Left Hand Milk Stout - Left Hand Brewing Company

bditty187

Nebraska

3.7/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Black in spots, orange tints interwoven, ruby around the edges, smallish light beige head, quick to dissipate... a few odd specks of lace. Lovely sugary sweetness, rich chocolate, and coffee nose… the bouquet shows excellent depth, very inviting. The palate is less enthusiastic. Chalky and dry… vaguely sweet (you’d expect more lactose sweetness), cocoa powder, faint coffee hints. Fairly complex… excellent hops influences at the finish, it builds on the coffee flavors nicely. Medium-light body, silky, minimal carbonation… slightly thin mouthfeel. Drinkable, enjoyment is moderate though… good enough to try, not great enough to drink repeatedly. It does represent the style very well. Try one if it is handy.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2003 17:57:21 | More by bditty187

Wildman

Ohio

3.98/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This beer poured a very dark amber, almost black color and formed a nice big medium tan head that coated the glass with lace as it subsided. A small amount of carbonation is present. An aroma of malt, coffee and and burnt chocolate is present. A flavor of malt and coffee. Fairly light for this style and a slight burnt bitterness in the finish. Not a bad beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2003 02:05:29 | More by Wildman

Suds

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottled date: 6/10/03.
A black, thick liquid with a shallow, stable, light brown head. The aroma is roasted grains...coffee and bitter chocolate. (I love a beer that has the sort of smell that lingers as you pull your nose away from the glass...this beer has that quality.) Very sweet up front...if you drink a lot of these, I'd say it could get too sweet. Solid malt backbone through the entire glass. Body is substantial...thick, soft, and very smooth texture.
I'd have to say that I really enjoyed this beer...there are better, more complex, more intriguing stouts, but this one sure was a joy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2003 01:17:12 | More by Suds

avylover

Virginia

4.13/5  rDev +4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

This is another beer I probably would have passed on if not for Beer Advocate reviews. Pours a bit thinner & lighter than your average stout, with ligh passing through to give deep, dark red but almost black color. Head is decent but did'nt last long in my glass. Smell is of roasted coffee right away..very sweet & inviting. No other aromas detected, but man this smells good. Taste lives up to the name. This is one of the most bizarre beers I've had. Starts off with a mild malty coffee taste, then gives way to a truly milk-like taste & mouthfeel. Mouthfeel if slightly thin for a stout but still good & smooth. It did have a slightly sticky aftertaste & feel.. As far as stouts go this is easy to quaff. Interesting & suprisingly good beer. By the way, the 7% ABV is totally lost in the mix.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2003 17:12:48 | More by avylover

Brent

Kentucky

4.25/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A great example of the "beershake." Loads of roasted malt flavors with a creamy, luxurious mouthfeel. Dark chocolate and coffee notes vie for dominance in the mocha equation. Lactose sugars are noteworthy in a soft sweet finish. 7% abv? Astounding - never would have guessed, the alcohol is subdued and hardly evident.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2003 07:46:46 | More by Brent

BierReise

Florida

3.08/5  rDev -22.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12oz.Bottled on 05/06/03. Deep ruby red with light illuminating through the glass. Carbonation seems very active as I pour and a small and lightly compacted head develops. Aroma is like choco-milk with a subtle roasted malt flavor. Body is crisp and a bit thin for a stout. Decent flavor though somewhat light tasting for the style. Cocoa, coffe and a nutty flavor as well. Slight dry finish.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2003 18:56:03 | More by BierReise

AtLagerHeads

Ohio

4/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This brew be 4s across the board. A good look with a strong nose and good flavoring and mouthfeel make this a solid stout to be reckoned with. The pour creates a solid dark brown color with ruby highlights. The head is a quickly-gone thick beige that leaves a moderate amount of lace. The flavor is rich stout with plenty of coffee and chocolate with which to deal. Solid, not doubt about it.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2003 15:48:19 | More by AtLagerHeads

TripelJ

Florida

4/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a nice dark brown with a thick creamy head. Aromas are distinctly coffee and mocha. The first sip bombards my palate with the same flavors of coffee and mocha blended together very smoothly for a nice bittersweet finish that is very creamy in mouthfeel (typical of the milk stouts.) As the beer warms the flavors become more intense, but I do not notice anything new. Seemed a bit thinner in the pour than I was expecting, but the creamy mouthfeel definitely made up for it. I am also VERY surprised to read that it weighs in at 7% ABV.... seemed much lighter to me this evening.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2003 21:03:57 | More by TripelJ

Dogbrick

Ohio

3.45/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a dark and flat almost black color with a tinge of ruby. Thin beige head and quick lacing. Aroma is lightly bitter coffee and chocolate. Somewhat light-bodied given the look and ABV of it. Roasty with flavors of coffee, grain, and chocolate. The milk is more evident in the sweet finish than anywhere else. Not bad.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2003 06:07:48 | More by Dogbrick

Bighuge

Minnesota

3.78/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottled on 3-25-03.

