Widmer Snowplow Milk Stout

The beer that I've decided to try today is a blast from the past. I picked up this bottle of Widmer Snowplow Milk Stout last December, the last time that I was up in Portland. I drank most of them before I created this blog, but I found one last one in the fridge as I was deciding what beer to have tonight. This dark beer is traditionally released by Widmer between late October and early January as their winter seasonal, perfect for warming you from the inside on those cold snowy days. In stark contrast, I drank this beer when the high temperature outside was 98°, not exactly dark beer-drinking weather, but it still hit the spot.

According to the Widmer Brothers' page for this beer, this beer was the result of the Collaborator Project, a joint venture between the Brothers and the Oregon Brew Crew, one of the oldest and largest homebrewing clubs in the country. The first beer that was brewed out of the project (Summer of 1998), the Collaborator Milk Stout became the Snowplow Milk Stout, launched as the winter seasonal in 2004. It won the Gold Medal at the Great American Beer Festival, and is now their best-selling seasonal beer. (This according to the Collaborator Project homepage.) An interesting fact: They add 1500 lbs. of lactose per batch of Snowplow. (E-Mail)


Here are the stats:

Widmer Snowplow Milk Stout
BREWERY: Widmer Brothers Brewing Co., Portland, OR, USA
FIRST BREWED: 2004
CALORIES/SERVING: 235 per 12 oz. bottle
BITTERNESS: 28 IBUs
ABV: 5.5%
ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 17° Plato (1070.25)
MALTS: Pale, Caramel 60L, Wheat, Oats, Carapils, Black, Roasted Barley
HOPS: Alchemy, Willamette
SERVING TEMPERATURE: 50°F (10°C)
FOODS TO PAIR WITH: "Rich and decadent dishes like London broil with demi glaze sauce," dark chocolate
AWARDS: 2004 GABF Gold Medal Award Winner (British stout category)

Most of the information came from Widmer's Snowplow page. The rest came in e-mails I sent to the brewery.

Now, when I mean dark, I mean that this beer is dark as the night itself. Its color reminds me of Guinness, but the Snowplow's head is a rich caramel color that lingered and almost overflowed my Widmer glass. The aroma was slight and appealing, making my nose very happy. The first taste was extremely smooth with a thick, velvety flavor that was reminiscent of chocolate beers. It finished clean with a slight milky/coffee aftertaste that was very pleasant to taste.

This is a great beer to enjoy over the winter holiday season in front of a nice roaring fire with that special someone as the snow is falling outside. It probably will even taste better than my bottle, which means that you'll enjoy it even more than I did.

Prost!

UPDATE: I filled in some of the blanks from an e-mail I received on September 25th, 2007. Thanks so much David! I really appreciate it.