I grew up extremely close with my extended family. A certain group of this extended family was deeply involved with the dairy business, so every holiday season my nuclear family would be showered with ornaments depicting dairy cows and cases of cheese and certificates for fresh milk from our local dairy farms. I always took it for granted as a child, but I realize now how cool it actually was. Not many kids these days can say they had a milk man growing up. I didn’t either, but I may as well have with all of the free milk my family enjoyed back in the day.
I think because of this association with cows, milk and dairy in general I was immediately intrigued when I saw the Left Hand Brewing Company’s Milk Stout for sale in my local beer store. Initially this seemed like two liquids that simply should not be put together. When you think about it, doesn’t it seem kind of gross? Beer and milk are definitely not supposed to wind up together in any capacity. Or are they? Left Hand proves that it works in a really nice way.
This beer has made Left Hand Brewing proud on more than a few occasions. Most notably with the gold medal at the 2006 World Beer Cup, with the bronze medal the 2007 Australian International Beer Awards, and finally in 2008 at the Great American Beer Festival. These accolades were enough to convince me to try it out.
The color is black and the head is thick. The aroma is sweet and reminds me of chocolate. Milk comes into play in a very obvious way in the mouth feel of this beer. It’s creamy and smooth, almost like a glass of cold chocolate milk. The carbonation is low, which I suppose serves to accentuate the creamy quality of the beer. Left Hand’s Milk Stout finishes with a roasted quality that will have you coming back for more.
I don’t want to drink this beer all the time, but when the mood strikes nothing satisfies quite like the Milk Stout. It is a truly unique brew from a company who seems to pride itself on taking cues only from itself. Well done, Left Hand Brewing.
