The Sip #73 Bootleg Brewery Moo Chai Stout
Long-time beer drinker and The Sip editor Ross Lewis puts some of Australia's top drops to the test.
Catch up with other beers on The Sip Archive
There are no short cuts for Ryan Nilsson-Linne.
So when he decided to make a Chai Milk Stout for last month’s Great Australasian Beer Spectapular it meant constructing the drink from hand.
Even the Chai flavouring was produced by the Bootleg Brewery team. No pre-bought bags here. Nilsson-Linne made his own using supplies of cardamom, cinnamon and pepper sourced from the Margaret River region at turned it into a Bootleg Moo Chai Stout.
He eventually produced a brew that could be easily enjoyed at brunch as late on a cold winter’s night.
“We pride ourselves as craft brewers so that means we should be following the meaning of the title,” Nilsson-Linne told The Sip.
“We should be “crafting” all the ingredients together. So that’s why we made the Chai mix ourselves.”
It is that attention to detail that upholds the hard-working image of the micro-brewer.
The Moo Chai Stout lives on beyond GABS.
Bootleg Brewery have shipped plenty of cases to Perth and, without trying to be sexist in any way, it is a drink that will have appeal to either side of the gender line.
The Bootleg brigade has cheekily nicknamed the drop as their “Ninja Cow Beer”.
But it all started because Nilsson-Linne developed a strong passion for Chai Lattes in a bid to ease a coffee fetish.
What better way to enjoy the style than add some milk? And a bit of stout doesn’t hurt.
The result is beer that has plenty of spices when the nose is plunged into the glass before providing a sweet milk middle and some cinnamon before the finish.
While GABS can showcase gimmick brews, the Moo Chai Stout is a very serious drink with plenty of flavour.
It has been a busy time for Bootleg, which has also started their Hop Swap series. The Pale Ale recipe is constant but the hop changes over time. Nilsson-Linne started with Galaxy in the first version.
The Sip Snip
Moo Chai Stout
Brewer: Bootleg Brewery
Style: Milk Stout
Alcohol content: 5.2%
Standard drinks: 1.4
Bitterness: N/A
Bottles: 330ml
Estimated calories: 156
The Sip Tip (rating): Always keep one in the fridge.
Average prices: $18 per four-pack
