8 Maids-A-Milking
The Bruery

8 Maids-A-Milking8 Maids-A-Milking
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From:
The Bruery
 
California, United States
Style:
Sweet / Milk Stout
ABV:
11.3%
Score:
86
Avg:
3.82 | pDev: 12.3%
Reviews:
86
Ratings:
386
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Dec 27, 2023
Added:
Aug 06, 2015
Wants:
  20
Gots:
  143
8 Maids-a-Milking is the 8th beer in our "12 Days of Christmas" series, and we'd be udderly crazy to release anything but a milk stout. So we made an imperial milk stout to stand up to whatever Old Man Winter throws our way from now through 2019 with the final release of our series. 8 Maids-a-Milking is brewed with lactose, which is commonly referred to as milk sugar. It's the only type of sugar that is unfermentable by yeast, which adds more perceptible creaminess and sweetness to the finished beer. This mouthfeel and sweetness is complemented by robust layers of milk chocolate, subtle spice accents from our house Belgian yeast and roasty, cafe elements indicative of our take on the style. Celebrate the seasons with the best of both worlds: enjoy some now, and lay a few down for up to 4 years to be enjoyed upon the release of 12 Drummers Drumming.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by LiquidAmber:
Photo of LiquidAmber
Reviewed by LiquidAmber from Washington

3.85/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Poured into a The Bruery tulip. Pours nearly black, opaque in the glass with a half finger khaki head with good retention and lacing. Aroma of sweet dark malt, milk chocolate, a little lactose; slightly mineral. Flavor starts with slightly sweet dark malt, milk chocolate, nuts, then quickly develops a slightly tart Belgian fruit flavor; light stone fruit and cherry that carries over into a an odd mixture of Belgian pale ale and milk stout with a lingering lightly tart fruitiness. Medium bodied with soft carbonation. A very different take on a milk stout and the lighter Belgian flavors clash with and ultimately overwhelm the soft sweet malt of the stout/porter base. Tastes good, the Bruery Belgian yeast is a nice one, but the finish is a little tart for a stout. I really like the start and middle of this one, there is a rich dark Belgian ale character that is quite flavorful, but the finish has too much fruit and mild tartness. In a blind test, I might suspect that this is a porter that went off. Knowing that it was designed this way, it is interesting and fun to drink. The Bruery pulled this off, but not sure I want to revisit it. I'm not fond of tart stouts and I don't think I'd appreciate this one after 4 years. Glad to have tried it now.
Dec 25, 2015
More User Ratings:
Photo of BubbleBobble
Reviewed by BubbleBobble from New York

4.02/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4
Pours near black with a 1" tan had, mild retention and streaky lacing. Nose is milk chocolate, coffee milk, chocolate syrup, light booze. Taste is cherry-filled chocolate, Hershey bars, sweetened black coffee. Mouthfeel is exceptionally smooth with very little carbonation. Pretty good - the fruity notes meld well with the chocolate, and the smoothness can't be beat. Little to no alcohol presence either despite the high ABV, and appreciate how it doesn't become cloyingly sweet.
Dec 27, 2023
Photo of colts9016
Reviewed by colts9016 from Idaho

4.27/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Review: 1992
Name: 8 Maids A Milking
Brewery: The Bruery
Location: Placentia, CA
Style: Imperial Milk Stout
A.B.V.: 11.3%
Date: 09 Sept 2015
I am drinking 8 Maids A Milking today using a tulip glass. I served it at 46 degrees. Prying the cap off, this eight-year-old beer emits a lovely hiss of carbonation. The pour created a creamy, foamy, two-fingered, light tan head with above-average retention. The color is brown, nearly black, charting around S.R.M. 36. The beer is opaque. The slow dissipation left lacing on the glass. The appearance is above average for this style.
The initial aromas are caramel, bready, toffee, molasses, cream, and dark roasted malts. I had concerns I may have aged this beer too long; so far, I have not detected any off-flavors. Swirling the glass, I nose it again; I smell chocolate, coffee, earthiness, vanilla, slight char, and soy sauce.
Damn it, I pushed the aging too far. I do taste little off flavors of oxidation and cardboard. I will not drop the score for that; it was my fault. Other flavors in the beer are caramel, toffee, chocolate, cream, molasses, vanilla, slight char, a hint of soy sauce, dark roasted malts, bready, and earthiness.
The mouthfeel is creamy and chewy, finishing smooth. The body is heavy, and the carbonation is low.
Despite the overaged off-flavors, the beer is still enjoyable. I am glad I did not wait any longer. I enjoyed this beer before aging it, and 3 to 4 years is the maximum, not eight years. A tasty beer to enjoy nonetheless.
Dec 26, 2023
Photo of Orca
Reviewed by Orca from Washington

4/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
750 mL bottle (original vintage, so 2023) into a tulip. Pours a deep brownish black with a 1-finger mocha head.