Clear deep mohagony appearance. A wispy beige head caps the beer and recedes to just a thin coating rather quickly. Collar is substantial. Lacing barely clings to hang on. Some milk chocolate. Mocha. And burnt malts as well. All in all, a very inviting aroma. After the wonderful smell, I'm a bit let down with the taste. But nonetheless, it's still better than average. A blanket of milk sweetness and lactic sugars cover the underlying bittersweet chocolate and java tones. The mouthfeel is good. Very creamy and silky. Low on the carbontation and high on the velvety feel. This is a beer I might pick up every now and then if it were available around here.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2003 20:03:57 | More by Bighuge

Gusler

Arizona

3.3/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

The pour is ebony in color, the head inconsequential in size, the structure patchy clumps of large bubbles, the color a light chocolate. Nose is roasted grains, bittersweet chocolate with a sweet malt start, top is light to moderate in feel, the finish crisply acidic, the hops pleasant in their spicy bite, dry aftertaste. In the interest of being kind we will call it a “Beginners Stout” or your “Entry into the Dark Side”, most stouts have little to fear form this one!

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2003 18:06:44 | More by Gusler

Boto

Connecticut

3.85/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a nice dark brown color. Decent head. Chocolate and mild roastiness in the aroma. The taste is very sweet, with a good balance of the roastiness and chocolate. Goes down real easy. I also love the cow with the handprints on the label. All in all a good sweet stout!

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2003 16:09:29 | More by Boto

Loki

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

First milk stout that I've had so I don't have much to compare it to, but it pours an extremely dark, chocolate brown, almost black. Thick, creamy white head that sadly disappated quickly.

Aromas of semi-sweet to bitter chocolate and expresso. The scents followed through the flavor. Semi-sweet chocolate with a slight bitter finish. Very creamy and smooth. Goes down easy with little hints that it is 7.0% ABV

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2003 11:17:37 | More by Loki

BigHead

Arizona

3.9/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A dark amber from the pour, with very little head at all. Some chocolate and coffee comes across in the aroma. My first sip detects the creamy additive of milk, along with undertones the previously mentioned coffee and chocolate raost. There is a milky consistency to the flavor of the beer. It's a fairly carbonated beer. A hint of nuttiness in the aftertaste. As a side note, the bubbles on the surface formed a shape similar to that of a koala's face...maybe I should quit drinking. Drinkability is easy on this stout.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2003 18:20:23 | More by BigHead

goindownsouth

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A very intriguing brew. The aroma leaves something of a creamy sense there. The first sip says that very same thing. However, the bier does not, in any way, leave a heavy feeling on the tongue. How can a brew have a creamy feel, yet not be creamy nor heavy in mouthfeel? Very interesting. Well worth seeking out, if you can find it. Prost!

Serving type: on-tap

03-30-2003 09:33:40 | More by goindownsouth

cokes

Wisconsin

3.6/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottled 12/24/2002
One of the darker shades of mahogany possible underneath a full tan head.
Roasted aromatics mix with the lacto-ness, leading to a slightly burnt, soured impression. Not all that appealing, but appropriate for the style.
Begins with some slightly toasted black malts that are immediately swallowed by the lacto sourness. Partially hidden roastedness. Slight touches of grain, but mostly, it is just the milky, lactose sweet/sourness. Hopping is not noticed. Rather simple, but decent.
Lighter-than-medium body hides the rather stiff ABV.
A milk stout taken to its logical conclusion. But in the end, it seems to adopt more of the former part of its title than the later.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2003 14:15:13 | More by cokes

oberon

North Carolina

3.53/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

poured nicely black with ruby red hue,light head caramel colored head that left a nice lace.Smelled of very bitter chocolate,tasted nece and sweet with chocolate and burnt tones,very creamy in texture,like drinking desert.Nice hop flavor to balance out at the end,I really enjoyed this stout.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2003 14:36:15 | More by oberon

WilliamPhilaPa

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

(Bottled Xmas eve-02)-- Pours a light mahogany color. Head is initially average sized, frothy, light brown, but mostly diminishing. On the nose the aroma of caramel, peanuts, milk chocolate and roasted grain. Mouthfeel is fairly smooth. On the palate the flavors of roasted coffee beans, peanuts, roasted malts, buttery, charcoal, caramel, milk chocolate, and bittersweet flavors. Overall good mellow stout.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2003 19:26:44 | More by WilliamPhilaPa