Once it Hits Your Lips, It’s So Good

I love stout. Specifically, I love Russian Imperial Stouts. They are sweet, strong, complex, basically, they are everything that is fantastic about beer. But what if you could take that big hevy Russian Imperial and turn it into a session beer. In my opnion, you’d end up with Mackeson’s XXX Stout.

For those who don’t know, Mackeson’s has a bit of history. Back before the world wars, there was a popular style known as milk stout. This came from the use of lactose, an unfermentable sugar which added sweetness, body and calories. Current British law won’t allow for the use of the name milk stout so the style is now known as cream or sweet stout. Sadly, the style has fallen out of popularity. Thankfully, with the help of Trader Joe’s and Boston Beer Company, the style has been brought back to the United States.

When you pour this stout into a glass, it comes out an oily black with very little head. I tried my hardest to bring the head out in this beer and was rewarded with a very thin head, cocoa in color. As I mentioned before, this beer drinks like a Russian imperial stout, but without the huge body and alcohol kick. Easy to gulp, you can do so guiltlessly, since this is a 5% beer, on par with any macro-swill on the store shelves. As usual, I bought only one bottle and was disappointed at that decision, because this one didn’t last long. Thankfully Trader Joe’s is down the street and at $1 per bottle, filling your fridge with these is an easy task.

So what inspired this purchase? I’m a sucker for advertising. But not just any advertising, old advertising. The kind that advertises beers that are no longer brewed. So when I saw a lady leaving Tradre Joe’s with a 6 pack of Mackeson’s Stout, I did some research and found that the XXX Stout was in fact the old milk stout brought back to life. Below is the piece of advertising that did me in. What can I say, it brings a smile to my face.

Finally, I’ve been accused f being not too friendly towards Sam Adam’s and Boston Beer Company. If I’ve ever said anything bad, this beer puts my foot in my mouth. Excellent beer, definitely going into my list of favorites.