Stouts
After about a year spent developing a taste and love for IPAs, I’ve grown a wandering eye for some of the beers I’ve been missing out on as a result. Most specifically, stouts.
I love stouts. Always have and I’m sure I always will.
My return began on Black Friday with the annually anticipated launch of Goose Island’s Bourbon County Stout varietals. Because I had no idea just how anticipated they were, I didn’t get to my local liquor store early enough to get much of a choice. I wound up with a four-pack of their standard stout and a single bottle of Barleywine. While I have yet to break open the latter, I have popped the top on of the standards. It’s good. Although I have to admit it’s not that great straight out of the bottle. Like a wine, it needs to breathe and very much benefits from an exposure to oxygen.
About a week ago, I picked up a bottle of Shiner Birthday Beer Chocolate Stout. It’s a milk stout so it was a far sweeter taste than most stouts I’ve had. Again, good. I poured it into my trusty glass thinking that it might develop a little better with exposure. I don’t think it really did a whole heckuva lot to help it. Still good but not a higher-end stout by any means.
Tonight, to ring in 2015, I broke open a bottle of Boatswain Chocolate Stout. Again I poured but probably didn’t need to other than to save myself from looking like a lush because it was an oversize bottle. I didn’t get much of the promised chocolate notes and that was a disappointment to me as I was really looking forward to it. But it was a solid stout in its own right. Dark and full.
I plan to make this my Year of New Beer with a focus on stouts. So I’d like some recommendations. Got some for me?
Have a great 2015!
About Author
My step-daughter’s husband had family in from Colorado over Christmas and they brought a few bottles of Bourbon County. Alas, there was none for me (I know, very rude to not share).
Looking at the Goose Island site, I see they have a Vanilla Rye that I wouldn’t mine trying to find next time I’m out of town (the state-run Utah liquor stores do not carry Bourbon County at this time)
Now on this chocolate stout, I think i’d like that. Will have to see if any of my local breweries have something like this. Squatters and Red Rock are my best bet.
You’ll have to be out of town on Black Friday for the Bourbon County. Not available any other time. drop by my place. I’ll share. I still have four out of five of the bottles I bought.
When I was younger I would always drink Stout at the pub in England. My local had Murphy’s on tap and that’s the first one I ever tried and loved it. Guinness obviously the most popular over there, but occasionally I’d find a pub that also had Beamish. So those are the typical pub Stouts you find. Since then I’ve realized there’s a whole world of Stout out there and not just “the pub three”. Yum. Guess what I’m buying this weekend?
Slainté, my friend!
hate stouts. sorry. 🙂
No worries. We all have our preferences.