16 oz. Growler- $9 (including glass)
Background
With a name like “I Like My Cookies With A Little Kareem” I was immediately intrigued and knew it was a matter of time before I brought some home with me. This is another milk stout entry from the good folks at Monkey Town Brewing Company in my home town of Dayton, Tennessee.
As far as I can tell, this beer came about when someone had the idea to add 11 pounds of whole Oreo cookies to Monkey Town’s milk stout. There isn’t much more information about it on their website or Facebook page, except that it also includes lactose (it is a milk stout), vanilla and chocolate. It weighs in a 6.2% ABV and is available on tap to enjoy with a meal, or in growlers that you can take home. I’m stuck on these 16 ounce growlers that allow me to carry home a good pint of beer and have to worry about downing 32 or 64 ounces of the same beer in a short time frame.
Notes
Black and thick for appearance is the standard with any stout and this did not disappoint. The aroma was actually fairly mild, with just a vague sweetness that could have been Oreo with basically a chocolate and vanilla front-end.
On the first sip the Oreo cookie flavor really came through in a big way. There was a ton of chocolate with secondary notes of bread and vanilla. The finish had a slight creamy coffee flavor.
I paired this beer with a Tatuaje Havana Cazador Broadleaf, a cigar I had no doubt would work well in this context. Tat Maduro cigars and a stout or porter has seemed to become my go-to for beer reviews and pairings, but only because they work so well and I seem to have Tat Maduros around all the time. If you can’t get your hands on one, though, try this beer with any robust, full-bodied Maduro…Dunbarton’s Mi Querida, Drew Estate’s Liga Privada #9, Padron 1964 Maduro…heck even a Punch Maduro would work well, I think.
The cigar carried plenty of sweetness in the Maduro wrapper leaf, along with a punchy pepper spice and a solid earthiness at the core. The beer bolstered the sweetness, then brought the bread and vanilla notes, which seemed to come out even clearer after a puff of the cigar.
Surprise! I really enjoyed this beer…but then again, it’s a milk stout with additions that really work to please my sweet tooth. Good stuff, but I have to say I enjoyed the Cuckoo for Coco-Nuts more. I found that one to have a little more complexity overall.
If you’re in the Chattanooga area, take a short drive north to Dayton, take a left on Market Street, then a right turn when you get to 1st Avenue. Monkey Town Brewing Company will be on your left. If you don’t live in the Chattanooga area, maybe it’s time for a visit.
