Flavor with your stout?

I don't get the "elitism" over "flavored" beers of any stripe. Beer is fermented cereal grains and water + flavorings. That's literally what it has always been. It used to be that herbs and flowers and tree bark were used as the "flavorings" portion of beer. Then it became dominated by hops. Hops are a preservative, yes, but they are not a requirement for beer to be beer, and they are certainly used predominately as a "seasoning" to beer.

So how/why is adding cocoa nibs, coffee, or vanilla to beer "less beery" than using hops or mugwort or orange peel?

EDIT: And, sorry, /rant. To answer the OPs question, currently coffee has to be my number favorite flavoring ingredient to stouts. I can't get enough of it. I've even started infusing them at home.

 

I personally don't like coffee stouts. Most stouts I've had have that coffee essence to them but the overly black coffee stouts make me uncomfortably jittery. Can't drink them. I REALLY like Stones coffee milk stout though. More of a smoother nicer coffee taste and not super bitter black coffee. I also like vanilla, dark fruit and a little heat actually. Clown Shoes- Chocolate Sombrero was awesome.

 

Bc coffee.

 

I'm in! I would like one as well.

 

I wish there were more beers with dark chocolate, Cinnamon and Chile's or peppers. Coffee and barrel aging are great too.

 

There are lots of delectable embellishments found in the flavor profiles of various stouts, from chocolate, to coffee, vanilla, molasses, barrel-aged characteristics and beyond. However. The one thing I find myself REALLY appreciating above all else in my stouts... is earthiness. Don't know what else to call it. I just really dig the dirt. It's a very organic, mellow, and comforting flavor that I usually pick up strong in the aftertaste of my favorites.

 

I can't speak for anyone else, but it's not elitism about adding flavors. To me they generally just don't taste as good, end of story. The flavors are more clumsy and obvious, stand out from the base beer too much, and get tiring after 3/4ths of a glass or so.

Some can be done better than others, and those may be a nice change of pace for once in a while, but that's all I see them as. Kind of like spiced beers or kelp beers or whatever...

 

It looks like you better increase production. Everybody wants one

 

My mother in law always asks me if I want a splash of Scotch in my coffee. I always refuse because it spoils the coffee at about as much as it spoils the Scotch.
I was about to order a pint of a well liked Stout recently till I saw that it was cherry stout.What on earth was the brewery thinking of to ruin a perfectly good stout like that?
I'm no great fan of the Reinheitsgebot but at least the Germans don't try to fix things that ain't broke.

I suppose that it's all about trying to be innovative. News for them, it's all been tried before and discarded.Together with dead dog ale and stoat stout.

 

Xocoveza tainted my stout perspective. It made Imperial Stouts just meh Stouts. Every stout I have had since then, I really wished it was a xocoveza.

 

Have to admit I'm a sucker for chocolate. Really enjoyed Southern Tier's Choklat this year.

 

I liked this a lot also.

 

DAMN! I'm hoping that Stone at the very least makes that a seasonal release. 4 or 6 packs would be optimal. Incredibly positive feedback on that beer.

 

Coffee, Coconut, Vanilla. In that order. Also I really enjoy BA offerings accross many styles.

 

All of the flavors in Double-Barrel Hunahpu are my favorite.

 

I usually have a hard time finding a dry stout or normal porter. Every dark ale here is spiced or has adjuncts, and I don´t like that. But yesterday I tried a porter with rosemary and was ok.

 

Chocolate ftw.

 

Vanilla and Bourbon please

 

Maple and bourbon in a stout is a new combo I've tried recently (CBS) and it blows me away. Easy to over do (BA Black Maple) and under do (most other maple stouts/porters). The more flavors the merrier, if the brewer can pull off the balancing act between them all

 

I mostly prefer a basic dry stout, but I do really like a Cherry Stout from time to time. They have a nice tart flavor.