Stout Recommendations

Id always recommend Sam Smiths Oatmeal Stout in this situation.

 

I would start off with some milk and oatmeal stouts and work from there. Heres two delicious beers that won't point you in the wrong direction

Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout - Anderson Valley Brewing
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/193/615/

Left Hand Milk Stout
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/418/3434/

 

Central Waters Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout. Go big. If you regret that, then stouts aren't your thing. I hated stouts a year ago, now I can't get enough barrel aged stuff.

 

I would also recommend Founders Breakfast stout.

 

Also recommend Founders Breakfast if you like coffee flavors, although it would be tough to find until October.
Lagunitas Imperial stout is a good one to try out as it is more on the sweet side.

 

Sweet you say? Creme Brûlée.

 

Any of the weird Southern Tier stuff. Choklat, Creme Brulee' would be a place to start IMO. I also agree that the BA stuff is easy drinking, even BCBS or BCBCS.

 

For a stout that's sweet, but not too sweet( dont get the Creme Brulee ) you cant't go wrong with Samuel Smith's Organic Chocolate Stout, Youngs Double Chocolate Stout, or 4 hands chocolate milk stout. A good intro stout is Sam Adams Cream Stout which is IMO the least offensive beer they brew.

 

Kalamazoo isn't too sweet, but it's not too harsh for the uninitiated either. Anchor Porter would also be a good one to help ease you into that end of the spectrum.

 

I agree with a lot of what others have posted. I started with Left Hand Milk Stout, and Nitro. Then I bumped up to Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout which is a starter for that style I think. Founder's Breakfast Stout, and Breckinridge (sorry if spelling is off) Oatmeal Stout.

I personally wouldn't jump right into big 10% plus aged stouts. For a lot of people that can be quite the jump in favor intensity. But everyone is different.

 

Another 'vote' for Sam Adams Cream Stout. It is a tasty sweet stout at a reasonable price.

Cheers!

P.S. Left Hand Milk Stout is very good too (I prefer the Nitro version).

 

North Coast Old Rasputin. It's inexpensive, readily available, and a very good. It is 9% abv though so proceed with caution.

 

As many others have said Left Hand Milk Stout is an excellent starting point. I would also recommend Great Divide Yeti, it has a little more hop profile then typical stouts

 

New Holland The Poet
Anderson Valley Barney Flats
Founders Porter

All should be what you're looking for.

 

Youngs double chocolate stout, old rasputin, or black xantus are good to try! Creme brulee is extremely sweet

 

Brooklyns Chocolate Stout, also another but not a stout is Cigar City's Cuban Espresso Brown Ale, very good.

 

Another vote for Sam Smith's Oatmeal, Left Hand, Young's, and Brooklyn Chocolate

 

Ten Fidy
Old Raspy
Edmund Fitzgerald
Founders Breakfast or Porter
Lagunitas Expresso Stout
Alesmith Speedway Stout
Avery Out Of Bounds Stout
Sammy Smith oatmeal or chocolate
Port Old Viscosity (barrel aged)
Dragons Milk (bourbon barrel aged)

This is a list of my favorite readily available stouts. They are all very good and shouldn't be hard to obtain. There are rarer and better ones out there but you can't go wrong with this list.

 

I second the motion for Founders Porter. It's a bit sweet and, also important, it's available in summer and has national distribution. Once winter comes, seek out Brooklyn's Black Chocolate Stout. Again, more chocolate than coffee.