Casting about for something to drink with my“ Cowbell Sammich” I felt like a child lost in the dark forest.
I am not a fan of the IPA’ s— a little too cloying for my taste— and I’ m not really a lager fan. I am drawn to the dark beers, the stouts, even the occasional porter. Accordingly, I settled on something called“ Left Hand Milk Stout Nitro” brewed by an outfit from Longmont, Colorado.
Milk stouts are dark, thick ales with very low carbonation. In general, they have notes of sweetened coffee, espresso, and chocolate. Milk stouts have a subtle sweetness reminiscent of whole milk( as the name suggests) although there’ s no milk involved, not since England in the early 1900s.
Touted as a“ full sensory experience” it was super smooth and dark, with swirling with flavors of mocha, roastiness and … maybe vanilla?
A mesmerizing cascade of tiny nitro bubbles feeds a fulsome, pillowy head that coats the upper lip. Profoundly satisfying! It seems like the folks down at the Firebird Tap House are on to the burgeoning local music scene. The night we went there to eat, we saw Dave Sisson. And a couple of weeks back we went out there to see Frank Jones play and bumped into some old friends. We couldn’ t help noticing as we sat at the bar that there’ s a little astro-turf, twinkle light courtyard out back, complete with picnic table and cornhole games— a nice little beer garden, once the weather gives way.
All things considered, if you like beer and you like smoked meat, you are probably going to enjoy the Firebird Tap House, located at 4040 State Highway 46, just east of Nashville. Advertised hours are 11 a. m. to 11 p. m. •
May / June 2024 • Our Brown County 25