Lactose Porter
Brewery: Hops & Grain
Style: Alternative Sugar Beer (31B)
Package: 12oz Can
Purchased: January 2019, Whichcraft
Packaged Date: 11/26/18
Consumed Date: 2/24/19
Details from the Brewer
ABV: 6.8%
In comparison to our Porter Culture, with Lactose Porter we changed the malt bill, removed a few other ingredients and introduced lactose during the brewing process.
Provides similar flavor notes of coffee, chocolate, raisin and a deeper finish of tobacco – with a rounded out velvety-smoothness thanks to the Lactose!
Review
Aroma – 11/12
A moderate cocoa and fig smell hits the nose first. A nice malt profile backs this up with graham cracker, bread crust and grainy notes at a low-medium intensity. Wisps of dark fruit and red apple esters are also apparent. A low sweetness is present, but no alcohol.
Appearance – 3/3
Pours a very dark brown, almost black liquid. Although dark, has good clarity. Small bubbles form a dense tan head. It hangs around with great retention. Minor lacing as well. Some floaters towards the bottom of the can.
Flavor – 17/20
No single flavor jumps out at the start. Raisins, bread crust, and bakers chocolate blend in equally with flavors of fig, and biscuit at a medium level. Lesser notes of coffee, caramel and roast pop up, but at a low intensity. The beer carries a significate sweetness, with very low bitterness. Some earthiness appears with a touch of apple esters before the finish. The finish leaves some sweetness in the mouth with some malt character as well.
Mouthfeel – 5/5
Luscious. The texture is silky, coating the mouth, but not sticky. Medium carbonation hits the lips and back of the throat. No astringency, and only a slight alcohol warmth throughout the mouth. As the beer warms, the finish becomes a little sharper and looses a touch of smoothness.
Overall Impression – 9/10
This is a fantastic porter. The flavors are very well balanced an integrated with one another. A great depth of character kept me reaching for my glass to discover more character. Very minor tweaks would be to increase the malt character just a touch. I think the sweetness and body was a bit overdone, but honestly it still worked really well with the beer.
Rating – 45/50
Wow. I’m not usually a fan of lactose in beers. I enjoy very few Sweet (milk) Stouts, and have a casual disregard for milkshake IPA. The lactose here just worked so well though. What a great mouthfeel. The balance was fantastic, with flavors casually intermingling. I’m really surprised I haven’t heard much about this beer from the Austin beer scene. I honestly might like this better than their Porter Culture!
