In the beer world, February is synonymous with Stout Month, a more-or-less made-up holiday celebrated since 1993 that involves drinking pint after pint of these dark, luscious beers. While some believe February is a cold, dark, and gloomy time of year, Stouts are timeless because they are versatile. There’s a Stout for every occasion: cozying up by a fire with a 10% ABV imperial that’ll put you to sleep or going to mow the lawn with a 5% ABV Irish Stout that you can drink all day. As a dedicated participant in Stout Month, I salute that sometimes a day isn’t enough to honor something this extraordinary. Now, there’s a time and place for these classics, but the beer world has most recently been fascinated with more extensive and bolder beers, such as the barrel-aged, pastry Stout, or even a milk Stout.
Left Hand Brewing Company is dedicated to making the highest quality beers. This brew features a robust and toasty chocolate flavor, and aroma with lactose (milk sugar), and peanut butter providing a nutty finish for a big-bodied beer. Nuts are added to balance out the sweetness. The whole beer is super sticky and fudgy, a total brownie experience! The chestnut and oak flavors perfectly complement the massive flavors in this milk stout. Notes of dark fruit and mild chocolate, while the toasty, nutty notes carry through until the beer goes down, lingering in the aftertaste. Mouthfeel is medium-bodied. It’s a wonderful brew for this season. Prepare yourself for super smooth peanut buttery bliss with notes of milk chocolate.
If you’re looking for decadence, allow me to introduce you to the KBS Double Oaked. A classic barrel-aged Stout, brewed with coffee and liquid chocolate, is aged for one year in select bourbon barrels, introducing subtle notes of vanilla, cocoa and charred oak. After the aging is complete, we finish KBS on fresh oak to amplify these flavors. Truly a sophisticated beer tailored for bourbon and beer enthusiasts alike. This is a decadent coffee Stout. The taste is not quite as shocking as some similar bourbon Stouts; it is gentler and lovely on the first sip. The barrel flavor is light and dry, while the whole beer is super sticky and fudgy, a total brownie experience! The bourbon and oak flavors perfectly complement the massive flavors in this double mega imperial milk Stout. Notes of fruit and dark chocolate, while the bourbon carries through. Mouthfeel is light, with a soft yet sparkling effervescence. Overall, a delightful brew for this season.
This would only be a proper Stout Month if talking about a tremendous Golden Imperial Stout. We are showcasing a White Russian Nitro Stout by Left Hand Brewing Company. Combine coffee, vanilla, and chocolate notes; this beer ties it together. It has this beautifully clear, bright copper color with a substantial, long-lasting, creamy off-white head and plenty of nice lacing. The aroma is mild French vanilla. This one is lovely upfront, with an immediate flood of caramel and vanilla. The coffee comes through afterward with massive volleys of sweetness. Finally, the hops come through on the back end, where this drink reminds you that it is a beer… not a sweet pastry cocktail – a great sweet treat for anyone looking for a great first double white.
Lexington Brewing & Darling Co has its hand in the barrel with an excellent Kentucky Maple Barrel Stout. They are aged for eighteen months in bourbon maple syrup barrels. The aroma features maple, chocolate, light bourbon, and caramel. The taste is like semi-sweet cocoa and pancake notes. There’s a touch of oak on the backend (no surprise after 18 months in a barrel) and moderate bitterness. The body is complex, with butterscotch, charred grains and smoked malt, brown sugar, faint bourbon, vanilla, piney hops, caramel, metallic notes, molasses, bread pudding, burnt wood or barrel notes, and dark chocolate in the finish. Rye and other spices linger in the aftertaste. Just a great example of how fantastic flavors can be imparted by barrel aging.
Mellow is here to embrace the frigid conditions by warming up with Stout Month, a celebration of the Stout style.
-by Maeve Black
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