Robin Shepard
Jamie Martin, the brewmaster at What is it? Milk Stout by Moosejaw Pizza & Dells Brewing Company of Wisconsin Dells. Style: The Milk Stout is an English stout, modified with common descriptors such as "milk" or "cream." A "milk" stout usually refers to the use of lactose in the recipe. This stout is a medium- to full-bodied beer with a mild roasted or coffee aroma, and is dark brown to black with a creamy tan to brown head. Its texture is round and smooth, with a mouthfeel similar to milk. Drinkers may detect hints of coffee and toffee in the malty nose. The flavor features chocolate maltiness with underlying coffee or light roasted bitterness. The characteristic sweetness, influenced by the lactose, is more semi-sweet than the name implies. Expect a malty and lightly roasted aftertaste. The milk stout ranges from 4% to 6% ABV. Background: Jamie Martin makes her milk stout with 100 pounds of lactose. That provides ample semi-sweetness for a beer that is very flavorful and distinctive. The recipe also includes roasted, chocolate, crystal and pale ale malts, which combine for great black color and a light roasted backbone. The crystal malt in particular offers a light burnt-sugar tone to the overall body of the brew. Milk Stout just went on tap at Moosejaw last weekend, and it should remain available through September. Martin only made one 15-barrel batch, so when it gone, it's gone for the season. She intends to enter this beer in this September's Great American Beer Festival, a national competition that awards bronze, silver and gold medals to specific beer styles. Last year Martin won a silver at the festival for her Dells Chief Amber Ale. "I want this beer to not be overpowering, even a little quiet, with enough flavor to make it very sessionable," says Martin. A session beer is one that you can have more than one during a "session" without feeling full or overcome with the warmth of alcohol. Moosejaw Pizza & Brewery's Milk Stout finishes at 5.7% ABV. Tasting notes:
Glassware: Milk Stout is served at Moosejaw in a typical bar pint. However, this beer really deserves a clear mug with a hearty handle to allow for the beautiful black color and tan head to stand out. The mug will also allow the beer to slowly warm as you sip. Serving this beer slightly warmer than refrigerator temperature will accentuate its sweetness and creamy texture.
Pairs well with: This beer has a distinctive sweetness, so you'll want to look for a pairing that complements it, but avoids added sweetness. It is ideally suited to pastas with a light Alfredo sauce, or go with a nice hearty marinara.
Rating: Four Bottle Openers (out of four).
The Consensus: A- (excellent) from Beer Advocate; not enough ratings to be evaluated at Rate Beer.
The Verdict: Jamie Martin has produced an exceptional beer that'll make the drive to the Dells seem shorter. Her Milk Stout is soft, smooth and sweet. The lactose really comes through with none of the dryness or bitterness you find in a Guinness-style stout. It has the type of malty nose that, when you close your eyes and breathe in, you understand the aromatic qualities of chocolate malt.
Like Jamie Martin, I'm more partial to full-flavored milk stouts in the cooler months of fall and winter, but this beer is a welcome treat at the end of the summer season. I don't want to jinx Martin's entry to the Great American Beer Festival, but I'm willing to go out ahead of the judges and say this is a great beer worthy of recognition. At the very least, I'm paying tribute with a growler in my refrigerator.
