Milk Run Coffee Stout

Do you have a brother? Are you pals? Is he a cool guy? I’m sure he is. But my brother, the illustrious R.A.N., is better. That’s because my brother is the best brother. As he often does, on one of his latest journeys he brought me some bottles; this time they were from Collingwood, Ontario’s Northwinds Brewery. One of my gift bottles was a snazzy 500mL dealie of Milk Run Coffee Stout, a 5.6% dark ale brewed with java from Ashanti Coffee Estate, a local to Collingwood coffee roaster., and with lactose.

Milk Run is an obsidian ale with a plume of tan head and a pushy aroma of sweetened black coffee. With a deliriously smooth mouthfeel that gives way to a crunchily hoppy finish, Milk Run has an exceptional texture. Its flavour ain’t too shabby, either, with creamy coffee notes, roasted malt, and a modestly bitter back end.

While I enjoyed Milk Run quite a bit, there are elements that could have been tweaked to better tailor it to my unique tastes. For instance, I take my coffee black and bitter, and this beer exuded go-go beans at a two sugars level of sweetness, which was a bit much for me. I’d have throttled down on the sugar and amped up the bitter; however that is my own beer and coffee preference, so your own tastes may lead you to different conclusions. The creamy, lactose-infused mouthfeel was more than agreeable, adding a level of depth and volume to the brew, but, again, contributing to a too sweet flavour. According to the Northwinds Brewery website, Milk Run was designed as a breakfast beer, but to me, it’d be better suited to a digestif role—a dessert beer to be enjoyed on a full stomach.

 

Happy birthday, bro!

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.