Farsons Lacto Milk Stout

is a sweet, dark beer (3.8% ABV) from the Mediterranean island of Malta.

“Milk stout” is a traditional British ale style brewed with lactose (milk sugar—the beer doesn’t contain milk). Lactose cannot be fermented by ale yeast, so it stays behind in the finished beer, resulting in a sweet flavor and smooth body in a beer that’s relatively low in alcohol. Historically, in a time of food shortages it was seen as a source of energy among working class families, and it has acquired a reputation as a tonic for the infirm. See milk stout.

So it may seem unusual for one of the most noted examples of the style to be brewed not in the drizzle-gray streets of England, but on a sun-baked Mediterranean island.

Napoleon invaded Malta in 1798, and it was taken by the British 2 years later. It became part of the British Empire, an important staging post on sea journeys to India. British brewer Simonds of Reading began exports to the island in the late 1800s, and in 1927 helped local brewer Farrugia and Sons set up business. The two brewers merged in 1946, abbreviated the name to Farsons, and launched Lacto Milk Stout the same year.

Farsons Lacto Milk Stout is a dark beer with a brown head, a malty aroma, low bitterness, and flavors of chocolate and currants on the palate. The modern beer has lactose and vitamin B added after fermentation, as well as caramel coloring.As well as its fame as a tonic, the beer is a popular ingredient in Christmas puddings, and enjoys a surge in sales in November.