I’m generally a fan of Left Hand’s beers, and there’s been a lot of hype on their facebook page about the new milk stout nitro bottles, so I figured I’d give it a try. Color me underwhelmed, both with the nitro bottle and the beer itself. I gave a hard pour from about 6 inches above the rim of my 22oz weizen glass, and I did see a short cascading effect similar to a Guinness widget can, but it was faint and brief. I only ended up with about a quarter inch of head (although it does last forever). The mouthfeel is smooth and creamy, but I definitely attribute that to the oats and lactose more than the nitro.
I must admit, I can’t really remember the last time I’ve had a beer billed as a Milk Stout. Flavor-wise, I can take it or leave it. While the sweetness is certainly not cloying, it is totally superfluous IMO. If this was brewed dry, it would make a fantastic oatmeal stout. As it is, the sweetness doesn’t really do anything for me. Maybe this style just isn’t my tastes, so YMMV.