Left Hand Milk Stout 6Pk

Left Hand Milk Stout 6Pk is a 6% ABV sweet stout brewed with lactose by Left Hand Brewing Company in Longmont, Colorado, sold as a six-pack of 12 oz bottles. A Gold Medal winner at the 2006 World Beer Cup in the Sweet Stout category and again at the 2013 Great American Beer Festival, this flagship milk stout holds a 92 rating on Beer Advocate and ranks among the most decorated American sweet stouts in production.

Quick Facts: ABV: 6%  |  Origin: Longmont, Colorado  |  Style: Milk Stout (Sweet Stout)  |  Brewery: Left Hand Brewing Company

Production & Heritage

Left Hand Brewing Company was founded in 1993 along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains in Longmont, Colorado. The Milk Stout is built on a grain bill of pale 2-row, Crystal, Munich, roasted barley, flaked oats, flaked barley, and chocolate malt, hopped with Magnum and US Goldings. The mash rests at 151°F for 90 minutes, followed by a 90-minute boil during which lactose — an unfermentable milk sugar — is added 15 minutes before knockout. Because yeast cannot metabolize lactose, it carries through to the finished beer as a source of residual body and sweetness. This standard CO2-carbonated version is distinct from Left Hand's pioneering Nitro variant, which the brewery developed as the first American craft beer packaged in a nitrogen-charged bottle.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Roasted malts and milk chocolate lead the nose, followed by brown sugar and vanilla cream. A subtle roasted coffee note emerges as the beer warms in the glass.

Taste: The entry is rich with chocolate and roasted malt, quickly joined by a round lactose sweetness at mid-palate. Coffee and vanilla develop through the middle, while a restrained hop bitterness from the Magnum and Goldings keeps the sweetness balanced. Flaked oats and barley contribute a creamy, medium-bodied mouthfeel that reinforces the chocolate-milk impression.

Finish: Moderate in length with a lingering mocha quality and a clean roasty dryness. The lactose sweetness gradually recedes, leaving behind a pleasant warmth and faint bittersweet cocoa.

How to Drink Left Hand Milk Stout

Pour into a tulip glass or English pint glass at 45–50°F to fully open the chocolate and roasted aromas; avoid serving ice-cold, which mutes the malt complexity. This stout also works well in a few beer-based mixed drinks: a Black Velvet, where sparkling wine cuts through the malt richness with bright effervescence; a Snakebite, blending half-and-half with dry hard cider for a sweet-tart contrast; or a Chocolate Stout Float, dropping a scoop of vanilla ice cream into the glass to amplify the beer's inherent cream-and-cocoa character.

Best For

• Introducing dark beers to someone new to the stout category
• Cold-weather fireside sessions with friends
• Gifting to a craft beer enthusiast who favors malt-forward styles
• Pairing alongside a dessert course at a dinner party

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Left Hand Milk Stout taste like? It delivers rich chocolate and roasted malt flavors balanced by a smooth lactose sweetness, with supporting notes of coffee, vanilla, and brown sugar. The mouthfeel is creamy and medium-bodied, finishing clean with a gentle roasty dryness.

How does Left Hand Milk Stout compare to Guinness Draught? Guinness Draught is a dry stout at 4.2% ABV with pronounced roasty bitterness and a lighter body, while Left Hand Milk Stout is a sweet stout brewed with lactose that adds noticeable creaminess and chocolate sweetness at 6% ABV. The lactose gives Left Hand a fuller, dessert-leaning profile compared to Guinness's crisp, dry character.

Is Left Hand Milk Stout good for beginners? The lactose sweetness and smooth chocolate character make it one of the most approachable entry points into dark beer. It lacks the sharp, bitter edge that can be off-putting in drier stout styles.

Where is Left Hand Milk Stout made? Left Hand Milk Stout is brewed at Left Hand Brewing Company in Longmont, Colorado, a craft brewery founded in 1993 situated along the northern Front Range of the Rocky Mountains.

What foods pair well with Left Hand Milk Stout? Flourless chocolate cake or brownies, where the beer mirrors the dessert's cocoa richness; slow-smoked barbecue brisket, whose char and rendered fat find balance against the malt sweetness; sharp cheddar or aged Gouda, providing a salty counterpoint to the lactose; fresh oysters, a classic stout pairing where brine contrasts the roasted grain; and vanilla ice cream, which amplifies the cream-and-chocolate profile.

What sizes does Left Hand Milk Stout come in? This product is a six-pack of 12 oz bottles; Left Hand also produces the Milk Stout in single bottles and offers a separate Nitro variant in both bottles and widget-equipped cans.

Is Left Hand Milk Stout worth the price? Left Hand Milk Stout sits in the accessible craft beer tier, priced competitively among American sweet stouts. Multiple gold medals and a Beer Advocate score of 92 make it a strong value within the category.

Why Left Hand Milk Stout?

Two major gold medals — a 2006 World Beer Cup Gold in the Sweet Stout category and a 2013 Great American Beer Festival Gold — position this beer among the most critically validated milk stouts brewed in the United States. The grain bill layers six specialty malts alongside late-boil lactose, producing a complexity that extends well beyond simple sweetness into roasted coffee, vanilla, and bittersweet cocoa territory. Left Hand Brewing's three decades of operation in Longmont, Colorado, inform a recipe that has remained the brewery's flagship and a reliable benchmark for the sweet stout style. A 92 on Beer Advocate confirms its standing with both critics and everyday drinkers as a definitive American milk stout.