Exploring the best of dark beer with Milk Stout

Milk Stout is now pouring at Beerfarm and our local crowd are chuffed to have their favourite froth back on the taps. Dark, delicious and designed to warm you from the inside out, this rich and roasty brew is brimming with bitter coffee and chocolate flavours.

Blended with a touch of sweetness from the milk sugar (lactose) addition and brewed under the roof of a repurposed dairy farm at our brewery in Metricup, we decided to sit down with our Beer Farmer Josh Thomas to suss out this seasonal release beer and why it's since become a forgiveable sin...

Can you describe this beer to Milk Stout first timers, in just a few words?

Dark Chocolate and coffee with a nice creamy body, and not too sweet!

How and when was the idea for this beer first born?

Very early days in the Beerfarm journey of May 2017. We wanted to continue exploring the best of the dark beer styles and given our brewery in Metricup is a repurposed dairy farm, it only made sense to create a Milk Stout!

Why kind of benefits does lactose have in beer, or in particular this beer style of beer?

The addition of milk sugar (lactose) lifts the chocolate and coffee malt characters and helps balance out the astringency of roasted grains.

How did you source or extract the milk sugar from the milk? 

We buy lactose through our raw material suppliers and it's a type of sugar that is naturally found in milk and other milk products. Sometimes considered a bi-product of cheese production, lactose is extracted by a filtration process where milk whey proteins are separated from lactose and then crystallised into a powder.

What kind of hops were used, and what flavours and aromas do they impart?

Cascade hops play a small part in this stout and are used to ensure the bitterness of the beer is in balance with the rich chocolate malt and lactose sweetness. The hops also contribute to enhancing the aromas and flavour of the beer in a very subtle way.

Tell us about the Milk Stout malt bill. Why are dark roasted malts so favourable for this style?

Dark roasted malts contribute to dark beer in many ways and as a brewer, it's important for us to ensure they are used in the right proportion. Heavy roasted malts are used more lightly to provide colour and toasted aromas, whereas the chocolate malt is not roasted as long and provides softer, dark chocolate and coffee notes. We like to use the palest chocolate malt we can to ensure the roasted malt character is balanced and not too overpowering.

What food will you be washing down with this beer?

This beer goes down great with meat! but I think given it's a top beer for the cooler months, any soup or stew goes hand in hand with a stout. Stout makes a good addition to any stew!

How long will this banger be around for, and where can people find it?

Milk stout will be in fridges around WA and NSW bottle shops for the cooler months and up until spring, but you'll generally find it available on tap at Beerfarm all year round.

Where or how will you be enjoying this beer?

I am a very seasonal drinker, I always find myself enjoying some Milk Stout by the fire and with a hearty, warming winter meal.

Head to your local bottle shop to get your mitts on some Milk Stout or shop with us online to get it delivered straight to your door, with Australia wide shipping. Cheers to dark beers!