Another edition of Beer of the Week sponsored as always by the stout-hearted folks at Glen Lake Wine & Spirits who can help supply you with the wine, whiskey, and beer you need for your daily fortification. 

We continue our series on beers Our featured beer this week comes from Brau Brothers Brewing Company located in the greater Lucan metro area in southwestern Minnesota. It’s their Moo Joos Oatmeal Milk Stout. That’s a particular combination of th stout style that has a particularly rich history:

Milk stout (also called sweet stout or cream stout) is a stout containing lactose, a sugar derived from milk. Because lactose is unfermentable by beer yeast, it adds sweetness, body, and calories to the finished beer. Milk stout was claimed to be nutritious, and was given to nursing mothers.

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There was a revival of interest in using oats during the end of the 19th century, when (supposedly) restorative, nourishing and invalid beers, such as the later milk stout, were popular, because of the association of porridge with health.

Tastes good and it’s good for you. Hard to beat that. 

12oz brown bottle. The label is a bit of a mess with a design featuring four squares with various shades of brown. 

STYLE: Stout

ALCOHOL BY VOLUME: 5.8% 

COLOR (0-2): Dark, rich black. 2

AROMA (0-2): Cocoa and vanilla. 2

HEAD (0-2): Tan color, not much volume, fades quickly, but laces the glass well. 2

TASTE (0-5): Sweet malts, chocolate, vanilla, a touch of smoke with bitter coffee at the finish. The mouthfeel is a bit thin, but smooth. Medium-bodied with noticeable carbonation. Surprisingly drinkable. 4 

AFTERTASTE (0-2): Long and lingering. 2 

OVERALL (0-6): This is a tasty example of the stout style with the combination of milk and oatmeal flavors playing quite nicely together. It’s rich and complex, but not overly so and maintains a fair amount of refreshing drinkability. Definitely a good comfort beer for the season. Hoist one tonight for your health. 4 

TOTAL SCORE (0-19): 16