Milk Stout

Brewer: Left Hand Brewing Company, Longmont, Colorado
Alcohol Content: 6%

Official Description from Brewer:
"Dark and delicious, America's great milk stout will change your perception about what a stout can be. Preconceived notions are the blinders on the road to enlightenment. Udderly delightful."

Wilk's Take:
As I am a sucker for a good stout, I couldn't help but grab this bottle for my six pack variety pack.  It has been sitting in my refrigerator for a good, long while as I've been busy getting the house in order from all things construction.  The worst part is, I had been anxiously waiting for the right time to crack open this brew.  Milk stouts have become more and more popular with the advance of craft beers and they make a great dessert.  After a night of homemade pizza, I figured it would be perfect.

Left Hand did me wrong with TNT.  I was expecting great things with this offering and I was not disappointed.  The stout poured beautifully into my usual pint glass, which I discovered is not quite a pint.  The black hue was inviting and the liquid was far from thick.  As I drew in a deep breath my sense of smell detected an odor bordering on rubbing alcohol hidden beneath the milky bitterness of the beer.  It was sickeningly sweet in a way.

My first draw of the Milk Stout was so smooth and creamy.  A sweet undertone gave way to an intense coffee aftertaste that was further followed by the initial milkiness.  The sensation was phenomenal and kept the glass tilted at a 45 degree angle near my lips.

Left Hand has won me back with the delicious Milk Stout.  It indeed was the perfect dessert beer to cap off my night and I am looking forward to stocking my fridge with a couple bottles.

Suggestion: Add this to your stout collection without hesitation.  Even if you aren't a fan of dark beers you will be pleasantly surprised by the rich, creaminess that Milk Stout has to offer.  If you don't like coffee, avoid the black aftertaste.

Value: Part of my $2/bottle variety pack.  Well worth it.  Smooth, delicious, and 6%.

Michelle Factor:  Michelle grimaced upon taking her sip of Milk Stout thanks to the intense coffee flavor on the back end.  After a minute she discovered the milkiness underneath but was still not impressed.

Denver

I wouldn't want to label my trip to Great Divide Brewery as a pilgrimage, but it certainly had that feel to it.  After drinking the YETI for my first microbrew review I almost felt I owed them some loyalty.  Luckily for me, Great Divide did not disappoint and my stay there was certainly memorable.

I sampled five of Great Divide's beers and Dave, my traveling companion (although in realty I'm his), sampled the other five.  Of those ten beers, not a single one was disappointing.  The only disappointing aspect was the fact that we were heading to a Rockies game and we could not take a growler to go.  Since their beers are available where I live, I wasn't entirely heart broken.

Two beers that really got my attention at Great Divide were their seasonal fare: Chocolate Oak Aged YETI and the 17th anniversary wood aged Double IPA.  The YETI, unlike the original, has an even more intense flavor and is even complemented with cayenne undertones.  It makes for rich, roasty, spicy flavor.  If you're are going to choose between the two, I'd recommend the original YETI.  The cayenne flavor lingers on a bit too long.  The Double IPA is lacking the usually bitterness you would expect to find.  When I asked the bartender about the IBU content he told me around 50.  The brew was smooth and flavorful with the perfect touch of hops.

Wilk sneaking a peek at Great Divide aging barrels

After Great Divide we walked up to Breckenridge Brewery directly across from Coors Field.  I started out with the requisite flagship brew, Avalanche Amber Ale.  The perfect amber color was a beautiful sight after the amber attempt from Upstream.  The beer went well with the wings we grabbed.  There is a reason this is Breckenridge's most popular beer, it's damn good.  Afterwards I switched to their Scotch ale and was also pleased with the result.  I regret that I can't give a thorough analysis of these beers because the visit was more about socializing with friends than critiquing beer.  Both styles were great and if I come across any other Breckenridge beers I will pick them up willingly.

Home of 70 on tap microbrews from around the world and twice as many bottles

After the game we went to Falling Rock Tap House where I continued sampling the best Denver had to offer.  I went with two more selections to round out the evening: Left Hand Brewing Company's Milk Stout and Bull and Bush's Man Beer.  Left Hand redeemed itself completely after the TNT fiasco.  The Milk Stout was so deliciously creamy, it was as if I was drinking a White Russian.  Bull and Bush's Man Beer was a hoppy amber that was perfectly bitter and refreshing.  I think after the spoil of Denver microbrews I may have found my hop desire.

Stay tuned for points west...

TNT

Brewer: Left Hand Brewing Company, Longmont, Colorado
Alcohol Content: 7.9%

Official Description from Brewer:
"I’m from the Chinese era Qing. Big batch of bad-ass brew, I will make you sing. Women on the left, men on my right. Ain’t got no corn, ain’t got no rice. I’m just malty nice. ‘Cause I’m TNT. Sometimes you’re not in the mood for what everyone else is having."

Wilk's Take:
This limited release from Left Hand Brewing drew my attention on the shelf with the words, "With Lapsang Souchong Tea."  According to Adagio.com, Lapsang Souchong is a black tea from China with a "famously smoky aroma and flavor."  Well, my curiosity got the better of me and I was roped into buying a Weizen, which is actually a beer I tend to dislike.

The pour flowed like you would expect an ice tea to pour.  As the liquid entered the glass, you are teased with a Guinness sensation as the head of the beer looks as if it is about to cascade down the glass.  This is short lived as the head continues to grow and grow until you get nearly three inches of foam at the top of the glass.  Not to worry, it dissipates in due time and you can ready yourself for consumption.

I held the beer under my nose for quite sometime, drawing the aroma over and over and trying to determine how to describe the scent.  At first, I was reminded of every other wheat beer I've ever encountered.  The wheat is almost sweet to the senses and as you explore further you can detect a hint of floral undertones, but surprisingly, the smokiness is not in the smell.

As the first sip entered my mouth all I could think of was smoked brisket.  The smoke was so powerful and overwhelming that I thought I just finished a cigarette.  Any indication that this was a wheat beer soon disappeared and all that your left with is the sensation of having spent a couple hours around a bonfire.  I'm going to digress here and give credit to the bonfire reference to Michelle.  She mentioned it and it made perfect sense.

Since this is my first foray into critiquing much of anything I will admit that I cheated a little bit with TNT.  I visited Beer Advocate and decided to see what others were saying about the beer before I tasted it.  On the advice of one of the posters I let the beer warm to room temperature.  I was promised a different tasting brew if I were patient enough.  This poster was right on the money and did not disappoint.  The smoke lifted, in a manner of speaking, and the wheat beer actually was hidden underneath.  However, the brewer makes specific mention on the bottle to keep the brew refrigerated, so it isn't Left Hand's intention to let that smokiness lift.

Suggestion: I would not venture down the black tea path with TNT.  The sweetness you would almost expect to find in a wheat beer is totally removed here and all you are left with are charred embers somehow captured in liquid form.  After the YETI yesterday and its roasted malt, TNT's promise of roasted malt is far short.

Value: The 22oz bomber went for about $9.  The markup is mostly there because it is a limited release beer.  As you can imagine, I do not see the value for the finished product.  There may be a good reason Left Hand decides to release this beer on a limited basis but I can't really think of one.

Michelle Factor: No grimace this time, but definitely a look of interest.  The smokiness was evident right away and Michelle could taste the tea before I could.  Granted, the smokiness really is the taste of the tea based on the tea description so I suppose I tasted it right away as well.  It's her favorite beer by far, but considering she said she wouldn't run out and buy it or ever really get a taste for it, that's not saying much.