By Kevin Burns, Beer Columnist
A few weeks ago I reviewed Ithaca's TEN which won the 2008 gold medal of the F.X. Matt Memorial Cup as the best beer in New York State.
Well this week we decided to review the 2009 winner of F.X. Cup, Keegan Ales' Joe-Mama's Milk Stout, their latest draft-only release. It's a coffee stout that blends coffee from the Muddy Cup Cafe with Keegan's wildly popular milk stout Mother's Milk.
Joe-Mama's poured a pitch black color with a finger width tan head. The aroma has some light roasted malt, but is dominated by coffee beans.
The body is smooth with a fairly low amount of carbonation. There is a huge blast of coffee up front before dying out slightly and allowing the creamy texture, and flavors of roasted malts to show through. The finish is short with a light bitterness.
This is a really, really well-made beer as the coffee blends nicely with the rest of the beer. Beer fans who do not drink coffee may be turned off by this beer but I really enjoyed it. The depth and complexity are amazing and the beer is extremely well balanced.
This beer is worth the trip to St. James Street in Kingston.
Producer: Keegan Ales
ABV: 8%
Price: $15. (64 oz. Growler)
Rating: 
(3.5 out of 5 | Very good-to-Delicious)