Lancaster Milk Stout - I Need to Find This Cow!
Jun 04 '04 (Updated Jul 28 '04)
The Bottom Line This was a good stout to try, and I would do it again if it was available.
It's been a tough couple of weeks. Between working on the house and working on our rental property for new tenants, I've had very little time to sit back. So, when the work was (mostly) done, I gave myself a gift - I went down to the local bottle shop and bought myself a mixed 6-pack of beers.
One of those beers was something that I had heard of, but never gotten to try – a Milk Stout, from Lancaster Brewing in Lancaster, PA (pronounced LANK'-ast-er, not lan-CAST'-er, by the way). On Tuesday, after a LONG day, I thought it time to open it up and see what the whole milk stout thing was all about.
[• about LANCASTER BREWING •]
Lancater Brewing Company was born from the ashes of the former Lancaster Malt Brewing, which filed for bankruptcy in 1995. Although the former’s brewpub continued to operate after the bankruptcy, the brewery itself stopped selling to outside vendors. In 2002, current owners Irene Keares and Jim Weber bought the assets and started the new company.
Located in Lancaster City, the brewery sits on the location of an old tobacco warehouse, and continues to have both the brewery and the brewpub on premises. Brewmaster Christian Heims was brought in after stints with Pittsburgh Brewing Company and the old Lancaster Malt, and has created quite a variety of offerings from this small micro.
In addition to the milk stout, they also produce 12 other regular and seasonal brews, including an Amish Four Grain, a series of German-influenced styles (Doppelbock, Springbock, Oktoberfest, Dunkel Weizen and Hefeweizen), Red Rose Amber (an English Amber) and a Strawberry Wheat.
The brewpub specializes in New American food (steaks and fish), but also offers Chicago-style deep dish pizza as one of their specialties.
[• about MILK STOUT •]
Milk Stout is an interesting style. In addition to several malts (2-row barley, caramel 120, chocolate, bock and roasted barley) and cascade & styrian golding hops, this beer is brewed with lactose, but is not pasteurized. I would assume that this is to give it a creamier taste, but I wasn’t sure. As with the rest of their beers, they are all brewed naturally without any preservatives and meet the standards of the Rienheitsgahot, the German Beer Purity Law.
I have to say, I was intrigued by this style, and had a decent anticipation for it as I grabbed a pint to pour it into. The beer poured to a rich, black color with a deep brown head. I couldn't see a thing through it, even when held to the light – it was DARK! The head dissipated quickly, leaving a slight golden lacing near the top of the glass.
My first impression was its deep coffee nose, with definite hints of the roasted barley coming through. The first taste revealed a good stout flavor with just a hint of bitterness, but it finishes clean with rich, roasted coffee aftertaste. The mouthfeel was just what I expected – full and creamy; not quite Guinness, but pretty good for a bottle without a N2 widget. As I continued through this beer, it maintained its flavor well, although when it started to hit room temperature, it had a bit of an aftertaste. But cold – this was a great choice.
[• beer SPECIFICS •]
• Awards: 2 Gold medals at the Microbrewers and Importers Exposition in State College, PA in 2003: Best of Show and Best Specialty Beer
• ABV: 5.3%
• IBU: 22
• Shelf-Life: unknown
• Serving Temperature: 40 - 45ºF (slightly chilled)
• Calories (per 12 oz.): unknown
• Carbs: unknown
[• final THOUGHTS •]
As far as stouts go, this was a good example – good coffee flavor accented by a decent mouthfeel from the 'milk' that was added. It held its flavor pretty well while it stayed cold, but started to turn a bit when it warmed. I would try this again, if it was offered – or if I visited the Brewpub.
[• more INFORMATION •]
Lancaster Brewing Company
www.lancasterbrewing.com
302 North Plum St.
Lancaster, PA
717.391.6258
contact: http://www.lancasterbrewing.com/contact.asp
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Epinions.com ID:
martytdx
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Member: Marty
Location: New Jersey
Reviews written: 481
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About Me:
Doing what I can to try new places, restaurants, books and beers.
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