50 States/50 Beer Reviews- New York ~ Charleston Craft Beer

Monday, November 28, 2011

50 States/50 Beer Reviews- New York

5:59:00 PM Charleston Craft Beer No comments

Keegan Ales- Mother's Milk Stout Beer Review

Taken from their website:

"Keegan Ales was founded in early 2003 when Tommy Keegan learned about an empty building in Kingston that nobody would buy because there was a defunct brewery stuck in it! (Although the building was built in the early 1800′s, the building was most recently home to the Woodstock Brewing Company.) After months of cleaning and rebuilding, Keegan Ales brewed its first batch of beers on August 1, 2003(Tommy’s mom’s birthday) and set out hand-selling beer to local bars and restaurants early September. The first kegs of Old Capital, Hurricane Kitty and Mother’s Milk went to competition at Hunter Mountain that month. Mother’s Milk took home a gold medal and Old Capital was honored with People’s Choice: Best of Show. Keegan Ales has gone on to win many more awards and recognitions, including Best Brewery in The Hudson Valley (2009), Best Brewery in New York State (2009) and Best Craft-Brewed Beer in New York State (2009). Early in 2010, The New York Times declared Mother’s Milk one of the top ten stouts in North America and Keegan Ales has also been awarded 2010 Small Business of the Year by The Ulster Chamber of Commerce and The Ulster County Development Corporation."

Keegan Ale's regular beer portfolio consists of Old Capital (Golden Ale), Hurricane Kitty (IPA), and Mother's Milk (Milk Stout), all of which they sell in bottles. They also feature some seasonal beers that are only available at the brewery. Seasonal beers have included Super Kitty, White Ale, Four Philosophers Belgian Tripple and Joe Mama's Milk.

For this review I tasted their Mother's Milk (not literally). They describe it as being a "dark and creamy milk stout. Hints of oatmeal, chocolate, and of course, milk make Mother’s Milk’s remarkably smooth and silky finish a classic example of the style."

Tasting Notes

Appearance: Poured a 12 oz. bottle into a glass. Poured black with a brownish thick head. Reduced to a thin ring of foam and left lacing along the way.

Aroma: Picking up chocolate and coffee. Nice and malty aroma. Very sweet smell.