Odell's Lugene Chocolate Milk Stout

Cream or milk stouts draw both their strength and sweetness from the addition of lactose during the brewing process.

Odell’s Lugene, released just a couple of weeks ago, goes a step further, introducing milk chocolate into the mix. The result is something like a cross between latte and Ovaltine—with an 8.5 percent belt of alcohol thrown in.

This combination strikes your nose as you pour. The aroma is heady and sweet, with light chocolate riding over roasted malt comparable to torched bread.

It’s as if some filling from s’mores dripped into campfire charcoal, though hints of vanilla, sour fruit and a more forceful reminder of alcohol quickly stamp out such comparisons.

Lugene Chocolate Milk Stout is simply a potent beer. After a rush of charred malt and sugar across your palate, the familiar-from-childhood taste of powdered chocolate mix emerges.

Despite the alcohol content, it is a smooth and easy brew. There’s little beyond the initial impression to contemplate, other than a faint indication of vanilla. The folks in Fort Collins even hold bitterness in reserve.

Perhaps a hint of real dark chocolate may have added a counterweight to all the sweetness. Yet it’s a pleasant beer.

Take it slow on a cold winter night and Lugene Chocolate Milk Stout will help idle away the hours.