Bristol Beer Factory's Milk Stout AF doesn't try to reinvent the wheel. It starts with the same grain bill and hop additions as the alcoholic version — Fuggles for earthy earthiness, Phoenix for a floral lift — and adds lactose to give the body some weight. The result is darker and richer than most AF beers attempt to be. In the glass it's a deep brown with a tan head that doesn't hang around for long. The nose opens with roast coffee and dark chocolate, and that carries through to the palate. The chocolate note is genuine rather than synthetic — not as complex as the full-strength version, but more convincing than the average AF stout. The body is on the thinner side, which is the compromise you get at 0.5%. It's gluten-free (despite containing barley and wheat — the lactose stays) but not vegan, thanks to the lactose. If you're looking for a dark beer in the AF space, options are thin on the ground — this is one of the few doing something genuinely stout-like without the alcohol.