![]() ![]() Even though it’s the well-established Stout-with-lactose style, to me, this beer had everything going against it. As I’m writing this piece, I’m drinking Saugatuck Brewing Company’s Blueberry Maple Stout. ![]() Last year, a lot of people thought the lactose craze had reached its peak. Considered the first commercially available Milkshake IPA, Apocalypse Cow from 3 Floyds Brewing Company failed to garner much attention when it came out in 2008 (most likely because it was new rather than being a poor attempt), but now the style is everywhere. It makes sense when considering brewing with lactose in most anything aside from Stouts is a recent trend, and the Milk Stout itself only goes back to 1907. ![]() The reality is most of these lactose-focused pastry beers and milkshake takes are subpar. Opportunity, however, doesn’t equate to success. Because lactose can be added at any point in the brewing process, with some ingenuity, brewers can turn one batch of their latest brew into two by splitting the beer into two vessels then adding lactose to only one during secondary fermentation. That means that all the sweetness from those sugars finds its way into the beer. It’s about a quarter of the sweetness of cane sugar and is, most importantly, nonfermentable. Lactose, for starters, is simply milk sugar. And as far as the taste goes, after telling my inner purist to take a seat, it’s not too hard to see there are some brewers out there making it work with an adept showing of balance. But for the brewery, it’s brought in a bunch of non-beer drinkers, which is fantastic. In some implementations, it’s like pouring honey over homemade pasta-an insult to the chef at the very least. I really want to hate what lactose is doing to beers. A highly enjoyable offering.But you can’t push lactose ‘round lactose makes dough. Very similar on hop profile and bitterness. Feels like a slightly sweeter Dreadnaught. Very vibrant, juicy, and lightly dank hops great malt balance, without being overly sweet or heavy feeling. Overall this is an incredible DIPA! All around fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical hops, lactose, and moderate dark/bready malt flavors very smooth and easy to drink with the balanced bitter/drying finish. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready/grainy/sticky, and lightly resinous/rindy balanced mouthfeel that is great. Light-moderate dryness from bitterness, increasing through the glass. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical hops, lactose, and moderate dark/bready malt flavors with an awesome malt/bitterness balance, and zero lingering hop astringency after the finish. Lingering notes of grapefruit, tangerine, peach, pineapple, apricot, mango, melon, papaya, lemon/orange peel, citrus rind, pepper, pine, honey, light caramel, lightly toasted bread, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a while. Light-moderate pine, citrus peel, grassy, spicy bitterness on the finish. Taste of big grapefruit, tangerine, peach, pineapple, apricot, mango, melon, papaya, lemon zest, orange peel, citrus rind, light pepper, pine, honey, light caramel, lightly toasted bread, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of citrus/fruity/tropical hops, lactose, and moderate dark/bready malt notes with great strength. Aromas of big grapefruit, tangerine, peach, pineapple, apricot, mango, melon, papaya, lemon zest, orange peel, citrus rind, light pepper, pine, honey, light caramel, lightly toasted bread, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Nice dense soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Pours slightly hazy golden amber/light orange color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky off white head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Apocalypse Cow from 3 Floyds Brewing CompanyĢ2 ounce bottle into signature teku glass, bottled on. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |