Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Tuesday Night Tasting - Wachusett Brewing Co: Milk Stout

Wachusett Brewing Co. – Westminster, MA
Milk Stout, 1pt 6oz.

First off, it must be said that this is one excellent stout! It pours a fluid as dark as night, with a complementing dark brown, creamy head. It has a nice sweet and vanilla essence to its smell, which invites you into your first sip!

Mmmmmm!! The flavor is vibrant, not overbearing at all, and it’s not bitter as some stouts can be! Some stouts give off a flavor of old, bad, bitter coffee, but the Wachusett Milk Stout has none of those qualities. It has a full, dark malty flavor that is not heavy – it doesn’t sit like a bowling ball in your stomach. Rather, each sip leads you to want another. As Sarah said, “any beer drinker would be remiss not to seek this out, because it is a real treat!” The stout also has a vanilla bean ice cream finish, which would make the ULTIMATE float (which we plan on trying very soon).

What we also really liked is that it’s not too complex. Some stouts, in an effort to be complex, complicate themselves out of being the simple, satisfying brew that it is meant to be. We’re not saying the Milk Stout is simple and boring – quite the contrary. While it doesn’t have a million different layers, it is an extremely enjoyable beer. If you’re a stout lover, you will love Wachusett’s offering. If you don’t particularly care for stouts, you must try this one, because it will change your opinion within the first sip!

On a side note....while exchanging messages on twitter with @WachusettBrew (you should follow them too) last week, they were trying to come up with a name for the cow on their label. Sarah and I were throwing names at each other, and at least between the two of us, we’re going to name him Bo – as in bovine. So our tag line is “Bo knows Stout!” paying homage to everybody’s favorite Bo, Bo Jackson.

3 comments:

B said...

Huge fan of Milk Stouts, ill keep my eye out for it.

Justin said...

Hey guys, I'm so glad I stumbled upon your blog. I'm a New England native who just turned 21 this past April. I've started to become a huuuuge craft beer fan and reading your site has been a wonderful inspiration. My dad and I are already planning a trip to Bert's Better Beers (we live in Wolfeboro, about a 45 minute drive from Hooksett).

Just tonight we got ahold of a beer from a brewery we'd never heard of, Flying Dog Brewery. This particular try was an Amber Ale that was extremely light in flavor with a nice splash of malt and (oddly enough) a hint of cherry. Check it out if you get a chance!

BrewEngland said...

Hey Justin, we're glad you like the site! Congrats on turning 21 too, it's so much more fun! I used to go to Wolfeboro all the time - it's so nice out there!

Anyway, you definitely should go to Berts. They're in the process of expanding too, which will be amazing once it's done!

I've only had the Flying Dog IPA, which was pretty bitter. You might have to work your way up. I'll definitely look for their Amber though and give it a try. Thanks for the recommendation!

-Adam