Vanilla Milk Stout
Lancaster Brewing Company

 

Served on "Cask Friday" at the brewpub. Served a very deep brown beer with sparse tannish head. Smell is dominated by the roasted malt, but a slight vanilla note is also present. Taste is sweet and roasty with a noticable vanilla component. The vanilla seems to fade as the beer is consumed. A very nice beer, but nothing spectular.

This is a cask-conditioned one-off release of Vanilla Milk Stout, served at Lancaster Brewing Co. The ale is cool, but not cold.

Appearance: The ale is pitch black. No light escapes it and there are not lighter highlights when the ale is held to light. There is a nice creamy head on the stout.

Smell: The ale has two distinct components: a sweet vanilla bean aroma and a deep roasted stout aroma. They are unusual and pleasing when they mix in the nose.

Taste: The stout is very sweet, with the vanilla (not sure how it was added, bean or extract) really adding a sweet kick. The flavor of the vanilla is enough to overpower the roasted and lactose flavors that normally are present.

Mouthfeel: The stout's sweetness sits well enough on the palate, but the conditioning with vanilla strips the lactose component.

Drinkability: This is a tough one. I love milk stout, but this one falls just a little bit short. The vanilla is a little much, but I am glad that I tried it.