A couple of years ago I moved from beautiful Clearwater, Florida to Longmont, Colorado for a job opportunity.  Not only was I leaving behind beautiful beaches and year long summers, I was also leaving a beloved local brewery (Dunedin Brewery, I still love you!)  Would I have to start drinking Bud Light again?

FAR FROM IT.

One of the best things about Colorado is that it is arguably (go ahead and argue with me about this – I dare you) the best beer state in the country.  Many people have compared the beer market in Colorado to the wine market in California, and the comparison is well founded.  Damn near every town within 60 miles of where I live has at least one independent Micro-Brewery to call their own.  The vast amount of local breweries have forced the companies to step up their game and produce delicious, top notch brews.  There are so many choices out here that it’s hard to find a favorite.  Well – it was hard… Until I tasted Left Hand Brewery’s Milk Stout.

Any fan of the Talkingship Podcast has heard Nerves and I talk about this beer.  We even recorded our 50th episode at the brewery to celebrate!  Nerves chose this beer as his special drink for his wedding!  This delicious stout has carved a permanent place in our hearts.  So why do we love it so much?  Because it’s delicious you dumb ass.  Haven’t you been paying attention?

When I was young, and my taste buds were still immature (aka – not destroyed by years of fiery hot wings), I hated stout beers.  The bitterness was too much, and I didn’t appreciate the complex flavors of a good beer.  I just wanted to get drunk.  However, these days I need flavor in my beer.  I want to taste some hops – I want the flavors to linger for a bit after each sip – I want to be able to think of different foods that would go well with the flavor.  These are the things I need from my beer.

My experience with Left Hand’s Milk Stout was fantastic from start to finish, which is why it has become my Go-To brew for all occasions.  It pours with a nice, thick head, and by God I swear a barista could swirl shapes into the coffee-like foam.  The smell hits you damn near immediately.  It is nutty, sweet, and might be confused with a cappuccino before you drink it.  When you take your first sip you’ll get a variety of flavors striking every different part of your tongue.  Is it sweet?  No, it has some bitterness.  But it tastes woody too!  With this much flavor you might be worried that it’s going to linger too long on your tongue after you swallow.  While I enjoy tasting my beer for a little bit of time after I swallow, I am also familiar with the way the flavors will sour if they stay around too long.  But I was pleasantly surprised by Milk Stout.  It finishes smoothly despite the heavy flavors.

Left Hand Brewery is becoming more and more popular every day.  In Colorado you can’t drive anywhere without seeing at least a couple cars with the tell-tale Left Hand Logo sticker plastered on a bumper or a window.  These days you can find their beers from Florida to Alaska and lots of places in between (with some odd states not on the bandwagon yet – WTF California?!)  They have a lot of great beers including Sawtooth Ale, 500 Pound Monkey, and the Polestar Pilsner, but for my money, the Milk Stout is their best brew.

I give Left Hand Brewery’s Milk stout 10 Ships out of 11.  This is the beer that should always be in your fridge.  It goes great with most foods, but shines when eating heavier, rich meals.  It has become such a staple of my man cave mini-fridge that whenever I don’t have at least a sixer of Milk Stout in there I feel incomplete!  Check their website for more info on where you can get yourself some Milk Stout for your fridge too.