Cassels New Zealand Milk Stout

A bold statement to stick "best milk stout in the world"on your bottle, but I guess they have the paperwork to back it up. Cassels isn't a brewery I've heard of before (but we don't get much south Island beer other than Moa and Emmersons and the occasional Sprig and Fern up on the North Island!), but I had finished a night shift and was craving a good stout, so picked up this on the way home.

Poured beautifully with a nice creamy stouty head, and had a good whaft of roasty chocolatey malts. First sip was almost too much to think about, I got creamy, chocolatey and delicious, but nowhere near as much sweet as I was expecting from a milk stout (which has non-fermentable sugar - lactose - added so it stays sweet after fermentation), but a nice hoppy bittnerness underneath that almost reminded me of a Murphy's or Guiness (which I don't think any other stout has ever done for me). The hops flavours don't usually shine through in a stout, especially in a sweet milk stout, but they've managed to sneak it in perfectly. While I'm almost lost for words trying to describe it (chocolate, caramel, cream, hoppy bitterness...) it actually came together really well without being too much and without being overwhelming. I can see why it got best milk stout in the world. My only problem was that I wanted another one after I'd finished, but I settled for a Bailey's.

cassels.nz

ABV: 5.2%
Brewery: Cassels Brewing Co

Region: Christchurch
Style: Milk Stout
Wife check: Whoops, another one I snuck while she was out of town