<\/p>\n

Brewer:<\/strong> Left Hand Brewing Company<\/a>
\nLocation:<\/strong> Longmont, Colorado
\nType:<\/strong> Sweet Stout
\nABV:<\/strong> 6%<\/p>\n

As I mentioned back in Darktober while reviewing a beer from a different Colorado-based craft brewery,<\/a> I love Left Hand Brewing Company, simply because they introduced me to their beautiful milk stout. Well, that and the fact that I’m left-handed. But that’s neither here nor there. <\/p>\n

It was no surprise, then, that when I first read about their success in bottling a nitrogen-charged beer, and<\/strong> that said beer was my favorite of their brews that I have tried? Well, I had to have some. <\/p>\n

If you’re curious, charging a beer with a nitrogen\/carbon dioxide mix rather than just carbon dioxide gives the brew an intense, silky mouth feel. It’s also supposed to accentuate sweeter flavors within the beer (it’s not surprising, then, that Left Hand would choose their milk stout for this experiment). It used to be that you could only get “on nitro” in bars that had the right equipment to pull a proper draft. That or those silly Guinness bottles and cans with the little ping-pong balls and rockets inside. Those never tasted convincing…or good, by the by. <\/p>\n

For this beer, Left Hand uses no foreign objects…just a two-word instruction: Pour Hard. <\/p>\n

And that’s precisely what I did: Popped the top and upended the bottle into my glass in a perfectly vertical position. The nitrogen charge holds in place rather than fizzing out of the glass, instead pulling downward in that beautiful “cascade effect” made most famous by Guinness. I wish I could have gotten a photo of that, but it happens quite quickly before slowing and reversing upward into a gorgeous frothy frosting of foam atop the beer. <\/p>\n

Visual feast aside, sweetness assails my sense of smell as this beer burbles and frolics in its glass. I’ve read that Left Hand recommends chilling this beer before serving. I don’t, simply because I have learned that darker beers offer up so much more complexity when warmer. Therefore, right from the start, I detect scents of chocolate, coffee, cream…something soft and sweet like a mocha latte made from a perfectly dark-roasted blend. <\/p>\n

Again, thank the nitrogen for the full-bodied mouth feel and the creamy slip of every sip of this beer along my tongue. Milk Stout Nitro is the epitome of a dessert beer. Thick, luscious, delectable…with one slight<\/em> misstep. There’s a strange metallic aftertaste. I’d describe it as comparable to licking a nearly dead AA battery after each swallow (but not a 9-volt!). I’ve had many a regular milk stout from this brewer, so I know that this isn’t normal for this beer. It’s something that settles into the other flavors with a little time, but I’m wondering if this is the one down side of Left Hand’s attempt at nitro-charged bottling. <\/p>\n

Honestly, though, if this is the only hiccup, I’m okay with it. The resultant beer drinking experience you get from a bottle of Milk Stout Nitro is nothing short of wondrous. Obviously, others have agreed in large enough numbers that Left Hand has introduced nitrogen-charged versions of their Sawtooth All-American Ale and their Wake Up Dead Stout. I can assure you, I am already on the lookout for these two new experiences. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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