BEER

[Savor Dam]

Interesting about the spicy Stout. One of my local brewers www.hifibrewing.com had a similar Stout as a seasonal offering.

• Amigo Warmer: Inspired by Theo’s Chili chocolate bar, this stout was dosed with chocolate, cinnamon, and Guajillo chili after fermentation. Sweet and chocolatey, with just a touch of warmth, it’s a welcome companion on a winter evening. Try it with the chocolate bar for a great pairing! Alcohol: 6.8% ABV, Bitterness: 46 IBU.

Did you try it? If so what did you think?

Yes, we had a growler of it in December. It was well-balanced and quite drinkable, but the mild spice level was still sufficient to make it a novelty beer, not something I would consistently buy.

[Zarathustra]

Bell's Hopslam just hit my market. I'm going out to get some tonight. It's an 'old school' (heh) eastern American DIPA, a little sweeter than some more recent versions of the style coming out of the west coast, for instance. One of my old favorites. It clocks in around 10% ABV, has a classic 'mid-2000s' hop profile (lots of C hops, no doubt) with a honey-flavored malt backbone underneath a wallop of hops.

[Orlion]

That sounds interesting, Z. I'll have to keep an eye out for it.

Next time Im in Ohio I think I'm gong to look up a Rhinegeist Brewery Ink Imperial Stout. I've heard its incredible.

Wait a second... I'm in Ohio! Why have I not heard of this? *looks up the interwebz*

And once I finished my epic quest, I got a couple 22 oz bottles of this stuff. I'll be trying it tomorrow.

This evening I tried the Rhinegeist Panther, which is a seasonal Porter they put out. It is pretty drinkable, leans more towards the chocolate flavor than the coffee flavor most porters have. Not my favorite porter (that's between Great Lakes' Edmund Fitzgerald and Thirsty Dog's Old Leghumper) but it's still a pretty good one.

I also tried Stone's Fall version of Porter (with chocolate and orange peel, apparently). As I expect with Stone, it was incredibly hoppy... which in this case worked in its favor, there are certainly no other porters like it.

The place where I got all this has A LOT of different microbrew beers... I've never seen such a large selection of Jackie O's beer selection, and I've been to the original Jackie O's bar several times!

[Zarathustra]

I was actually a little disappointed with this year's Hopslam. Last year's, too, now that I think about it. Maybe it's no longer my favorite beer. Perhaps newer double IPAs have simply surpassed it.

Edmund Fitz is a phenomenal porter. If you like that one, try Fuller's London Porter and also Founder's Porter. Founders might be my favorite porter.

I've never thought Stone's porters were hoppy, especially the smoked porter, which is the one they add extra ingredients to now and then (orange peel, vanilla, peppers, etc.). I think I like it without the extras best. The smoke is subtle and works well with the roast. They also have a new milk stout that's tasty and low in alcohol. Great session beer.

If you have a liquor store that will let you buy individual bottles, it's fun to pick one style and get about six bottles from different brewers, and then compare them all side-by-side to see the differences. I've got a set of taster glasses just for this purpose. [It also helps that I have a bottle capper so I don't have to drink 6 whole beers at once, or waste any.] If you have someone help you, you can even do it blind. Have them pour and number each one, matching those numbers to the bottles (two sets of numbered scraps of paper, for instance) without you looking. I like to take notes and then go back and see which ones I liked best. I also like to compare my notes to the entries in a rating site like Ratebeer.com or Beeradvocate, to see if I can pick up on all the flavors everyone else notices. And if you rank or score them as you go, you can even see how your ranking stacks up to others'.

Yes, I'm a beer geek.

[SoulBiter]

I am just learning how many great beers there are out there. Of course there are at least that many that I don't particularly like either.

Z what kind of capper do you use? Is the cost of one worthwhile if you don't brew your own beer? I was thinking in the case that I don't want to drink a full 22oz beer, I could pour a pint, then cap it and have it later in the week.


Orlion, let me know what you thought of the 'ink'. I know different people have different tastes so I will try one anyway next time I am there. Which wont be until mid March. But I am curious as to what your impression is when you have them.

[Zarathustra]

My dad gave me my capper, so I don't know how much they cost. Bottle caps are cheap, though. I suppose it depends on how often you think you'll cap off a beer. If you end up drinking less by drinking them slower, you'll save money in the long run. 22 oz of a high alcohol beer can definitely be enjoyed over the course of a couple nights. There's also reusable plastic stoppers you can buy, but they can come out easily if you knock it around in the fridge.

[michaelm]

Yes, a thread about beer! Don't drink as much as I used to, but I do enjoy the odd tipple.

Had a Sam Adams last night. Heading out for Valentine's Day tonight (to miss the crush tomorrow) and will probably have one at dinner.

[sgt.null]

well for the Super Bowl I enjoyed some Sam Adams Winter Lager. goes well with victory.

[Savor Dam]

[Zarathustra]

Sam Adams Winter Lager isn't bad. If I'm out at a restaurant that doesn't offer local stuff or extreme brews, I'd drink a good Sam Adams over just about anything else mass produced. Their Noble Pils is a damn good pilsner, with more hops than most. But I don't drink too many pilsners, or lagers in general. I'm an ale guy, mostly.

