Lugene - Chocolate Milk Stout

Odell is a great regional brewer based in Ft. Collins and I stopped by the tasting room with Tibor and Dennis in early November.  Odell recently released a new beer in their 4-pack series call Lugene (8.5% ABV and ? IBU) a milk stout or sweet stout. Lugene is only available January – March.  The other offerings in the 4-pack series are Double Pilsner, Myrcenary, and Mountain Standard.  I have enjoyed, really enjoyed the other offerings in the 4-pack series and I added Lugene to my list.

Milk / Sweet Stout - http://beeradvocate.com/beer/style/82 – BeerAdvocate

Appearance – Lugene pours black with little to no head.

Aroma – Sweetness, chocolate, perhaps a touch of coffee and smoke.

Taste – One first tastes sweetness then chocolate and vanilla notes.  It has a finish with perhaps a touch of smoke and coffee but only a hint.  There is no bitterness with this beer.

Overall – A really nice milk stout and this would go great with deserts.  I think it would be fantastic with a fruit desert.

Lugene description – “If you’ve ever been to our brewery, you’ve likely seen the old, beat-up truck that hauls away our spent grain. That truck belongs to Lugene who’s been feeding his dairy cows the hearty malt for over a decade. Named in his honor, Lugene Chocolate Milk Stout is brewed with milk sugar and milk chocolate. The rich and creamy brew reminds us of a cold glass of chocolate milk and our hometown “Aggie” roots.”  Odell website

URL – http://odellbrewing.com/beer/lugene-chocolate-milk-stout/

Breckenridge – 72 Imperial

I have tried a number of Breckenridge beers and when I saw 72 Imperial (7.2% ABV and 11 IBU) that is a specialty stout, I wanted to try to try it.  I had tried Bell’s Special Double Cream Stout in late March and it was excellent.  I wondered how Breckenridge would do with this similar style and adding a touch of chocolate.

Milk / Sweet Stout– http://beeradvocate.com/beer/style/82- Beeradvocate

Appearance – It is dark with a dirty two-finger head. 

Aroma – Coffee, chocolate perhaps a hint of molasses and dark fruits.

Taste – Very good, with a rich taste and it tastes just like it smells with a nice chocolate coffee overtone and the dark fruit is in the background.  There is no bitterness with this beer and I can detect the alcohol in it.

Overall – B+ – Nice job by Breckenridge and this is a nice specialty ale. 

Website description – “Just sit back and enjoy the ride.” 

The malts are – Pale, Munich, Caramel and Victory.   The hop is Fuggle.

The chocolate is Dark Chocolate from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory

72 Imperial – http://www.breckbrew.com/brews/72-imperial

A night of Ales from the British Isles

Last evening, we gathered at Tibor and Nicole’s for the next round of Beer and Food Pairings.  We focused on beers from the British Isles and Nicole made some UK-inspired dishes of spice Beer Nuts, Fish & Chips with Slaw, and Bananas Foster for desert using Stroh Austria Rum for flambé.  I brought over some cheeses of Fontina, Applewood Smoked Cheddar and Cantelet.  For the beer, I brought over Fuller’s London Pride & Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown Ale, Chris brought Fuller’s Vintage Ale 2009 & Samuel Smith’s Taddy Porter, Dennis brought over Tetley’s English Ale & Young’s Double Chocolate Stout, and Tibor had Murphy’s Irish Stout and Boddingtons Pub Ale.  These were all very tasty and very drinkable.  I would not hesitate to try any of these again and it is a real tribute to the Brewers of these beers that they make it to the U.S. in very good condition.  With the exception of Fuller’s Vintage Ale – 2009, none of these are meant to be aged, all tasted very good.  Below are some of the pictures I took during the evening.  The fish (cod) was cooked to perfection and the Bananas Foster cooked in 160-proof Stroh Austrian Rum was a highlight.  We paired the Porter and the Vintage Ale with Bananas Foster and the pairing was very good.  I thought the Porter paired better than the Vintage Ale.  The next meeting we will cover Mexican food – still deciding on the bee.

Tetley’s English Ale (3.6% ABV) is an English Pale Ale.

Boddingtons Pub Ale (4.7% ABV) is an English Pale Ale.

Fuller’s London Pride (4.7% ABV) is an English Pale Ale.

Fish & Chips with Slaw – Fish cooked to perfection – Bravo Nicole – slaw was excellent.

Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown Ale (5% ABV) is an English Brown Ale.

Murphy’s Irish Stout (4% ABV) is an Irish Dry Stout.

Samuel Smith’s Taddy Porter (5% ABV) is an English Porter.

Bananas Foster – Flame ON.

Fuller’s Vintage Ale – 2009 (8.5% ABV) is an Old Ale.

Young’s Double Chocolate Stout (5.2% ABV) is a Milk / Sweet Stout.

The Brew Crew – Tibor, Chris, Dennis and Chef Nicole.