Heads up! For February, 2014, the Abita Brewing Company of Abita Springs, Louisiana, is the beer of the month at Taco Mac. That means four featured beers, and a special beer glass giveaway each Thursday night. The four featured beers are Abita Strawberry Harvest Lager, Abita Mardi Gras Bock, and two new beers, Wrought Iron IPA and the beer I’m enjoying this evening, Abita Macchiato Espresso Milk Stout.

Abita Macchiato Espresso Milk Stout is a specialty release made with coffee from New Orleans own PJs Coffee. It’s part of the Abita Select series and I was surprised when I ordered it to get only an 11-ounce glass. That’s a first for a beer of the month at Taco Mac. Abita Macchiato Espresso Milk Stout is named for the Macchiato coffee drink made from espresso and steamed milk, and is an attempt to emulate the intense coffee notes and creaminess of that beverage. Except, of course, it’s better. It’s beer.

Abita says this about the beer and its ingredients on their website:

The Abita Macchiato is made with pale, caramel, chocolate and roasted malts. Oats and lactose are added to give the beer a more robust and sweeter taste. The sweetness of the lactose helps balance the bitterness of the brew. The roasted malts give the beer its dark color as well as its intense flavor and aroma. Willamette hops are added to balance out the sweetness of the malts. Finally, PJ's espresso dolce beans are added to the aging tank. This gives the beer a strong coffee flavor and aroma that compliments the existing flavors of the malt.

Abita Macchiato Espresso Milk Stout has an alcohol content of 6% by volume and 21 IBUs. It’s sold in 22-ounce bomber bottles (which I have yet to see) and on draft. As I said, Taco Mac serves this one in 11-ounce glasses, but they soften the blow by only charging $4.50, and I got a free glass with it to boot.

My glass of Abita Macchiato Espresso Milk Stout arrived a jet black in color with a light creamy tan head formation and intense chocolate and coffee aromas in the nose. Taking a sip, I get a smooth creamy palate with big coffee grind and milk chocolate flavors and a balancing roasty finish. The coffee flavors are very robust here, in your face and very, very delicious. The smooth creaminess of the drink makes it hard to stop sipping, though I might have liked more body and think the beer could benefit from that. Still, the coffee and chocolate really came out as it warmed, and I found this beer delightful indeed.

If you see this one, buy it my friends. I know I for one will be trying it in the bottle as well.



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