As great as Imperial Stouts can be, most of the time though I find myself wanting something not as boozy, make Milk Stouts a simple choice.
A lot has been said about Lefthand’s Milk Stout, and for good reason. the Nitro Version is quite possibly my gold standard of the style. What else is out there though? Lets take a look at a few I have tried recently:
Carton Milk: (already reviewed back in September if you want to take a look) Honestly the one beer i could see myself drinking everyday, and probably my first pick for a growler fill, or to use in a kegerator. Huge notes of chocolate and coffee, all from malts. Beyond tasty and sub 4% ABV. I wish it was canned and easier to find. Good news at least I found it on Nitro.. Must try!
River Horse Oatmeal Milk Stout: Fairly smooth, not sweet. You pick up on a ton of Soy as it warms. One of the better choices from the brewery. I found it to be good but not great. I think i would put it next to the regular LH Milkstout, a good drinker, but nothing mind-blowing.
Terrapin Moo Hoo – very chocolaty and on the sweeter side. Enjoyed the first 2 bottles, but I was very glad it was a 4 pack as I could have not made it through 6. Glad I tried it, and i would give it a go on tap.
Saucony Creek Chocolate Cherry Schnickelfritz (imperial Milk Stout) I found it very fudgey, the chocolate is very prominent across the glass, with the cherry being more on the back side. Sweetness comes up when you licked your lips, like a cigar or clove. Booze comes up as the glass warms. Not terribly sweet, but not really roasty. Very good value for the price, coming in around $7.99 for the 4 pack, so i would definitely recommend giving it a go.
Breckenridge 72 Imperial Chocolate Cream Stout: Listed as a sweet stout, so i will include it. Very smooth drinking, alcohol on the back-end, not picking up on the chocolate at cellar temp. Poured with a great 1 finger head. sweetness also coming up when you lick your lips. Edit even warm there is not a huge chocolate hit. Very enjoyable.
