NOTE: I had almost finished this article about Milk Stout when I got a second box-full o’goodness from Guinness: a sample of their new Stock Ale. I decided to go with reviewing each of them separately, but serially.
NOTE ALSO: They asked me to include #GIFTEDBYGUINNESS in this article.
Milk Stout
Was spending two weeks in Dublin a mistake? Did it spoil me for anything less than super-fresh draft Guinness on every street corner? Even in the Dublin Convention Center, we could relax with a pint (or a “glass,” which is what you ask for if, like me, that’s your limit: a half-pint).
I’d have to say probably yes, if I didn’t get a care package from our good friends at the Baltimore Guinness Open Gate Brewery in September. They have released a new Milk Stout that drinks almost as smoothly as fresh Guinness classic (or at least my taste memory of it from a few months ago).
It is brewed with lactose, which results in a creaminess from milk sugar. It doesn’t taste milky, though – there are hints of chocolate and coffee (although almost any stout boasts those taste notes), and it goes down very nicely if you are a hop-hater like me. And it does have a very nice head, which Guinness considers a feature, not a bug. I concur.
Quite a Head!
The press material suggests that it would make a good pairing with sweet desserts. To reinforce this notion, they included two chocolate bars in the box – I assume they were there as publicity accessories, as they are not stout-flavored. Still appreciated, as I think just as highly of chocolate as I do stout!
Milk Stout is available locally in stores and in the brewery, and nationally for a limited time. It’s sold in six packs of 12 oz cans for a suggested price of $10.99.
Stock Ale
Barely a month after the Milk Stout box, here comes another sample! This time it has a more elaborately-produced and somehow more “serious” aspect. If the milk stout had a whiff of sweet/dessert airy frivolity to it, this Stock Ale is Serious Production Value Product. (It’s also priced at about twice as much as the Milk Stout, which may be why there were only two bottles in that box.)
Only Two!
But let me tell you, this stuff is worth it. It’s fabulous, and I’m not saying that just because they sent me a free sample. If I can’t afford a ticket to Dublin again soon, I can compensate for it with this Stock Ale.
We drank it with roast beef sandwiches, which struck us as an appropriate pairing. And it was!
The brewing method is an example of the synergy of a large parent company owning many boozy brands. Diageo’s Bulleit Bourbon barrels are key to both the separately aged and brewed Diageo’s Guinness Barleywine and Imperial Stout, which are blended together to produce the Stock Ale.
It’s described as a “hearty and full-bodied beer” in the Guinness release, (I agree) with “notes of nutty chocolate, raisins, roasted barley and sweet dark fruit… aromas of vanilla, coffee, stone fruit and ripe berries.” These flavor lists generally make me feel a little inadequate as a taster. I found a whiff of berries, and the brew to me is very chocolate-forward. Not that that’s a bad thing.
It’s also 10% ABV, which I certainly felt after consuming just one. As a person with a very low tolerance (see my limit above), I was glad I hadn’t planned anything other than relaxing after drinking!
Guinness Stock Ale Aged in Bulleit Bourbon Barrels is available on tap at the Guinness Open Gate Brewery in Baltimore and can be found on shelves at specialty beer stores across the U.S. in 4-packs of 11.2 oz bottles for a limited time beginning November 15th for a suggested retail price of $19.99.
