Milking beer for all it's worth

Ulcer sufferers who can't give up their scotch have been known to lace their milk with it.

Laverne DeFazio and Shirley Feeney liked to mix Pepsi-Cola and milk on their old TV sit-com.

Now, in that tradition of strange brews, a brewery in Nakashibetsu, Japan, on the country's northern island of Hokkaido, has whipped up "Bilk," a beer brewed from cow's milk as a way to use up surplus liquid. It went on sale today.

While the precise formula isn't being made public, it is known that the new brew contains the same ingredients as beer -- except for the milk -- and it looks like regular beer after fermentation. Various consumers who have tried the beer say it tastes fruity, with a distinctive aftertaste.

The beer is being sold in one-third liter bottles for $3 a bottle. For the time being, it will be marketed only on Hokkaido. Consumer response will determine whether sales will expand.

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