Aroma is chocolate, malty, and sweet. Malted milk balls, molasses, maybe some vanilla or coconut.

Taste is likewise sort of a blend between a stout and a Belgian strong dark ale—straddles the fence. There’s chocolate and bitter roasted malt but also sweet creamy milk sugar and some lighter fruity notes. Somehow it works.

Mouthfeel is on the medium side, lighter than what I’d expect from an “imperial” beer. But again it works here.

Overall a respectable offering. I’m not blown away but it’s a pretty good beer.
Oct 26, 2023
 
Rated: 3.77 by Mikexw from New York

Jan 08, 2022
 
Rated: 3.92 by RMW66 from Australia

Oct 15, 2021
Photo of q33jeff
Reviewed by q33jeff from New Jersey

3.95/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
**
01/08/2021

Bottle to snifter. Bottled 9/11/15.

LOOK: Deep dark black, small light brown head, very good retention.
AROMA: prune, plum, cocoa, raisin.
TASTE: milk chocolate, brandy and/or bourbon even though this is not barrel aged--must just be the 11.3% breaking down and concentrating over 5+ years in the bottle. Creates a nice bite in the finish and cuts the sweet chocolate.
FEEL: mostly flat, but with a underlying bubbly character. smooth, but there is a chalky texture in the finish. medium-to-full body.

Not bad for a 5 year old milk stout.

Interesting and great to try these old Bruery Christmas beers that are different each year. I've now tried 8-12 as well as this years partridge in a pear tree.

**
Jan 09, 2021
Photo of HattedClassic
Reviewed by HattedClassic from Virginia

4.12/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
The beer pours a nice brown and creamy head that dissipates at a moderate pace. The beer itself is a dark chocolate brown with a shiny and oily texture that looks nice.

The smell has a nice mix of different dark notes. The main seems to be a roasted malt note mixed with a latte note created by the lactose and milk chocolate. The sweet note from the lactose also seems to come out on its own without the roasted notes.

The taste is great and really shows off how well the different notes mix together to create a chocolate latte note. The taste consists of a roasted malt and chocolate note alongside the sweet lactose note, which completely changes the taste from what could have been a chocolate heavy beer.

The feel is good. It has a heavy body with a tingling carbonation note and creamy texture.

Overall, this is a pretty good beer and the best so far of all of the other beers. The different mix and work well together. Also, it feels fresh despite being aged for a year.
Jan 04, 2021
 
Rated: 4 by Stengelfoot from California

Jan 03, 2021
 
Rated: 4 by michiganmatt from California

Jan 01, 2021
 
Rated: 3.68 by brocktune from Virginia

Dec 23, 2020
Photo of Stooven
Reviewed by Stooven from Illinois

2.46/5  rDev -35.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2
Can't read the bottle date. Purchased in December 2019 in Northbrook, IL. From glancing at the reviews below, I got one from the bad batch. Really sour. Not enjoyable.
Jan 27, 2020
 
Rated: 4.05 by liquorpig from Massachusetts

Nov 25, 2019
 
Rated: 3.84 by beerjerk666 from Florida

May 27, 2019
 
Rated: 3.75 by brittanylicious from Indiana

Feb 10, 2019
 
Rated: 3.75 by heysuz from Indiana

Feb 10, 2019
Photo of CaptainHate
Reviewed by CaptainHate from Ohio

4.02/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Picked up a 750 ml bottle at Lupulo's in Santa Cruz and split with my son in law. Poured dark brown with an average sized tan head into an oversized wine glass. Aroma was nicely sweet with milk chocolate having an undefined spice tinge. Flavor was chocolate cream with the alcohol well hidden. Mouthfeel retained the flavors nicely while still being light and refreshing. An exemplary milk stout that is right in the Bruery's wheelhouse and an excellent addition to their Christmas series.
Feb 01, 2019
 
Rated: 3.35 by eppie82 from Illinois

Jan 17, 2019
Photo of OompaMentor
Rated by OompaMentor from Georgia

3.75/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
12/29/2018
Jan 04, 2019
 
Rated: 3.77 by MTKATL from Georgia

Dec 31, 2018
8 Maids-A-Milking from The Bruery
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 386 ratings