Bristol Beer Factory Milk Stout

Bristol Beer Factory Milk Stout

Style: Milk Stout

Alcohol Content: 4.5%

From: Bristol, Avon, United Kingdom

Purchased From: Waitrose, Wells

http://www.bristolbeerfactory.co.uk/

Over the past few year year, the city of Bristol has been undergoing a renaissance. The bustling quay sides have swapped steamships full of tobacco for trendy wine bars and shopping centres. Just like the city it's self, Bristols brewing industry has been reborn partially due to the success of the Bristol Beer Factory. After finding a home in the old fermenting block of the former Ashton Gate brewery, the Bristol Beer factory started life as a 10 barrel micro brewery back in 2004. After originally brewing a small handful of cast conditioned ales, Bristol now offer a range of over eight different regular bottled ales, seven regular cask ales and five specials throughout the year. Cashing in on this success, the brewery now own three pubs in the area and hosts an annual beer festival named Factoberfest.

Colour: Pours a thick, deep coal black with a relatively small, yet tightly packed white head. This stout is so thick that not a speck of light can be seen through it. Tip top stuff!

Aroma: Hints of arabica coffee and cocoa nibs stream from the bottle as soon as you pop the cap. A rich sweetness is also present which invites you closer and closer, making you want to dive right in there and down the pint.

Body: Perhaps one of the smoothest drinks I have ever drunk. This sumptuous pint slides down like a pint of double cream. Every available crevasse of your mouth will be covered by this velvet delight. The use of lactose sugar in the brewing process helps to remove any hints of clogging from the aftertaste.

Taste: From your first sip, you will instantly taste notes of sultry dark chocolate and hot Java coffee. This is promptly followed by a flood of sweet, milky lactose sugar. It's almost as if you are drinking a high end mocha from The Ritz. The flavours are blended perfectly to ensure that no flavour overpowers another. From the moment this pint touched my lips, I was completely intoxicated. How can a brewery blend flavours so masterfully and leave me wanting more and more? Perhaps that's why this beer has won a gold medal at this year's SIBA awards and has previous been named as CAMRA National champion stout. Great work guys, keep up all the hard work!

Invigorating and Stimulating for the Workers

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/ska-brewing-steel-toe-milk-stout.html

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/redchurch-brewery-soreditch-blonde.html

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SKA Brewing Steel Toe Milk Stout

SKA Brewing Steel Toe Milk Stout

Style: Milk Stout

Alcohol Content: 5.4%

From: Durango, Colorado, United States 

Purchased from: Real Ale Shop, Richmond-Upon-Thames

http://www.skabrewing.com/main.html

Ska Brewing Company is an American microbrewery founded in 1995 by Bill Graham and Dave Thibodeau in Durango, Colorado. Since 2008, the brewery has been located in its current Bodo Industrial Park location. This new brewery is eco-friendly as it runs completely on wind power and insulated by old pairs of jeans. Although Ska also uses bottles, it is known for being one of the few microbreweries that utilizes cans liberally. Now the subject of this review is thier Steel Toe Milk Stout, so lets get on with the tasting.

Just for the working Class?

Colour: This drink pours a thick ink black with a light tan coloured head. It looks a lot like an americano with a beautiful creme head. This head stays around rather briefly, which is quite unfortunate.

Aroma: Notes of coffee and liquorice rise from the glass to greet you. The smell reminds me of breakfast in Chicago, where a waitress would pour fresh percolated coffee into my cup. Sweet sugary notes then remind me of adding cream to my said coffee. Not to everyone's taste I'm sure but for me, a coffee is always welcome first thing in the morning.

Body: The mouthfeel is like that of a pint of milk, quite thick and clingy to the back of the throat. It will really cover all corners of your mouth.

Taste: Full of powerful coffee and chocolate notes to start with. There is definitely a sweetness that comes from the lactose (milk sugar). This, mixed with the dark roasted malts help to produce drink which does not feel very alcoholic at all. The flavours will mellow as the drink warms and the profile of this beer begins to remind me of the coffee and cream I mentioned earlier. Overall, for me this drink lacks the magic sparkle I desire from my milk stout (my favourite is the Bristol beer factory Milk Stout). However, it is very smooth and very easy to drink.

Perfect after a hard days work

During the time its taken for me to create this post, Ska have completely revamped their website. I have to say it does look very impressive. Check out this link above to see what all the fuss is about.

Simliar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/meantime-chocolate-porter.html

Different to:http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/beavertown-8-ball-rye-ipa.html

For the latest news on reviews follow me on twitter @beefsbrewery or like me on Facebook at Beefsbrewery