trathbone's Profile

As with many New Belgium beers, this one seems to me to be a "dumbed down" version of a great microbrew. So, at the end, it's a good microbrew that's very drinkable.

None of their stuff blows me away.

Must've just been a poorly mixed wort. Go ahead and mix it all up - the added oxygen is the other benefit there.

You seem to be progressing well, and challenging yourself - which is great. Your finished product has a great color to it. Get a bigger pot and keep it up! It's a fantastic hobby.

Andrew's Cheese Shop in Santa Monica is great as well.

To answer some questions posed on the Milk Stout review page:

Milk stout is called so because lactose is added to the fermentation. This is added because it is not fermentable by the yeast, thus leaving the creamy sweetness behind without boosting the alcohol content. Many milk stouts are also called "Breakfast Stouts" because of the generally lower alcohol content and sweetness. They're also great after meals.

Thank you for NOT including Killians! That stuff is crap.

I'm both a beer dork and a homebrewer. Most homebrewers use ale yeasts. They are more forgiving, and ferment at more accessible temperatures - perfect for the beginner and novice homebrewers.

Fermenting with lager yeast requires very specific temperature control to get the characteristic crisp tastes that quality lagers have. It requires fermenting at a set temperature, bringing the temperature back up for a diacetyl rest, and bringing it back down. Otherwise, you will get some very strange off flavors. All this requires careful attention to detail and a larger investment in equipment.