Trying another brew from a brewing company that I have had a few beers from before. You may have had a beer from this brewery before like Enjoy By, Enjoy After, Ruination. I know on this blog I have had Stone Saison, which was a great Saison. Stone Brewing Company has the luxury of having a brewery and gardens on the same site. I think this helps ensure product quality and freshness. For example, the Stone Saison uses plants from their gardens to help boost flavors in their Sasion. I think that breweries that have a garden or similar ideas on site helps that brewery, maybe gain a leg up on their counterparts. I am excited to try the brew tonight, which was originally only as a limited release at one of their two locations. Stone Brewing Company is celebrating their 20th anniversary this year and created a brew to celebrate their milestones. Stone Brewing can be found in a variety of locations: Escondido, CA, San Diego, CA, soon in Richmond, VA and Berlin, Germany. Stone is the tenth largest craft brewer in the United States. Interesting fact about Stone's logo; for centuries Gargoyles have been known to ward off evil spirits, since 1996 their Gargoyle has helped them ward off cheap ingredients, pasteurization and chemical additives... the modern-day evil spirits of beer.
Stone Coffee Milk Stout by Stone Brewing Company
Enough about Stone, now onto the brew for tonight. I am trying Stone Brewing Company Coffee Milk Stout. This Coffee Milk Stout is an English Style Milk Stout. I have had few milk stouts before and I am kind of eager to try this combo in this style. Coffee Milk Stout has an alcohol by volume or ABV of 5% and an IBU of 40. I think the IBU in this beer is going to be attributed to the coffee that is going to be added into this brew. Stone Brewing Company uses coffee beans from a San Diego based Ryan Bros Coffee, which adds to their idea of using local products like their own gardens.
Appearance of the Coffee Milk Stout
When pouring this beer into my glass I notice the brown foam or head at the top of the glass. In addition to noticing the head or foam at the top, I could not help but notice how dark of a color the beer poured. This beer when I poured it looked black, just like someone might be drinking black coffee. The foam or head depending on which you want to call it is thick at first and then stays around for a little before disappearing to a thin layer at the top of the glass. The aroma is enticing. If you are a coffee fan, you feel at home when smelling this brew. There is a bitter/sweet tone to the aroma of this brew. The bitter notes of the aroma, I believe to come from the coffee beans added to the brew. The sweet aroma tone, I would like to think has to do with the milk and sugar that might be added to this brew. Almost the perfect balance of bitter to sweet aroma for my olfactory sense. The bitter tone is a little more assertive, when trying to take in the aroma of this brew. After all that I faintly pick up a vanilla note in the aroma. All I can think is that the vanilla note is almost like a creamer added to coffee to make it sweet and palatable, do I think that is going to be the case in this beer. I do not think so.
About to take my first sip of the Coffee Milk Stout and all I can think is that I might be up all night because of how this beer smells with the coffee notes. I think that taste note might come through, which should because of the coffee beans used to make this beer. I took my first sip and I think I might have enjoyed it too much because have the beer is gone already. I noticed the light mouthfeel with is shocking because of the being a Milk Stout, I would have thought it would have been heavier. I picked up on the dry finish as while drinking more of this brew. To me this brew has a malt taste note in the drinking of this beer, which would not surprise a stout fan, because of the roasted malts used to help create this brew. I keep taking sips and the more I do I begin to notice the coffee overtone and the subtle sweetness in the beer. The coffee hits the palate first and then is followed by a sweet chocolatey note. I cannot help myself I just do not want to put this beer down, which for me is shocking because I am not a coffee fan. But the way the coffee blends with the sweet notes and the light dry body is a killer combo.
Coffee Milk Stout by Stone Brewing Company
If you like coffee I think that you will really enjoy this beer and even if you do not like myself, you can still enjoy it. Stout fans should add this beer to their list of beers to drink. The light body and dry finish of this English Milk Stout style brew make this beer a Stout to find. Most people think that stouts are too heavy, I think that this beer and milk stouts in general beg to differ. I think Stone Brewing Company mindset of using local products is a mindset that helps further the sustainability effort of their brewery and shows that it can be done.
Check out Stone Brewing Company on Twitter and their website:
No comments:
Post a Comment