Florida Beer Company - Mackeson XXX Triple Stout

The Milk Stout style originated in England, where it was first created at the Hythe Brewery in Kent in 1907 and released to the public in 1909 under the name Mackeson's, as a celebration of the brewery's 240th anniversary. The brewery patented the style, which uses the unfermentable milk sugar, lactose, to make the beer more nutritious (in the eyes of the people of the day, at least), not to mention sweeter. They licensed the style to breweries around the country who quickly popularized the style. Florida Beer Company now produces this world classic here in the U.S., for which we're very thankful.

Mackeson pours a deep, dark brown color – virtually opaque – topped with a handsome crop of brown foam. In the aroma, look for prominent roasty notes akin to fresh ground coffee and charred toast, with hints of pure cacao, and there's an underlying creamy impression that hints at what's to come. In the flavor, look for bold, roasty notes to take center stage amidst a satiny lactose sweetness that balances the darker malt notes without the cloying levels of sweetness occasionally found in the style. As we expect, it's super creamy on the palate, with chocolate notes coming forth prominently along with hints of treacle and brown sugar. For pairing options, the brewery recommends roasted or smoked meats, smoked chicken wings, well aged cheddar and chocolate espresso cake. Cheers!

The Florida Beer Company has been among the leaders of Florida’s craft brewing renaissance. Founded originally in 1994 as Ybor City Brewing Company by Humberto Perez, a third generation brewer (his grandfather began one of Venezuela’s largest breweries back in 1929), the company grew to feature several different beer brands, with each offering a sense of Floridian pride in their beer names and label art. Around 2003, Perez moved brewing operations from their original Ybor City location to another brewery in Melbourne, FL: Indian River Beverage Corp., mid-way down the state’s Atlantic coast.

Not long after, Jim Massoni and Ed Scott purchased the company and renamed it Florida Beer Company. Between 2012 and 2014, after reaching capacity at the old Melbourne location, brewing operations transitioned to a new, much larger facility in Cape Canaveral. Residing in the former home of Chrysler’s missile operations, which supported such NASA programs as Mercury and Apollo, FBC boasts a new visitor center and tap room where you can sample all of their tasty brews. For more information about the brewery, their tap room, and tours, call 321-728-4114, or visit them at www.floridabeer.com.