Lancaster Milk Stout

THEY SAY:
We are proud to offer one of the few surviving examples of this traditional English style sweet stout. A bold, dark ale, bursting with roasted barley and mellowed by hints of chocolate and coffee. Malts used: 2 Row Barley, Caramel 120, Chocolate, Black, Roasted Barley. Hops used: Cascade, Styrian Golding. OG: 15; ABV: 5.3%; IBU: 22.

I say: Stouts are generally divided into two categories: Dry/Irish and Sweet/English. This is, as indicated above, the latter variety, sweetened by the addition of lactose. The yeasts, like myself, don't do well with milk sugars, so they leave them unfermented for you to enjoy instead. The Lancaster version of milk stout is somewhat sweeter than traditional English versions, but still light-bodied with notes of chocolate and a hint of coffee bitterness. Lancaster Brewing is about 60 miles outside of Philadelphia, and while I've never been crazy about any of their beers (this one included), I do like supporting local business!