However, Dunedin homebrewer Saul Ross says it describes him and his Milk Stout "to a tee".
The 38-year-old was announced the 2016 Dunedin Craft Beer and Food Festival Homebrew champion on Saturday — his first attempt in the competition.
Even more unusual, the winner had to toast his success with someone else’s beer because he did not have any of his own at the festival.
A surprised Mr Ross said it was fortunate he was in a place that had plenty to share.
"To drink all these other people’s beers and to think that one day I could do this too ... there’s a lot of legends here that I’d like to live up to.
"I’m absolutely stoked to win it.‘‘Honestly, this is the best thing in the world for me right now."
Mr Ross said he made a milk stout because it appealed to his taste buds.
"The sweeter stouts agree with me more."
He now has the opportunity to produce the stout on a larger scale, for next year’s official festival brew.
Previous winners have been a raspberry wheat beer, a bourbon oaked porter and this year’s official festival brew was Wild Gose Chase, created by Max Major who won the 2015 competition.
Event marketing and communications manager Katrina McLennan said competition entrants had hugely varied backgrounds, and the competition provided the opportunity for feedback from a panel of industry specialists.
The judges were impressed by the variety and styles of more than 320 individual beers, ciders, wines and spirits on offer this year, the largest drinks list at the festival to date.
Sixty individual craft breweries and 25 different ciders were represented at the sold-out event.
Seventy-one styles/genres of beer were on offer — everything from Australian sparkling ale to smoked beer, spiced/herb beers, IPAs and sours.
Overall winners: 1st: Saul’s Milk Stout, milk stout, by Saul Ross; 2nd: Little Red Riding Hop, red IPA, by Ben Owen; 3rd: Saison Framboise, raspberry saison, by Jamie McQuillan.
