Beer & Cookie Pairings: Milk Stout & Oreos

The Twelfth Beer of Christmas 2022

Beer: Coffee Milk Stout Brewer: Zilker Brewing Co. Location: Austin, TX9 Website: https://zilkerbeer.com/ Style: Milk Stout ABV: 5.8% Cookies: Oreos from Nabisco and Chocolate Chip from United Supermarkets

Texas Ale Project - Somethin' Shady

The Eleventh Beer of Christmas 2017 is Somethin' Shady from the Texas Ale Project in Dallas, Texas.

Summary

• Appearance: Deep brown, ruby around the edges. Creamy cap of foam.
• Aroma: Malty sweet with dark roasted coffee and chocolate.
• Taste: Dark roasted malt & coffee. A touch of chocolate. Not much hop bitterness. More coffee bitter than hop.
• Feel: Medium body. Smooth finish.

Stats

• Brewer: Texas Ale Project
• Location: Dallas, Texas
• Website: http://texasaleproject.com/
• Style: Porter
• Alcohol Content: 5.5% ABV

Santa Fe Brewing - Imperial Java Stout

For the Thirteenth Beer of Christmas, our final night in this Brewer's Dozen Celebration, we salute the Land of Enchantment with a beer that's worthy to come from such a magically named place.

Santa Fe Brewing
Imperial Java Stout

In October 2013 I visited Santa Fe, New Mexico, to attend a conference. The #2 item on my list for that trip, just below giving my presentation at said conference, was to visit the brewery that makes the magically delicious Imperial Java Stout. Yes, I know, I'm mixing geographic genres with Ireland's leprechauns with New Mexico's general air of enchantment.

Filled with a rich, cola colored brew that's capped with a thick, chocolate milk colored head of bubbles, you might think you've just poured yourself a coke float. Don't let the look fool you, this is much, much better tasting than any coke float! The head settles down and is just minimal traces across the top by the time you're halfway done. Lacing on the glass is spotty.

The aroma is a mix of roasted malts and roasted coffee beans. It's dark and rich with a bit of dark chocolate and a touch of sweet caramel to round it out. Despite being 8% ABV, there is little to no alcohol scent.

Similarly, the high alcohol content is masked by the intense flavor explosion of coffee and roasted malt. Coffee comes through at the forefront - fitting with "java" in the name - with roasted malts coming in not far behind. There's a bit of bittersweet baking chocolate in there, too. Hop flavor is minimal. Medium to full bodied with low to moderate carbonation, the drink clears the back of the tongue with a bittering that is more coffee than anything else.

The low alcohol feel and the subdued hops make me think this is more "coffee stout" than "imperial stout." However, the body and actual alcohol content tell a different story.

This is one of my all time favorite beers, which is why I chose to make it the final beer in this year's special Brewer's Dozen. If you're in Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, or planning a trip to New Mexico, you owe it to yourself to stop by Santa Fe Brewing. It will be a treat. Try the Chicken Killer Barley Wine, too. I'm not generally a barley wine fan, but they made me a believer.

Stats
Brewer: Santa Fe Brewing Company
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico
Website: http://www.santafebrewing.com
Style: Imperial Stout
Alcohol Content: 8.00% ABV

Interesting Note: Possibly because this beer is so good and so coffee flavored, the folks at Santa Fe Brewing added some helpful instructions to the can. As seen in the picture above, there's a beer mug on the can with the words "after noon." On the opposite side of the can as seen to the right, there's a coffee cup with the words "before noon." So, coffee before noon and this beer after noon. Or, maybe they mean that in the mornings you should drink this from a coffee cup so that no one realizes what you're drinking. Yeah, I think that's a pretty good plan!

Full Sail Brewing - Wassail Winter Ale

For the Eleventh Beer of Christmas, we set sail for a brewery with 47 employee owners. We'll delve into that cool little footnote at the end of the review.

Full Sail is another relatively new to Lubbock brew that I've been looking forward to sampling.  I don't know the first thing about sailing, but I do know good beer and the 47 employee owners of Full Sail apparently do, too.

Reddish brown with a moderate head, the beer makes for a pretty glass.  The head quickly subsided to next to nothing.  Just a thin ring where the beer met the glass.

Piney hops come through in the aroma.  There are also notes of citrus, roasted chocolate malt, and a hint of oak-aged whiskey.  I can't find any information that suggests this brew was barrel aged.  It's probably just a combination of the roasted malts and high alcohol content.

A strong does of roasted coffee and malt forms the base flavor.  Warming alcohol and a bite of citrus hops round out the middle taste while bittersweet chocolates close each drink.  Full bodied with low carbonation, each drink is just shy of being called "chewy."

By the end of the first glass, I was feeling a bit full and a bit warm.  This isn't a sessionable beer.  But it would make for a great night in front of the fire place with two glasses of beer.

Aaron said this was another good, toasty one.  Brandon said it had coffee flavor and he thinks it's "awesome."

Ratings

Aaron: 10
Brandon: 10
Wyatt: 8
Tracy: 10

Stats
Brewer: Full Sail Brewing Company
Location: Hood River, OR
Website: http://www.FullSailBrewing.com
Style: Winter Warmer
Alcohol Content: 7.2% ABV
Interesting Note: In 1999, twelve years (and certainly more than twelve beers) after opening, Full Sail split up ownership of the brewery among their 47 employees. Reading their company mantra, I have to admit that I felt a little choked up. Give it a read: http://www.fullsailbrewing.com/mantra.cfm .