Beer of the Week

The beer: Milk Stout Nitro

The brewery: Left Hand Brewing Company, Longmont, Colorado

Description (from the website): "Experience America’s Stout. Milk Stout Nitro is a full sensory experience. Gaze at the mesmerizing cascade of all those tiny Nitro bubbles. Breathe in the aromas of roasted coffee, milk chocolate, brown sugar and vanilla cream. Savor the super smooth Nitro sensation. And, smile as the perfectly pillowy head coats your upper lip. This portable draft beer experience is Good to Go straight from the can or served Like a Pro in a glass. From the bottle, Pour Hard to release the Nitro magic inside."

Would I buy it again? Here's the thing: I don't really like nitro beers very much. It's fine for Guinness, since it's Guinness, but that's it. And this beer tastes pretty much exactly like a Guinness, except maybe this one is a bit sweeter. Which is fine, but I'm sure this one is more expensive. Also, despite the can being 16 oz, you only get 13.65 oz of beer, which seems extremely stingy and cheap. So I'd pass on this in the future.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Chai Milk Stout

The brewery: 7 Locks Brewing, Rockville, Maryland

Description (from Untappd): "A medium bodied stout with moderate roast paired with a residual sweetness. It is accompanied by tasty masala chai tea aromatics, such as ginger, clove, cardamom, cinnamon, pepper, and nutmeg."

Would I buy it again? I am not an expert in Indian cuisine, so in order to determine the fidelity of the spice content of this particular beer, I had to call in a local expert on the subcontinent. According to her, the spices are right for Indian chai, but it's lacking milk. She enjoyed it quite a lot, however and so do I. It's very tasty, and definitely not what you expect from a dark stout. It's too bad about the milk though, it's kind of a curious omission. Lactose in beer is a contentious subject, I feel, but for this? Ah well, I'd still buy it again.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Campfire Amplifier!

Brewed by: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, Delaware

Description (from the website): "Break out the s'mores fixin's - there's a new brew in town! Inspired by cold nights around the campfire, this milk stout is brewed with marshmallows, graham crackers, cocoa nibs, cinnamon, Madagascar vanilla beans, and smoked malt. The only thing missing is a tent, and a few fireside ghost stories."

Would I buy it again?: I was pretty excited by the s'mores description, but this did not live up to my expectations. It just didn't taste anything like it was advertised, it was more like the chocolate milk stout that I reviewed a little while back. Strike that, it was almost exactly like it, and I didn't care for this one either. Really expected more from a Dogfish Head beer, to be honest.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Chocolate Milk Stout

Brewed by: 4 Hands Brewing Company, St. Louis, Missouri

Description (from the website): "Pouring black as the night sky with a firm, tan head and featuring aromas of baker’s chocolate, roasted barley and chocolate malts, Chocolate Milk Stout has a rich, velvety mouthfeel, loads of chocolate flavor and a smooth creaminess provided by cacao nibs and milk sugar. This beer, perfect for the change in seasons, is a chocolate lover’s dream."

Would I buy it again?: I'm going to say no on this one. This beer is a lot more bitter than I was expecting and nowhere near as sweet as the many other chocolate beers available. A Yuengling Hershey Porter is far superior to this and much cheaper.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Raspberry Milk Stout

Brewed by: Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick, Maryland

Description (from the website): "Nothing burns quite like the cold. For that reason, it’s recommended you stay indoors for the duration of winter, hide under a pile of six blankets, and crack open a beer. This beer. Fresh, jammy raspberry adds sweetness and complements the dark malt flavors of chocolate, coffee and lonely isolation. Enjoy, we’ll see you in a few months."

Would I buy it again?: It was better than the other raspberry beers that I've had in the past, as the raspberry taste was nicely balanced with the milk stout base. I'd say it was slightly above average, but I'm not going to go out of my way to buy a beer that's only a bit better than average. That said, if it's sold alongside the S'more Porter like it was in the case that I bought, I'm going to encounter it again, and that's fine. I can live with it.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Milk & Honey

Brewed by: Idiom Brewing Company, Frederick, Maryland

Description (from Untappd): "This milk stout has a lot going on. Layers upon layers of milk chocolate, roasted coffee, sweet cream and honey. Delicious and deceptive."

Would I buy it again?: Now this is how you do a milk stout. It's got that milk taste in amongst the beer, but it's also mildly sweet, not bitter. Unfortunately I don't think this is on tap anymore at Idiom, so I don't think I can get more, but if I could I would.

Beers of the Week

The beer: Over the Moon Milk Stout

Brewed by: Guinness Open Gate Brewery, Halethorpe, Maryland

Description (from the website): "After 200-plus years of making the world’s most popular dry stouts, we decided it was high time to brew a sweeter style. So, our American brewing team developed a milk stout, meaning a stout brewed with lactose (aka milk sugar), which imparts a sweet creaminess to the beer. Over several experimental rounds, we refined a recipe using a bevy of specialty malts (Carmel 120, BlackPrinz and our own Guinness Roasted Barley) along with Mount Hood hops. The result is a creamy, sweet stout with mocha-like notes and earthy, woody tones. We named it Over The Moon based on the whimsical image of an unhappy moon coveting a pint of stout resting upon a happy earth. The picture is the work of John Gilroy, the artist behind the classic Guinness campaigns of the 1930s and 50s."

Would I buy it again?: If there's one thing you can trust Guinness to do well, it's stouts. And just as you'd expect, their milk stout is absolutely delicious, and is something I've already bought multiple times. Dare I say it, but I think it's better than their standard stout they're so well known for. This is far more drinkable and tastes way better, in my own personal opinion.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Cookies 'N Cream Milk Stout

Brewed by: Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick, Maryland

Description (from the website): "Tiptoe to the kitchen. Avoid the creaky floorboard. Wait a minute–you're a freaking adult, and you can have cookies anytime you want! Kristin Hanna believes everyone deserves a 2 a.m. sweet treat, which is why she pitched this decadent Brewhouse Rarity. Inspired by her favorite late-night indulgence, this Cookies and Cream stout is an ode to that last swig of milk after you've dipped, 2, 3, 4...okay 5 cookies in it. So drink up; calories don't count after midnight."

Would I buy it again?: It's been a while since I reviewed a Flying Dog beer. Honestly, it almost feels like cheating, since it is the big hometown beer. But this is one of their Brewhouse Rarities, and when I saw the announcement for it, I was just way too intrigued to pass it up. And I'm happy to report that it is as tasty as it sounds. Not too heavy-handed, just the right amount of flavor. I hope they keep making it.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Coconut Merlin Milk Stout

Brewed by: Firestone Walker Brewing Company, Paso Robles, California

Description (from the website): "With an infusion of freshly toasted coconuts and a touch of seasonal sorcery, Brewmaster Matt 'Merlin' Brynildson conjures up Coconut Merlin - a uniquely flavored brew for fall and winter. The fresh coconut addition perfectly accentuates the beer’s roasty, nutty character. The lactose gives a rounded mouthfeel & suggestion of sweetness resulting in the perfect combination of flavors in this first-time release from Firestone Walker."

Would I buy it again?: Coconut-flavored beers are pretty hit or miss with me, and unfortunately, this one was on the miss side. Which is too bad, because I'm usually a fan of milk stout. But this one had a weird bitter aftertaste that I did not care for. Not something I plan on getting again.