster Brewing Company's Milk Stout

Milk stout is one of the weirdest beer categories out there, if you ask me. I can almost understand how smoked beers came about, in an accident while roasting the grain. I can see fruit beers, since people have been shoving fruit in things for centuries (no Richard Geere jokes please). And other styles like IPA or RIS, or old ales, were all borne of necessity or traditions--some intentionally, some not. But who in the hell puts milk in beer? and nowadays it's lactose, not straight up milk, but still. And because this is one that has been cellared (kitchen cabineted just doesn't sound right) for about a year that I'm cleaning out, it should be that much more interesting.

Pours inky and black. Not as slow as an RIS, but every bit as dark. Great dark tan head as well, that fades but not too quickly.

Smells grainier than it used to. Still has that residual sweetness from the lactose, but not as strong.

Tastes just like it smells. Still grainier than it used to be, although you can still taste the lactose. I actually like this one better now. It never was as sweet as a Young's Double Chocolate, thank God, but over time the sweetness has subsided a bit and the other stout flavors have stayed. Because the lactose adds to the body, it actually feels like a heavy stout, leaning closer to an RIS than some plain stouts. It doesn't have near the grain bill, but it is bigger than most stouts.

It's not intended to cellar, but it handles it very well.

Lancaster Brewing's Winter Warmer

Well, it says it's a winter warmer, but its listed as an old ale, so it's probably a less spicy version of a warmer, which is OK with me because spices can be easily overdone.

Pours deep opaque reddish brown with a huge tan head and good carbonation.

Fantastic bready smell. It subsides when the head dies down some, but this is what a malty beer should smell like.

The malt is balanced by an indistinct bitterness that finishes with a slightly sharp alcohol taste that warms nicely. Great warmer, and despite the slight taste of the alcohol it actually hides its 8.9% ABV very well. The fact that the alcohol comes out is what makes it passable as a warmer, but it has a vinous almost bordeaux hint to it as well, like an old ale should.

Great beer. Only my second from Lancaster, and it has convinced me to keep coming back to them.

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.