[SoulBiter]

I had the Sam Adams winter lager at my brother in laws around Christmas. I enjoyed it. I'm in Dahlonega this weekend and found a place called Gold mountain Growler's. My wife and I will be stopping there tomorrow to try some local brews.

[sgt.null]

we stopped by the Asian market in Sugarland and bought some Lager from Taiwan Beer.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwan_Beer

have not tried it yet.

[Orlion]

The Rhiengeist Ink was impressive. I was expecting to be punched in the face with flavor, but got a nice subtle Imperial Stout instead.

Essentially, if Guinness was as good a beer as it thinks it is... and then some. Just a very pleasant, balanced experience.

[Cail]

I highly recommend anything from Lagunitas. Their IPA is superb, and I love Little Sumpin' Sumpin'. And if you can find their Lagunitas Sucks.....Oh man, that's good stuff.

[SoulBiter]

Murphy's Irish Stout - Just don't. Got it on draft at an Irish Pub. Nice head, silky at first, dark. Very dark. But almost no taste at all. Just touch of roast taste on the finish. I drank half a pink and gave up. I dont know if it as a bad batch, but it wasn't flat, the head lasted nice, just tasteless. I would never order this again.

The Bangers and Mash were outstanding though!!!!

[michaelm]

It's like all stout really - depends on where you buy it and what day it is. I love a good pint of Guinness, but that's really hard to find in the US. There are a few places that do OK, but for the most part they just treat like another beer in a keg.

Definitely agree about Sam Winter Lager - shame that it's not an all year round thing (the lager, not winter).

[SoulBiter]

I read some reviews on Murphys and I must say, I didnt get any of what others were saying, so maybe just a bad batch or it had been sitting too long and lost its flavors. I buy beer for taste so without or with very little taste, there was no reason to drink the Murphys.

I'm spoiled on a local brew "Breakout Stout". Full flavor, not overly carbonated, some good hops but not overly bitter. Very roasty/coffee flavors, with a slightly bitter end. As it warms, the malts really show through and the end has a hint of dark chocolate. Just a damn...good...beer. Since the taste just gets better as it warms, its something you can sit and enjoy for a while without feeling like you need to drink it while its cold.

The picture is a bit misleading. I rarely get that large a head on mine unless I just dump pour.


Malts - U.S. malted 2-row barley; caramel malt; chocolate malt; roasted barley

Hops - Chinook and cascade

O.G. - 19°P | ABV - 7.8% | IBU - 45


I've been having fun learning about Stouts and tasting more of them, since Stouts were my least favorite...having only tasted Guiness prior to last year. As I taste really good beers, I am learning that all beers are not made equal and I want my beers to have well rounded tastes and flavors. Now that I found one I really like, I am looking to get more educated on Stouts and find some others that I like that wont break the bank.

So, all you Stout drinkers.... whats your favorite (and why) and is it in nationwide production? If not, where do you go to get one?

[Cail]

Fresh Guinness is spectacular. Unless you're in Boston or New York, you've got to go to Ireland to get it.

I'm a big fan of Flying Dog's Pear Necklace Oyster Stout. It's not overbearingly heavy, and has no harsh aftertaste.

[Zarathustra]

Murphy's is actually pretty close to Guinness. I don't like either one, though I've never had the fresh stuff in Ireland. I think they're thin, watery, tasteless, and slightly sour. They are a subset of stouts, dry stouts.

Dry Stout

The "Irish-style" stout is typically a low-gravity stout with bitterness ranging between 30-45 IBUs. Roastiness is present, but restrained, and there should not be hops in either the flavour or aroma. A little bit of acidity can be present. Often, this type of stout is serving via nitrogen, with all the effects that has on a beer - low carbonation, extra-thick head, lifeless palate and muted flavour and aroma

I find the entire style to be boring.

Guinness does produce one beer I think that's really quite good: Guinness Foreign Extra Stout. This is a beefed up version, definitely not a dry stout. It's stronger, roastier, hoppier, and sweeter.

There are many different kinds of stouts: oatmeal stout, milk stout, imperial stout, foreign stout, etc. And there are lots of kinds that aren't officially recognized as styles: coffee stout, chocolate stout, bourbon barrel aged stout, etc. Porters are very similar, and there are different kinds of those, too. And even within a particular style, there's a wide variety, especially with all the 'unorthodox' ingredients (adjuncts) that brewers are adding to beer nowadays.

Generally, I think it's difficult to find a beer with much flavor at 5% or lower ABV, though there are lots of notable exceptions.

Like I said, it's hard to beat Founder's Porter. Fuller's London Porter is an absolute classic. Anchor Porter is also great. Bell's stouts are usually fantastic (Kalamazoo, Cream, Cherry, Java, etc.). My favorite imperial stout is probably Stone's ... though I've never tried Speedway or Dark Lord.

Here's Ratebeer.com's list of top 50 stouts:

www.ratebeer.com/beerstyles/stout/6/

[Menolly]

Z, I usually make my corned beef and cabbage with Guiness, but have found the vegetables become a bit more bitter than I like. I have considered using an oatmeal stout instead (the recipe does call for a stout and malt vinegar). What would you recommend?