Beer Review: Hunter Double Milk Stout

photo by Kevin Gibson

Beer from Indiana that’s crafted from the inside out

I’m all about the beer inside the container, but I’m willing to admit that I can be swayed by cool packaging art. 18th Street Brewery, based in Hammond, Ind., has cool packaging art.

Designer Joey Potts gives the products bold looks that range from the stuff of hellish nightmares to funky, cartoonish themes to steampunk. So, when I ran across a can of the brewery’s Hunter, a double milk stout, I was ready to give it a chance if only because of the gold and black visual that looked like it may have been born in an H.P. Lovecraft nightmare.

Naturally, I grabbed one and stocked it away to use as a gloomy day pick-me-up, and when I finally poured it into the glass, a moderately foamy tan head developed and exploded with aromas of roastiness, chocolate, and hints of vanilla. It’s one of those beers you’re content to hold in your hands and sniff for a few moments before you dig in.

The deep black color of the beer had me expecting a thick, chewy body, but one sip is all it took to realize the brew drinks much cleaner than expected. The best part is, it establishes this relatively sleek texture without compromising the big flavors locked inside. It was surprisingly sweet, but never cloying, leading with cocoa-nib-fueled chocolate flavors to go with a creamy body and moderate lactose sweetness. I also sense an interesting nutty note that is enveloped by further notes of roasted malts, vanilla and a touch of caramel.

The sweetness is offset by a finish that tingles with Warrior and Cascade hops, acting to balance the sweetness, and providing a more astringent farewell than I’d expect from a beer like this. Anyone who loves a lacto-milk stout would go for a Hunter. It’s a beer with a creamy, yet bright body that stays just shy of being overly sweet. At 8% alcohol by volume, it’s big enough to warm you on a winter night, but not over-the-top boozy. The balance here is deft, indeed.

This beer part of the brewery’s Hunter Vertical Series, which features variations ranging from maple to vanilla to coffee. Those beers typically are released at the brewery’s taprooms in Hammond and Gary, but this one was a nice bottle shop find—and not just because of the cool artwork.

If Lovecraft’s fictional entity Cthulhu drinks beer, I suspect it might be something like this one – sweet but assertive.

Then again, Cthulhu would probably drink beer brewed with chaos and suffering. So if you’re human, stick with Hunter.